Is George Clooney singing in O Brother?

Q: Is O Brother, Where Art Thou true?

The opening titles inform us that the Coen Brothers O Brother, Where Art Thou? is based on Homers The Odyssey . The Coens claimed their Fargo was based on a true story, but later confided it wasnt; this time they confess they havent actually read The Odyssey . Still, theyve absorbed the spirit.

Table of Contents Show

Man of Constant Sorrow was performed by Dan Tyminski
Who actually sang in O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Who plays Pete in O Brother?
Who wrote the music for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Is O Brother, Where Art Thou true?

To be a talented actor is one thing, but to be a talented actor and singer is something else entirely. It’s less common these days for actors to be expected to sing in addition to act, with rare exceptions, of course. Despite having access to technology that allows actors to have their characters' singing voice be recorded by professional singers, some still like to take a crack at it the old-fashioned way. Sometimes it works; just look at Bradley Cooper's performance in A Star Is Born. Conversely, not everyone can be as lucky, or talented, in the singing department as Cooper. George Clooney found out as much when working on the Coen Brothers’ O' Brother Where Art Thou, where he bombed his singing audition.

In the film, George Clooney’s character, Ulysses Everett McGill, takes advantage of a blind radio station manager to sing into a can for money, (the inner workings of the recording studio remained an arcane mystery to some of McGill’s companions). Thus, the Soggy Bottom Boys had their first record deal. Clooney took this opportunity to try and use his actual voice for the scene, in which the band of convicts sing "Man of Constant Sorrow." He quickly found out that sometimes singing, like many other talents, don’t always run in the family. As the actor told Variety:

They assumed I could sing because my aunt was Rosemary Clooney, and I assumed I could sing. And then we got in there, and they’re behind the glass desk, it’s Joel, T Bone and Ethan. And I really worked hard at it, and then I sang it and I looked up and no one would look up… And they thought if I listened to it, I’d understand. And I’m listening to it, and it literally sounds like a cat caught in the wheel well of a truck driving down the street.

In his interview, George Clooney hilariously noted that the sound of his own voice sounded like a cat caught between a rock and a hard place. At least he was able to take it in stride after listening to his voice.

The Coen Brothers eventually went with folk artist Dan Tyminski for McGil’s singing scenes. "Man of Constant Sorrow," along with the majority of the music in O Brother, Where Art Thou, is based on Depression-era folk tunes and Americana. The song actually generated some awards buzz, as it won Single of The Year at the 35th annual Country Music Awards, and even spent some time on the Hot Country & Singles Billboard music chart.

All of this is to say, I doubt George Clooney’s cat-like vocals would have had as significant of an impact as Dan Tyminski’s performance. Clooney did nail it in the acting department, though, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. O Brother, Where Art Thou went on to receive two Academy Award nominations to boot.

George Clooney has since collaborated with the Coen Brothers on 2008's Burn After Reading and 2016’s Hail Caesar, with the latter seeing him play Baird Whitlock, a depressed and drug-addled leading man out of old Hollywood. Notably, Clooney’s character did not have a singing scene this time around.

George Clooney recently starred in Netflix’s The Midnight Sky, a sci-fi drama that relies on his acting over his singing. As for the Coen Brothers, Joel’s next project is a Macbeth adaptation starring Denzel Washington expected for later this year. For the full list of upcoming movies, check out CinemaBlend’s 2021 release schedule for the latest on this year's slate.

Actor George Clooney

Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" might not have made $100 million at the box office or won Best Picture at the 2001 Oscars, but for a specific subset of people, the satirical dramedy is high art. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the film is a memorable entry into the brothers' subversive, genre-bending series of cult movies. Set in the backwoods of Mississippi during the Great Depression, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is essentially a period retelling of Homer's "The Odyssey," starring a Hollywood A-lister in George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, the Odysseus role.

At one point during his wild, winding journey with fellow chain gang escapees Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), the trio joins up with a man named Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) to record a rendition of the folk song "Man of Constant Sorrow" as The Soggy Bottom Boys. Unbeknownst to them, the record becomes a huge success, and later, during the movie's third act, the governor grants them a full pardon upon realizing they're responsible for the hit.

In what is an incredible case of life imitating art, that very song from the soundtrack of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" became a hit in real life too. "Man of Constant Sorrow" peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 2002, and the song also won a CMA Award for Single of the Year and a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (via BBC News). But is Clooney really the one singing the song as he appears to in the film?

Man of Constant Sorrow was performed by Dan Tyminski

George Clooney and John Turturro in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Buena Vista Pictures

During a Reddit Ask Me Anything back in 2014, George Clooney revealed that in order to record "Man of Constant Sorrow," he went into the studio with music producer T Bone Burnett and the Coen Brothers during the production of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" At the time, the intent was for him to actually sing "Man of Constant Sorrow." Unfortunately, his vocals weren't up to snuff.

"I remember the Coen brothers assumed I could sing, I kind of assumed I could too," he said. However, the sad truth of the matter was revealed in short order. "They were all looking down at the ground and kind of shaking their heads and they play it back and it's just terrible, and I think great, they're going to have to tell me they're going to have to bring in another guy to sing." Well, they ended up doing just that.

The man they brought in was bluegrass singer and musician Dan Tyminski, who is both a member of Alison Krauss' backing band, Union Station, as well as a successful solo artist. In a piece for the Huffington Post, Burnett shared that Tyminski "wrote and played the guitar part that gave the song a new life" in addition to providing his soulful vocals. However, he maintained that Clooney is a great singer and would've likely provided the vocals under different circumstances. "If there had been more time to get George up to speed, he could have sung that song himself," he wrote.

Who actually sang in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

One of biggest hits from the film, I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow, sung by the fictional Soggy Bottom Boys, which included Clooney, Blake-Nelson, and Turturro, does not include Clooney's voice. It was actually bluegrass musician Dan Tyminski.

Who plays Pete in O Brother?

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - John Turturro as Pete Hogwallop - IMDb.

Who wrote the music for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

T Bone BurnettO Brother, Where Art Thou? / Music composed bynull

Is O Brother, Where Art Thou true?

The opening titles inform us that the Coen Brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is based on Homer's The Odyssey . The Coens claimed their "Fargo" was based on a true story, but later confided it wasn't; this time they confess they haven't actually read The Odyssey . Still, they've absorbed the spirit.