Kossoy Sisters

Audiences may recognize the voices of the Kossoy Sisters, identical twins, from their version of "I'll Fly Away" in the Coen Brothers' movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" They performed at the first Newport Folk Festival and sang in the original production of Woody Guthrie's Bound for Glory. Irene and Ellen began harmonizing at the age of 8 or 9, singing mostly what they heard around the house: songs of the 20's and music hall songs. In their early teenage years, they immersed themselves in traditional songs and became part of the music scene in Washington Square in Greenwich Village. By the age of 20 they had performed widely in New York. Although they sing mostly southern mountain songs, they have also adopted other traditional and contemporary songs (including humorous compositions by Irene), accompanying themselves on guitar and banjo.