Illinois has rich and diverse folk music traditions that are little known to most people. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the many peoples who have made Illinois their home produced a huge body of folk music from historical ballads, to labor anthems, to early country songs, to dance tunes (not to mention an equally large body of music from ethnic communities in the state).
Bucky Halker serves as the producer the Folksongs of Illinois CD series and has been collecting, performing, and writing about Illinois folk music for twenty years. Join Bucky as he performs and discusses a sample of his favorite folksongs from the Prairie State.