A Road Scholar Program by Clark (Bucky) Halker

Illinois has rich and diverse folk music traditions that are little known outside a small circle of scholars. From the beginning of the 19th century through the folk revival of the 1950s, the many peoples who made Illinois their home produced a huge body of folk music, including historical ballads, labor anthems, early country songs, and dance tunes as well as a large body of music from ethnic communities in the state. Bucky Halker recently produced the Illinois Humanities Council’s Folksongs of Illinois CD series. In this program, Bucky shares his knowledge of prairie-state folk music through performance and commentary, as well as a sampling from recordings he located while doing research for the CD series.

For more information, please contact Chris Vallillo, 309.833.4838.