Lloyd Chandler (1896–1978) was an American Appalachian Folk musician and Free Will Baptist preacher from Madison County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Research has asserted that Chandler is the writer of " O, Death", a song featured on the acclaimed '' O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack''. Ralph Stanley won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for his rendition of this song. Indiana University Press' '' The Journal of Folklore Research'' features articles in a 2004 issue asserting that "O, Death" is Chandler's song "A Conversation with Death", which he performed for several years while preaching in

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

. One of the articles is from

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

Carl Lindahl, who researched claims from

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

that ''O Brother's'' "O, Death" is Chandler's composition. The article states that Chandler authored the song after a vision from God in 1916. Lindahl also chronicles his unsuccessful research in trying to find any trace of the song before Chandler's version, debunking previous claims that the song traces back to a 16th-century British composition. The other article is from Chandler's daughter-in-law, Barbara, who asserts that "O, Death" was based on Chandler's composition. "A Conversation with Death" appears on Rounder Records 1975 release '' High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina'', a collection of recordings made by John Cohen. Lloyd Chandler was a cousin of the folk singer

Dillard Chandler Dillard Chandler (April 16, 1907 – January 24, 1992) was an American Appalachian Folk singer from Madison County, North Carolina. His a cappella performances on compilation albums were recorded by folklorist and musicologist John Cohen. ...

Discography

* '' High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina'', Rounder Records, 1975

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Lloyd 1896 births 1978 deaths Old-time musicians People from Madison County, North Carolina Free Will Baptists