"I'll Fly Away"(Roud 18437) is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message.
[3] Other popular songs by Brumley include "Jesus, Hold My Hand", "Turn Your Radio On", "I'll Meet You in the Morning", and "This World Is Not My Home".
[1][3] Brumley says that as he worked he was "humming the old ballad that went like this: 'If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly,' and suddenly it dawned on me that I could use this plot for a gospel-type song.
[6] 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.
[15] 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.
The spare recording, produced by T-Bone Burnett, features Welch on lead vocals with Krauss singing harmony.
[19][20] 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.
[29][30] Quebecois musician and storyteller Fred Pellerin recorded a version of the song sung in french, Je m'envolerai, on his 2019 album Après.
[31] 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".
In the settlement, the defendants acknowledged that Albert E. Brumley & Sons were the rightful copyright owners of "I'll Fly Away" and compensated them for an undisclosed amount.
Team members link arm-in-arm with each other before leaving the field and join the band, coaches, cheerleaders, university president and the crowd of fans in singing the hymn.
[38] A live recording of it was played at the funeral of Marching Southerners member Darius Whited on August 6, 2022, to celebrate his life.