A Road Scholar Program by 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.