Music Archives - Page 164 of 247

The Coolest Thing About the Opening of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

The excellent Coen Brothers’ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) opens with a scene of prisoners in the old South working on a road and singing the work song “Po’ Lazarus.” Unlike many of the other songs on the T-Bone Burnett produced soundtrack, though, “Po’ Lazarus” was not recorded specifically for the film.

Recording of “Po’ Lazarus”

The recording of “Po’ Lazarus” was one of the many recordings made by Alan Lomax and his father John Lomax. The two men visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary in 1959 and recorded prisoner James Carter leading a group of other prisoners in the song.

That recording of “Po’ Lazarus” later appeared on Lomax’s 1960’s album Bad Man Ballads credited to James Carter and the Prisoners. The song recounts a sheriff going to arrest Lazarus. Then, the sheriff ends up shooting “Po’ Lazarus”: “Well then they taken old Lazarus/ Yes they laid him on the commissary gallery.”

Finding James Carter

But that background is not even the coolest part of the story. According to The Southern Journey of Alan Lomax by Tom Piazza, the Coen Brothers movie brought a little more good will to singer James Carter.

After the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? became a bestseller, Alan Lomax’s daughter Lomax Chairetakis and others tracked down the 76-year-old Carter living in Chicago. They gave him a substantial royalty check. And then in February 2002 flew him, his wife, and two daughters to the Grammy Awards ceremony. At the ceremony, the soundtrack won the album of the year for 2001.

The New York Times noted that Carter had left home at age 13 and did time in prison for theft, a parole violation, and weapons possession. Before his rediscovery, he barely recalled singing the song for the recording.

James Carter passed away in November 2003, less than two years after his trip to the Grammys. The other prisoners in the recording have never been identified. But together they created an outstanding recording used in a classic film.

What is your favorite song from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Buy from Amazon

How Does “Inside Llewyn Davis” Rank In the Coen Brothers Canon? (short review)

Top 10 Coen Brothers Movies

What Is the Murder Ballad That Holly Hunter Sings to Nathan Jr. in “Raising Arizona”?

Show Me the Meaning! (Podcast Review)

When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (Short Review)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Remembering Bob Dylan’s 1969-1971 Period

Bob Dylan has released a short film promoting his new CD set Another Self Portrait (1969 – 1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10. The video features studio player Al Kooper, producer Bob Johnston, and guitarist David Bromberg discussing the 1969-1971 Dylan. During that time period, Dylan produced his much-maligned Self-Portrait album as well as New Morning.

The interesting nearly 12-minute version of the film addresses questions such as why many were disappointed in that period, what was up with Dylan’s voice at that time, and why it is worth reconsidering that period. [Update: The 12-minute version appears to be no longer available, but here is a shorter promotional film.]

Another Self Portrait will be released August 27.

What is your favorite song from the 1969-1971 Bob Dylan? Leave your two cents in the comments.

New Old Dylan: “Pretty Saro”

One Degree of Separation Between Bob Dylan & Twilight Zone: Bonnie Beecher & “Come Wander With Me”

Sheila Atim Peforming “Tight Connection to My Heart” (Great Bob Dylan Covers)

Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Cover of Bob Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl”

Vampire Weekend Saluting a Font By Covering Bob Dylan’s “Jokerman”

Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Why Is There No Ballad of Frank James?

On August 21 in 1883, Frank James went on trial in Gallatin, Missouri. In April 1882, Robert Ford had shot and killed Frank’s brother Jesse. Instead of waiting for someone to shoot him in the back, Frank James decided to turn himself in to authorities in October 1882.

Despite the crimes committed by the Janes brothers, many Missourians thought highly of the two outlaws. Although the James-Younger Gang had killed many people during their robberies, many citizens saw them as heroes, taking money from the banks and railroads and giving it back to the poor.

Post-Civil War sympathies also helped Frank James, who had fought for the South. So, the jury found him not guilty. Likewise, Alabama would fail to convict Frank James of armed robbery.

After the Trial

In late 1883, Missouri released James, and he went to live with his mother in Oklahoma for awhile. He lived within the law, doing a number of jobs including berry picker, shoe salesman, lecturer, Burlesque theater ticket taker and betting commissioner.

Unlike his brother, Frank James died peacefully in Missouri on February 18, 1915 at the age of 72. He was cremated and his ashes were kept in a bank vault to avoid the risk of grave robbers. Eventually, his ashes were buried with his wife in Missouri.

Popular Culture

There is a very inaccurate Henry Fonda movie about Frank after Jesse’s death, called The Return of Frank James (1940). The film was a sequel to 1939’s Jesse James, starring Tyrone Power.

Frank James is also portrayed as an older man, briefly, near the end of the 2010 version of True Grit. In the scene, where the James character remains sitting, Mattie Ross says, “Keep your seat, trash.”

Perhaps, because Frank James died peacefully, he never became the subject of many songs like his brother did. The most famous song about Frank’s brother is the folk song “Jesse James,” which makes Jesse a hero and calls his killer a coward.

“Jesse James” was first recorded in 1924, and it also appears in the excellent 2007 movie The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, where Sam Shepard played Frank James. Bruce Springsteen recorded a nice version as part of his Seeger Sessions.

Below is a version of “Jesse James” by Van Morrison with Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber from The Skiffle Sessions (2000).

Although dying in a blaze of violence is more likely to be mythologized than a quiet death at old age, I suspect there is yet to be a great song written about Frank James.

(Photo of Frank James via Library of Congress – Public Domain)

What is your favorite version of “Jesse James”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

That Dirty Little Coward That Shot Mr. Howard

Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Cover of Bob Dylan’s “Brownsville Girl”

Wonderful Redwood Tree

“It’s All In the Game”: The Hit Song Co-Written By a Vice President

Who Was Poor Old Johnnie Ray?

Van Morrison: “It’s a Long Way to Belfast City Too”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Tompall Glaser RIP

Country outlaw Tompall Glaser passed away this week. Glaser had a distinguished career, performing with his brothers and running a publishing company. But most of us know him for his work on the first “outlaw” country album, appropriately named Wanted! The Outlaws. The 1976 album — which also featured Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter — was a landmark album that went platinum.

One of the songs Glaser performed on the album, along with “Put Another Log on the Fire,” was “T for Texas.” Here he is performing the song in the 1980s.

Glaser also co-wrote the great song, “Streets of Baltimore,” for Bobby Bare. The song contains a lot of alt-country street cred because of the wonderful version by Gram Parsons. More recently, the song has been covered by The Little Willies. Here is a 2006 Virginia performance of the song by Ryan Adams.

T for thanks for the great music, Mr. Glaser. Rest in peace.

What is your favorite Tompall Glaser song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

When is Mickey Newbury’s “33rd of August”?

The First Farm Aid

“It Ain’t You” From Ray Benson and Willie Nelson (Song of the Day)

80 Years of Willie: From Opry Singer to Outlaw to Wizard

The Body of Gram Parsons and The Streets of Baltimore

The Fourth of July in Song

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

New Old Dylan: “Pretty Saro”

Bob Dylan is releasing a new box set in his Bootleg series, Another Self-Portrait, on August 27. The new set includes unreleased recordings made for Nashville Skyline (1969), New Morning (1970), and the much-maligned Self-Portrait (1970). Critic Greil Marcus famously reviewed the latter album, asking “What is this Shit?” But he is much more kind in his review of the new box set, which looks like it might have some gems.

Rolling Stone premiered one of the songs on the new set, “Pretty Saro.” The song is an old English folk tune dating from he early 1700s. Although through the centuries the song had basically disappeared in England, it was preserved in the U.S. by singers in the Appalachian Mountains. More recently, Iris DeMent recorded the song the 2000 film Songcatcher.

In “Pretty Saro” the singer finds himself alone away from home. He understands that his love, Pretty Saro, will not have him because he had no land. At the end, he wishes he were a poet who could write her a letter. As he sits by the river, he reveals he dreams of his lost love wherever he goes. In the version used by Iris DeMent, the song ends with the singer wishing he was a turtle dove who could fly back to Saro and lay in her arms.

Check out the video for Bob Dylan’s version of “Pretty Saro” created by Jennifer Lebeau, who used photos and videos from the Farm Security Administration to accompany the song. Lebeau had also worked on Dylan’s 1994 MTV Unplugged video.