The Selah Jubilee Singers One of the earliest recordings of "I'll Fly Away" was made by the
Selah Jubilee Singers in February 1941 for
Decca Records. The group was founded around 1927 by
Thermon Ruth, a disc jockey at radio station
WOR in Brooklyn New York.
James and Martha Carson James and Martha Carson, also known as the "Barn Dance Sweethearts" released their first recordings on White Church in 1947 and later signed with Capitol in 1949. They recorded 22 numbers for Capitol and "I'll Fly Away" is one of a half-dozen that "did well" for them. • 1951 – Capitol 1415 – "I'll Fly Away"/"We Will Rise and Shine"
The Chuck Wagon Gang The
Chuck Wagon Gang's 1948 recording of "I'll Fly Away" for
Columbia sold over one million copies. It ranks among the top selling gospel records of all-time and is listed among the top selling songs of the 1940s in general. In 1950,
Billboard reported that American disc jockeys voted the Chuck Wagon Gang "18th most popular of all singing groups in the nation," considering all music genres, and the third most popular recording artist for Columbia.
The Kossoy Sisters In 1956, the
Kossoy Sisters included "I'll Fly Away" on the album,
Bowling Green, which featured instrumental backing by
Erik Darling. The Kossoys, twin sisters Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson, practiced
close harmony singing, which is exemplified on this track. Their recording was introduced to a wider audience when it was included in the 2000
Coen Brothers film,
O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
George Jones George Jones recorded an energetic version on his classic 1965 gospel LP
Old Brush Arbors.
The Stanley Brothers The Stanley brothers released a version in 1966 with Ralph Stanley later releasing a solo version on his
Shine On album on Rebel Records in 2005.
Charley Pride Charley Pride included the song on the 1971 album
Did You Think to Pray which peaked at number 1 on
Billboards country album chart.
Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley adapted a
reggae version in 1973 and recorded it with
the Wailers as part of his
Rastaman Chant.
Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch There have been numerous recordings of "I'll Fly Away" since its inclusion in the 2000 film
O Brother Where Art Thou?. Although the Kossoy Sisters recording was used in the film itself, a contemporary recording by
Alison Krauss and
Gillian Welch was chosen for the
O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. The spare recording, produced by
T-Bone Burnett, features Welch on lead vocals with Krauss singing harmony. Their voices are accompanied by
Mike Compton on mandolin and
Chris Sharp on guitar. The soundtrack sold over eight million copies, reached the top position on at least four of
Billboard's album charts, and was named
Album of the Year and
Best Soundtrack album at the
44th Grammy Awards in February 2002. Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch performed the song again for a concert of May 24, 2000, at the
Ryman Auditorium that featured many of the artists from the
O Brother soundtrack. Film from the concert was used to create the 2000 documentary,
Down from the Mountain. Krauss and Welch's live performance is included as the final track on the
Down from the Mountain soundtrack album, which sold over 500,000 copies, won the
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album, and appeared on several of
Billboard's charts. Both the studio and live performances by Krauss and Welch were popular among
folk music disc jockeys. The two recordings were ranked at No. 7 and No. 47 respectively on the Top Songs of 2001 Folk Radio airplay chart.
Kanye West "I'll Fly Away" was included as an interlude in
Kanye West's 2004 album,
The College Dropout. The rendition was sung by
Tony Williams.
Jars of Clay The Christian rock band
Jars of Clay have recorded "I'll Fly Away" twice, first, for the 2004 various artists
compilation album,
WOW Worship: Red and again for their own 2005 album,
Redemption Songs. The latter features guest vocals by
Sarah Kelly.
Redemption Songs reached No. 1 on ''Billboard's
Top Christian Albums chart and No. 71 on the Billboard'' 200. Their recording of the song was popular enough on
Christian radio to be placed at No. 1 on a list of the Top Songs of 2005 by at least one station.
Alan Jackson Alan Jackson included "I'll Fly Away" on his first gospel album,
Precious Memories (2006). He offers an up-tempo performance with guitar and piano solos. Jackson's album sold over 1 million copies and reached the top position on
Billboards charts for Top Country Albums and Top Christian Albums, as well as No. 4 on the
Billboard 200.
Fred Pellerin Quebecois musician and storyteller
Fred Pellerin recorded a version of the song sung in french, ''Je m'envolerai
, on his 2019 album Après''.
J.I.D A familial rendition of "I'll Fly Away", being performed at a close relation's funeral, is featured from 0:10-0:22 of
JID's song "Kody Blu 31", off of his 2022 album "
The Forever Story".
Forrest Frank On his
New Hymns album,
Forrest Frank covered the song in a
lo-fi/rap style with
Hulvey.
List of recordings This will likely always be an incomplete list. The listings at
AllMusic are in excess of 1000 entries. • 1941 –
Selah Jubilee Singers, single (
Decca 7831)] • 1972 –
Andy Griffith on
Somebody Bigger Than You and I (re-released 1996, Sony) • 2005 –
Mississippi John Hurt on
D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2 [Recorded July 1963] == Sampling lawsuit ==