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 in order to record both their oral histories and their music. In this musical program and commentary, Chris brings to life the stories and performs the music of people from rural Illinois in the late 19th century, including a short description of the process he undertook to collect these stories and songs.

Recorded Tuesday, March 07, 2006 at The Center.