Bluegrass in O Brother Where Art Thou

The movie O Brother Where Art Thou deals with the way of life in 1930's Mississippi, during the Great Depression. The Bluegrass style music set the story and the way of life during this time period. Bluegrass was often played in local and country religious settings. Songs were written and performed by artists like Ralph Stanley, Delta Blues and many others. Keep in mind that the way of life at this time was very poor, and they depended on each other, as well as the music to tell their story.

Nearly every scene in O Brother Where Art Thou allows the viewer to relate to the situations and circumstances of characters from another generation. As Bluegrass tends to tell a story, the music in the movie contributes heavily to the plot. These songs were done without digital technology to give it that iconic Bluegrass sound and power. This was so the music presented sounded as it did during that time period.

The Bluegrass music style took the music world by storm. The movie helped put this music back into its context and introduced it to many who never had experience with it. The roots of Bluegrass and the movie O Brother Where Art Thou both paint a picture of yesterday. The style of music lets the public hear the words that tell the story of the hardship that people were going through, as well as bring up low spirits caused by the hardships of daily living.