LOS ANGELES – An expanded edition of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” the biggest-selling soundtrack of the last decade, will be released August 16. Grammy- and Oscar-winning producer T Bone Burnett oversaw the 17-track bonus disc that features artists who appeared on the original album (John Hartford, Norman Blake, the Fairfield Four, the Cox Family and the Peasall Sisters), plus some who did not (Colin Linden, Alan O’Bryant, Ed Lewis and Van Dyke Parks).Of the new tracks, only one, Burnett’s “Cow Road,” was heard on-screen.
Previously released tracks from Duke Ellington, Ed Lewis and the Prisoners and the Kossoy Sisters are included as well. The “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” film was released in 2000. The film’s soundtrack, which came out in January 2001, sold 3.46 million copies that year, according to Nielsen Soundscan, on its way to winning the Grammy for album of the year.
Shortly after the ceremony, “O Brother” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, nearly 15 months after its release. Hailed for exposing bluegrass, early country, blues and gospel to audiences, the soundtrack sold 2.73 million copies in 2002, landing it in the year-end top 10 for a second year. To date is has sold 7.6 million copies. Besides album of the year and compilation soundtrack Grammys, the album won awards for Dan Tyminski, Harley Allen and Pat Enright (country collaboration with vocals) and Dr. Ralph Stanley (country vocal performance, male).
The music from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” spawned a Nashville concert that lead to a sold-out U.S. tour. The soundtrack for the documentary film of the Nashville show, “Down From the Mountain,” won Burnett the Grammy for traditional folk album. – Yahoonews
