Of all the artists I book here at the Skokie Theatre, Bucky Halker is my personal favorite. His Tribute to Woody Guthrie is something I look forward to every year and Bucky captures Woody’s spirit better than anyone else. Bucky’s own songs are in the best Chicago literary tradition and compare to Carl Sandburg and Studs Terkel. Bucky is just downright good. Allan G. Curtis, Mgr. of Operations-Skokie Theatre, Skokie, IL
BIG NEWS: Wisconsin, 2-13-63, volume 2 was released in late 2008-early 2009. To order volume 1 or 2 and Bucky’s other recordings, go to www.cdbaby.com For more info, just check out the reviews below or roam this website!
OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS: Wisconsin, 2-13-63, volume 1 made the list for TOP TEN CDS Of The Year at WLUW Radio in Chicago. DJ Tom Jackson ranked it #6 on a list that includes Irma Thomas, Jon Langford, Anna Fermin, Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Chris Thomas, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Pretty good company for ol’ Bucky to be amongst! Thanks WLUW for all the support you’ve given me and other local artists over the years. This is the second time I’ve made Tom’s TOP 10 and I’m very honored. Check ‘em out at 88.7 FM.
Also, the CD made the Americana Chart in June-August 2007! Wisconsin, 2-13-63, volume 1 got regular airplay at several stations in the USA and Europe and that pushed it into the Top 100 most-played Americana CDs.
Other good news? The three-CD set Folksongs of Illinois that Bucky produced for the Illinois Humanities Council received rave reviews in regional and national media and also make the FolkDJ radio charts for several weeks in 2007-08. For info: www.press.uillinois.edu The CDs were hailed as a groundbreaking project that should serve as a model for future folk-music documentary recordings.
Bucky Halker is too tall — and too healthy — to appear as Woody Guthrie while presenting his acclaimed touring tribute show. “I do the show as a musical tribute, I don’t do the first person thing. Partly the physicality of it, he was a short guy, and I’m already older than he was after entering the hospital (where Guthrie died of complications from Huntington’s Disease),” said Halker, talking via cell phone after finishing a show in New York. Along with noted session player John Rice on mandolin, fiddle and dobro, Halker will present his “Tribute to Woody Guthrie” on Saturday. The show has been ongoing for almost fifteen years. Guthrie (1912-1967), the iconic folksinger, writer, labor and social justice advocate, continues to fascinate people everywhere. Almost everyone has heard — and likely sung — his most famous song, “This Land Is Your Land.
“Roots” doctor Halker has a Ph.D. in history frm the University of Minnesota and is on the board of theWoody Guthrie Foundation. Halker sings and writes roots music and recently released “Wisconsin2.13.63 Volume One” on Revolting Records. He also has produced a series of recordings, “Folk Songs of Illinois,” in conjunction with the Illinois Humanities Council. Halker believes that the songs of Woody Guthrie are still important and entertaining. “The issues he talked about are still relevant,” he said. “For example, his song ‘Deportee’ was about illegal aliens, and is still a current issue, even though he wrote it in 1947. And “I Ain’t Got No Home” was about homelessness during the Depression, another issue we’re in the middle of right now. Halker thinks Guthrie would be disappointed by our lack of progress in these social issues. “Yes, he would be disappointed. He was radical, but a very American radical who really believed in the country. We have a lot of social issues that we’ll start to deal with, then we back off, so they stay with us,” said Halker. Lapsed hero worship Asked if he personally idolizes Guthrie as a mythical hero, Halker answered thoughtfully: “As a teenager, I had a romantic vision of him as a rebel. But Guthrie had short-comings as a human being. He was notorious for being away from home, being in debt, and not always being frank with people, including his friends. Most heroes, when you scratch the surface, are [far from perfect]. Woody Guthrie is mythic, he was a real poetic voice in. But I put him in a more honest perspective now than when I was, say, 21. “If he were alive today”, Halker said Guthrie would “probably be involved in international issues, like labor conditions in places like China And he would be complaining about economic justice in the country.” Notably, Halker has a connection to the Guthrie family, having recently completed a European tour with Woody’s son, Arlo Guthrie. Woody Guthrie’s daughter, Nora, has called Halker one of her father’s “torchbearers.” “I definitely feel it’s important to keep spreading his music,” said Halker.
Lilli Kuzma, contributor.
September 26, 2007
The magic of the singer/songwriter is always the songs. On Wisconsin 2.13.63, Bucky Halker displays a penchant for not only writing great songs and hooks but using a myriad of different styles to compass the broad scope of Americana. Unlike the handful of artists who purposefully write within that genre’s barriers, Halker interweaves New Orleans blues, Tex-Mex, pop and so much more . . . and he writes in his own voice.
Various Artists — Folksongs Of Illinois #1 and #2 (Illinois Humanities Council): This ambitious project, spearheaded by folk singer Bucky Halker, attempts to compile the rich musical history of Illinois, which, thanks to its blend of agriculture and the commerce of Chicago, mixed the tradition of the large variety of ethnic groups that settled in the state. Mixing vintage recordings with contemporary performers, you get everything from pure folk to blues to polka to western swing and a whole lot more. On Volume 1, Halker finds a lot of great story songs, many of which are specifically about the Land of Lincoln, such as Henry Spaulding’s “Cairo Blues”. Halker himself does a nice rendition of “The Dying Miner”, while Jon Langford and Kelly Hogan duet on “Mississippi Flood” and I’m particularly fond of Janet (Freakwater, Eleventh Dream Day) Bean’s sober reading of “The Hanging of Charlie Birger”. But you also get to hear vintage tracks like “Jay Gould’s Daughter” by Carl Sandburg (!) and “Lonely Cowgirl” by The Girls of the Golden West, not to mention a fervid version of “I’m Coming Home” by The Staple Singers. The second volume is devoted to fiddlers, and Halker and co-producer Paul Harris run the gamut of fiddle music — there are tracks from Sones De Mexico Ensemble, Pat Roche’s Harp & Shamrock Band, and Nordic Cowboys, rubbing elbows with renowned jazz violinist Johnny Frigo and bluegrass-country star (and Illinois native) Alison Krauss & Union Station. There are good old fashioned hoedowns (like “Sail Away Ladies” by Artie P. Crowder & The Tennessee Railsplitters) and bluesy ditties (check out “Without a Dime” by “Banjo” Ikey Robinson). This is academic but alive rather than bloodless and, for my money, a more interesting history lesson than anything Sufjan Stevens has conjured up. Mike Bennett, Capsule Reviews: August, 2007
A new 2007 review of Bucky’s 1997 release, PASSION, POLITICS, LOVE, from Allmusic.com
Bucky Halker’s Passion Politics Love is a rootsy, alternately rocking and stripped-down effort. The album calls to mind the mid-’90s creative fury of a post-heroin Steve Earle, what with the fiery politics and country-blues of “Democratic Blues” and the stirring acoustic country of “Color Outside the Lines.” Halker can also rock out like Earle, as the searing, vindictive “Don’t Let the Bastards” and country-rock bounce of “Candy Man” attest. Meanwhile, “Fire and Ice” is an upbeat, melodic roots rock number. Halker is also not afraid to plunge headlong into straight-up honky tonk, as evidenced by the lighthearted “Heaven in Milwaukee.” This is top-notch, varied Americana. (Eric Hage: www.allmusic.com)
Ashland native releases Illinois folk song collection
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| Coming up with a three-CD set purporting to distill the tremendously rich and complex folk music tradition of the Land of Lincoln is a task that would overawe almost any historical musicologist.However it is just this rich loaf of musical bread that former Ashland resident and songsmith Bucky Halker slices into with zest and skill.
Halker, a masterful singer and songwriter in his own right, serves as a senior program officer at the Illinois Humanities Council. Six years ago he set about the daunting task of listening to over 3,000 folk songs from the Illinois country, beginning to cull that number down to 60 songs.Last month those efforts bore fruit with the release of “Folk Songs of Illinois,” volumes one and two. Volume 3 is due for release in October. Halker, who grew up in Ashland, learned to play guitar and gigged with teen bands here before heading off to college. He eventually got a Masters Degree and a Ph.D. in labor history from the University of Minnesota. Troubadour and professor, Bucky has led a varied existence, as college professor and performing with “The Remainders,” an eclectic Chicago bar band. He has also made several solo albums that include acoustic, bluesy and personal songs. He is also known for his session work, engaging in a series of projects including contributions to “Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends” which earned a Grammy nomination. An author as well, Halker has written a groundbreaking book, “For Democracy, Workers and God: Labor Song-Poems and Labor Protest,” hailed as a pioneering assessment of the songs of a tumultuous era in American history and a major contribution to working class cultural studies. Halker has become recognized as an artist with an intimate understanding of many diverse musical styles; one whose own music is deeply influenced by the richness of this Midwest melting pot. There is a natural progression from his own groundbreaking work to the development of a trilogy of CDs that spotlights the folk heritage of Illinois. “It’s something that developed after years of playing all over Illinois. This is a region that is rich in music, with people from all over the world,” said Halker. “They all bring their own musical traditions with them.” So in a state nestled between the Wabash and the Mississippi, one can find bluegrass and gospel, country blues and string band cheek by jowl with Scandinavian waltzes and Serbo-Croatian kolos, Polish polkas and Mexican corridos. It is an extraordinary mix of music of the people. It is also a heritage that was incredibly difficult to distill down to the fine essence reflecting the character of Illinois. “If I had known what I was getting into when I started this I might not have done it,” Halker admits. Part of this difficult assignment was just finding the original artists or heirs of the long-silent songs, in order to secure rights to the reissue their performances. Many of the artists were long dead. In one case, Halker could not find any surviving relatives of Henry Spaulding, an old bluesman. At last, a company in Austria claimed to own the rights to the song in question, “Cairo Blues,” but Halker flatly refused to pay out on the dubious royalty claim. “There is no way I am going to pay money to some white guy in Austria for a song written by a black man in Illinois,” he said. On the other hand, Halker was able to track down the elderly female survivor of another group’s song. Even though there appeared to be no legally binding copyright, he agreed to pay her a modest sum of a few hundred dollars. “It’s what was right, and she was in real need of that money,” he said. The music selected for the collections are all performed by Illinois musicians, and include selections drawn from new studio recordings, archival collections, 78s, LPs and CDs, as well as home and field recordings made by folklorists, amateur scholars and family members. Halker said a wealth of song remains to be resurrected for new generations. “I had to set an arbitrary cutoff date of about 1955 or so. I think I would like to see additional CDs to cover the modern era,” he said. Nor does he think Illinois is the only state that could provide fodder for such a collection, noting that Wisconsin too has a rich heritage of folk music that remains buried in archives, personal and university collections. “There is an extraordinary wealth of material that is out there, just waiting to be rediscovered,” he said. “Folk Songs of Illinois” is produced by the Illinois Humanities Council, and was made possible in part by the “We the People” Initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The three CD set is being distributed by the University of Illinois Press. For telephone orders call 1-800-621-2736. It is available online at www.press.uillinois.edu. |
As a music lover, I find that I had a blind spot as I had never heard of the Bucky Halker or his music. This appears to be his seventh solo album. Wisconsin 2.13.63 is a jewel of an album with rich, beautiful high points. It opens with a jazzy number, Birdland Symphony, wherein jazzy violinist, Johnny Frigo, with the use of a xylophone, plays a major role producing great results. Further listening of Halker’s diverse American arrangements centers around the vocals, with lyrics such as: Gun So Small, a Mexican sounding drama thanks to Mariachi trumpets, as well as Ugly In That Frown, a rough rock song with nice, sharp, plucky guitar sounds played by Halker, himself in the lead. Halker writes diverse songs with intelligent text and entwines them in nice melodies, where the pleasant storytelling becomes songs that linger in your mind. Between the jazzy numbers, the Tex-Mex and the pure rock, we also hear some country music with a folky beat as well as some old-fashioned, beautiful guitar duets. If you like a variety of music written with intelligent verse and filled with emotion, you would enjoy this music. Take Fish On The Line, where Halker brings Robert Zimmerman and Frankie Yankovic together, and you can hear ‘What about that chubby guy named Buddha? He needs his feet off the ground, he needs a fish on the line’. Kortum: Intelligent text, attractive chuckles earned. Wisconsin 2.13.63 originates where the highways come together in the birthplace of Halker–Ashland, Wisconsin by Lake Superior. “I had to take the highways 2, 13, 63 and see what was out there’ – a beautiful starting place for this musician, Bucky Halker. (By Music Critic: Holly Moors; Rough English Translation by Ineke Roessler)
From MazzMusikaS, Marc Nolis – Editor/Owner, Review by Holly Moors, Deurne, Belgium (2007)
Als muziekliefhebber blijk je meer blinde vlekken te hebben dan je zou willen. Dit blijkt namelijk al de zevende soloplaat van Bucky Halker (foto ? Juana Ryan) te zijn en ik had nog nooit van de man gehoord. Geheel onterecht, zo blijkt, want dit is een juweel van een album, met een reeks schitterende hoogtepunten. Dat begint meteen al met het jazzy openingsnummer Birdland Symphony, waarin een zeer jazzy viool (Johnny Frigo) en een xylofoon een nadrukkelijke rol spelen, met een Tim Buckley-achtig resultaat. Als we dan verder luisteren blijkt Halker vooral zeer gevarieerde Americana te maken, waarbij de arrangementen steeds toegespitst zijn op de liedjes; zo wordt Gun So Small een Mexicaans klinkend drama dankzij mariachi trompetjes, en wordt Ugly In That Frown een fraaie strakke, ruige rocksong met een mooie scherp scheurende gitaar (Halker zelf!) in de hoofdrol. Halker schrijft fraaie liedjes met intelligente teksten en hij maakt er pakkende melodietjes bij, waardoor de mooi vertelde verhalen ook mooie liedjes worden die blijven hangen. Tussen de jazzy nummers, de Tex-Mex en de pure rock door krijgen we ook nog een paar echte countrynummers met steelgitaar en een paar folky nummers, plus hier en daar een ouderwets mooi gitaarduel. Die gevarieerdheid zal het wat lastig maken om een afgebakend publiek te vinden voor deze muziek, behalve natuurlijk als je ge?nteresseerd bent in fraai gearrangeerde, intelligente en toch gevoelige liedjes. Neem Fish On The Line, waarin Halker het voor elkaar krijgt Robert Zimmerman en Frankie Yankovic bij elkaar te brengen, en waarin je onder meer de volgende zin kunt horen: What about that chubby guy named Buddha? He needs his feet off the ground, he needs a fish on the line. Kortom: intelligente teksten, maar er mag zeker ook gelachen worden. Een mooi, verslavend groeiplaatje, dat een wat meer aansprekende titel en aantrekkelijker hoesje had verdiend. Wisconsin 2.13.63 verwijst overigens naar de highways die samenkwamen in de geboorteplaats van Halker: Ashland, Wisconsin, bij Lake Superior. I had to take the highways 2, 13 and 63 and see what was out there. Een mooi startpunt dus, voor deze Bucky Halker. (HM)