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Burnett, who helped the Coen Brothers score their chain-gang comedy and serves as musical director for the spin-off tour, "Down From The Mountain," says the bluegrass, folk and blues music of "O Brother" represents an escape from the harsh, synthetic sounds of the day.
"I think there is a movement that this is a part of," Burnett says of the "Down From The Mountain" tour, which lands at Air Canada Centre's Sear's Theatre in Toronto, Wednesday (Feb. 6).
"As we become more technological, people are looking more for authenticity in life. We are in a constant search for identity. This music is so much a part of who we are -- really, one of the best parts of who we are," Burnett drawls down the phone line from his Los Angeles office.
"There is a real groundswell of young people that are looking for a more authentic kind of music than machine-made music. There is a contingency out there for actual playing and actual singing and actual songs."
Burnett may be right. Perhaps there was a secret constituency in the music-buying public, waiting to rediscover the high, lonesome sound of bluegrass and traditional country. But no one could have predicted the widespread acceptance the music would receive.
The tour -- which features "O Brother" soundtrack vets Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, The Whites, Norman Blake, The Peasall Sisters and Chris Thomas King, as well as ringers Patty Loveless, Rhonda Vincent, The Del McCoury Band and Bob Neuwirth -- has given unimagined exposure to artists that have for years subsisted on the fringe of contemporary culture.
"O Brother, Where Art Thou" relocated the tale of Ulysses into the rural, pre-industrial south and starred George Clooney as the leader of a trio of jailbirds who unwittingly become celebrity musicians, on the strength of a heartfelt hit version of "Man Of Constant Sorrow" (actually performed by Union Station's Dan Tyminski).
The movie did okay at the box office, but the soundtrack has soared, already spawning a live album and documentary, both titled "Down From The Mountain," a handful of Grammy nominations, and the current tour.
Burnett, who aside from his solo career has produced hit albums by Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Los Lobos and Elvis Costello, says he gets a kick out of the fact that events in the film have come true.
"The Coen Brothers did a spectacular thing. They created an event in the movie that replicated itself in real life," Burnett says.
"George Clooney got up and sang that song ("Man Of Constant Sorrow") into that can, and they couldn't keep the record on the shelves. And the people in the theatre wanted to go get it, too. In real life, we couldn't keep it on the shelves, either.
"There was a point early on where it jumped up to selling about 40,000 records a week. That is a healthy sign that things are going to go on for a while. It was crazy. It was a great thing. Miraculous and fun."