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75 years ago, The Stanley Brothers established ‘I’m A Man of Constant Sorrow’ as a bluegrass standard
The Stanley Brothers’ 1950 recording helped establish ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ as a bluegrass standard, turning an older hymn into a song that later folk musicians could make their own. Their role matters because the song’s origins are uncertain, and their version may have helped keep it in circulation and brought it to a wider audience.
Carter and Ralph Stanley learned the song from their father, who sang some of its words as an a cappella Baptist hymn. The brothers added lyrics and recorded it at a faster tempo with a bluegrass arrangement in 1950, then re-recorded it in 1959; a performance at the Newport Folk Festival further cemented its place in folk history. Dick Burnett had published a version in 1913, while Bob Dylan later adapted the song in 1961.
In short
- The Stanley Brothers recorded the song in a bluegrass style in 1950.
- Their later Newport Folk Festival performance strengthened its reputation.
- The song’s origins are unclear, with versions dating back to 1913.
Explained simply
The song was already in circulation before the Stanley Brothers recorded it, and its precise origins are unclear. Carter and Ralph Stanley learned some of its words from their father, who sang them as a Baptist hymn without instruments.
The brothers added lyrics and arranged it at a faster tempo with bluegrass instruments. Their recordings and a later performance at the Newport Folk Festival helped carry the song into bluegrass and folk music, where other musicians could adapt it. Dick Burnett had published a version in 1913, and Bob Dylan made his own adaptation in 1961.