In 1986, in association with the Illinois Arts Council and the Library of Congress, folksinger and anthropologist Chris Vallillo carried out a project to interview the last pre-radio generation and to collect their oral histories and music. In a musical program and commentary, he brings to life the stories and performs the music of people from rural Illinois in the late 19th century. He includes a short description of the process of collecting and performs a selection from the material he documented.