Folksongs of Illinois
Illustrations by Heather McAdams; graphic design by Tom Greensfelder and Evan Sult.
"an extraordinary mix of music of the people" –ASHLAND DAILY PRESS - Rick Olivo, 7.20.07
"ambitious and informative" –CHICAGO FREE PRESS - Greg Shapiro, 7.18.07
"Sometimes state repertory projects can be staid and dry, but these two discs embody the best of the idiomatic array that's previously been recorded in Illinois." –NASHVILLE CITY PAPER - Ron Wynn, 5.29.07
"a truly diverse range of folk music recorded or written in Illinois over the past century. The series is particularly nice because it includes music by a wide range of ethnic groups." –UNDERGROUND BEE - Robert Loerzel, 6.5.07
Volume III available 12.1.07
To order CDs, contact the University of Illinois Press (800) 621-2736 or visit their website.
Songs from this project will be featured on 98.7WMFT as part of Voices: A Collection of Illinois Stories.
Air times:
- Monday, December 24, 2007 at 6:50PM
- Saturday, December 29, 2007 at 6:05AM
The Folksongs of Illinois CD series is a part of the Illinios Music Heritage Project, a project of the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC). This project is designed to help Illinoisans learn more about the state's folk and popular music heritage.
Illinois has a long and rich musical past that seldom receives the public audience and scholarly attention that it deserves. Many people are familiar with Chicago's blues and jazz history. However, a wide variety of musical styles enjoyed a long tradition in the state, including folk ballads, fiddle tunes, gospel songs, early country music, bluegrass, and the musical traditions of a multitude of ethnic communities in the state. Irish, German, Polish, Finnish, Mexican, French, Swedish, Serbian, and Czech musicians made important contributions to the state's musical heritage.
The Illinois Humanities Council released Folksongs of Illinois Volumes 1 and 2 in May 2007 as part of a three-CD series that will highlight the state's vibrant musical past. Volumes 3 will be released during the week of November 5, 2007. Each CD utilizes older home and field recordings, early commercial releases from 78s and LPs, and new studio recordings of contemporary artists, including performers from many ethnic communities. Each also includes an introductory essay and extensive liner notes written by a scholar. As a public service, the IHC worked with the Illinois State Library to distribute these CDs free of charge to the state's 3,000 school libraries. Individuals and organizations may purchase CDs through the University of Illinois Press. The IHC is also developing a free curriculum for teachers to parallel these recordings.
Volume 1 offers a selection of Illinois' best folk music and musicians with songs from Carl Sandburg, the Staples Singers, Jon Langford, Art Thieme, the Girls of the Golden West, the Polish Mountaineers, Special Consensus, Bucky Halker, Janet Bean, Tamburitza Orchestra Javor, and Silvano Ramos and Daniel Ramirez. Volume 2 offers a rich variety of fiddle music with songs from Alison Krauss, Liz Carroll, the Polish Highlanders, Nordic Cowboys, Johnny Frigo, Sar Planina, and Chirps Smith, among others. Volume 3 features Burl Ives (with Pete Seeger), the Bray Brothers, Win Stracke, Mahalia Jackson, Ella Jenkins, Big Bill Broonzy, the Kapugi Brothers, Sons of the Never Wrong, and many more Illinois artists.
The Folksongs of Illinois CD series is akey component of the larger Illinois Music Heritage Project undertaken by the Illinois Humanities Council. As part of the Illinois Music Heritage Project, the IHC is creating an educational curriculum to be used with the CD series. In addition, the IHC is conducting a survey of archival holdings related to folk music in Illinois. Organizations with collections on this subject are invited to complete the survey below.
For information, contact Clark "Bucky" Halker, IHC Senior Program Officer at 312.422.5585 ext. 226 or cdh@prairie.org.
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