"Forgottonia", An Intimate Portrait of Rural Illinois

The name "Forgottonia" first came to Western Illinois in 1972 when sixteen counties declared the creation of the independent nation of Forgottionia in protest of the lack of tax dollars returning to the region. When Chris Vallillo traveled to this region in 1976 as an archaeologist, he says it was "like stepping back in time 40 years."

A former archaeologist turned musician and folklorist, Vallillo is a multi-instrumentalist who performs masterful fingerstyle and slide guitar that digs deep into the foundations of rural music with respect for tradition that doesn't feel stuck in the past.

Host or Publisher The World Music Foundation