National Sampler:
Selections from Illinois Collections
Illinois, the "Prairie State," is the fifth most populous state in the United States and also one of the most diverse. A microcosm of America, it encompasses a wide variety of landscapes, including the Great Lakes port city of Chicago; broad, flat prairies; historic Mississippi and Illinois River towns; classic Midwestern suburbs; some of the nation's most prosperous farms; and mid-size, post-industrial cities.
The state's population is as diverse as its geography: Illinois has attracted immigrants from throughout the world, and the Mississippi River has served as a major highway for migrants from the American South, especially African Americans who followed the great river north in search of work and better opportunities.
The following examples from the American Folkife Center's Archive include folklife interviews, ethnographic photographs, songs, ballads, instrumental music, and oral histories from various collections. This sampler serves as an overview and introduction to the American Folklife Center's extensive holdings documenting this state's cultural heritage.
For more information about the American Folklife Center's Illinois collections and services, go to Foklife in Your State: Illinois. For a more complete list of our Illinois collections see the finding aid Illinois Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture.
These recordings are presented in mp3 format.
- Tracks 1 & 2. Police Superintendent Francis O'Neill's cylinder recordings of Irish music in Chicago, ca. 1904.
- Track 3. "Fare Ye Well," performed by Metropolitan Community Church Choir at the National Folk Festival, 1937.
- Track 4. "I'm Sad and I'm Lonely," sung by Carl Sandburg from the Anne Grimes Ohio Recordings, 1953.
- Tracks 5 & 6. Legendary Chicago blues pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis recorded by Alan Lomax at John Hammond’s Haven Studio, 1938.
- Tracks 7 & 8. David "Honeyboy" Edwards performing two blues songs at the Archive of Folk Song 50th Anniversary Concert, 1978.
- Track 9. String band music by the Bible Grovers, Eastern Illinois University Festival of the Arts, 1979.
- Tracks 10 & 11. Greek and Mexican music and interviews recorded by the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project, 1977.
- Track 12. Mexican harpist Melecio Martinez performing at Neptune Plaza Concert, 1979.
- Track 13. Staff Sergeant Mark L. Provo recounts escaping from the World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, 2001.
- Track 14. U.S. Army veteran Robert Baken recalls his Korean War experiences for the Veterans History Project, 2001.
- Track 15. StoryCorps interview: Remembering Joseph Howard Haley, founder of the Jackie Robinson West Little League in Chicago, 2007.
- Track 16. The tale of "Lazy Jack" as told by Jim May at the 1987 National Storytelling Festival.
|