6. The Soggy Bottom Boys
In 2000 The Coen Brothers released their film 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' to critical, if not commercial success. The movie followed George Clooney and his dim-witted friends in 1930's Southern United States as they broke out of a prison chain gang and attempted to find their way to some buried loot from a bank heist. Along the way they encounter a myriad of different characters that hamper their escape and was described as a retelling of the Odyssey, which meant nothing to most people that watched it. But this isn't about the movie, this is about
the Soggy Bottom Boys, the stage name George and the boys take on during a break from escaping. They record one throwaway single (Dick Burton's 'Man of Constant Sorrow') and it winds up becoming a huge hit, which plays out later on in the story. While the only thing the song in the movie proves is that Clooney sings just about as good as he plays The Batman, it still brought a slight resurgence in music that has long fallen into musical history's waste bin. In real life, the Soggy Bottom Boys were a collection of Bluegrass singers that went on to to play the
Down From the Mountain Concert Tour and film. Much of the concert was full renditions of songs that were played in the movie and featured the talents of Allison Krause, Ralph Stanley, Emmy Lou Harris, John Hartford and more. The soundtrack peaked at #10 on the US country charts, despite it's eclectic contents.