The popularity of the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou – and it’s soundtrack hit Man Of Constant Sorrow – made superstars out of a non-existant band. During a crucial scene in the movie, a bluegrass band supported the lead actors on stage performing that song, made up of prominent grassers, and credited as The Soggy Bottom Boys.
The band consisted of Ron Block on banjo, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Mike Compton on mandolin, and Barry Bales on bass. Though not shown in the film, Dan Tyminski provided the voice for actor George Clooney, who stars in the movie. These are the musicians, along with Jerry Douglas, who recorded Man Of Constant Sorrow for the soundtrack, which won a Grammy award.
Now, to celebrate the opening of the 2014 concert series at the Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, TN, the Soggy Bottom Boys will reunite for a special show on March 22. The distillery is the first federally licensed facility in Tennessee for making moonshine whisky, and features bluegrass music throughout the year in their main hall.
The show is free and open to the public and starts at 5:00 p.m. Monroeville will also perform.
Organizer Josh Trivett, who works with top bluegrass artists at Moonstruck Management, said that it was worth all the scheduling issues to make this happen.
“It’s so exciting for myself and Moonstruck Management to be the organizing management company that has helped make this dream of Ole Smoky come to fruition. Considering the combination of the massive success of the movie and soundtrack, and my passion and love for bluegrass music, this show has been a pleasure to help create. We specialize in the bluegrass genre, so needless to say we are all smiles.”
Josh says that this will mark the first time the Soggy Bottom Boys will perform a full show as a stage band. Sounds like fun.
Find full details at the Ole Smoky web site.
