Dick Burnett (musician)
A blind Kentucky fiddler and singer whose haunting song 'Man of Constant Sorrow' became a bedrock of the American folk and bluegrass canon.
1883–1977 (age 94)·American folksinger and songwriter·Birthday: October 8·The Lost Generation
Biography
Dick Burnett’s life was etched by hardship, but his music turned that pain into something timeless. Blinded in a shooting as a young man, he took up music as a trade, traveling through Kentucky with his fiddle, often accompanied by a younger musician to guide him. His repertoire was the newspaper of the Appalachian experience—tragedies, train wrecks, faith, and sorrow. While he recorded only a handful of sides in the 1920s, one composition, 'Farewell Song' (later known as 'Man of Constant Sorrow'), ensured his immortality. Collected by folklorists, the song’s weary, resilient melody and lyrics became a standard, carried forth by the Stanley Brothers, Bob Dylan, and the film 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' Burnett was not a star in his lifetime, but a vital link in the chain of oral tradition, a blind man who gave American music one of its most clear-sighted anthems.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Dick was born in 1883, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1883
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1883Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1888Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1896Became a teenager
First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
President: Grover Cleveland
1899Could drive
President: William McKinley
1901Could vote
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1904Turned 21
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Turned 30
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 40
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 50
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 60
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 70
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 80
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1977Died at 94
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
Key Achievements
- Wrote the folk standard 'Man of Constant Sorrow', which has been recorded by countless artists across decades.
- Recorded a series of traditional folk songs and original compositions for commercial labels in the 1920s, preserving early Appalachian music.
- Was a noted street and railroad musician, performing and passing songs along throughout central Kentucky for decades.
Did You Know?
He lost his sight at around age 24 after being shot during a robbery.
For many years, he performed with guitarist and singer Leonard Rutherford, who acted as his guide.
His song 'I Am Going to the Railroad' is considered an early version of the famous folk ballad 'The Wreck of the Old 97'.
“When I lost my sight, the fiddle became my eyes to the world.”
