A nationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter, folklorist, musician and producer, Chris Vallillo has cultivated a status as the go-to guy for original and traditional folk-based song-playing during his 30-some years performing music. Along with several recordings of original songs that focus on the “people and places of ‘un-metropolitan’ America,” CV also produced and performed a couple of outstanding collections of American historical moments, including Abraham Lincoln in Song (songs about Lincoln and from his era, released in 2008) and Oh Freedom! (songs related to the Civil Rights Movement released in 2014). He’s also the longtime producer and host of the Hickory Ridge Concert Series held in the Dickson Mounds Museum near Lewistown and spent years as the main guy behind the nationally distributed, award-winning public radio performance series titled “Rural Route 3.” For 2017, in conjunction with the Illinois State Museum, Chris organized this current series to be held on second Thursdays, monthly through the year, at the Thorne Deuel Auditorium with each show featuring top names in acoustic music.
A nationally-acclaimed singer-songwriter, folklorist, musician and producer, Chris Vallillo has cultivated a status as the go-to guy for original and traditional folk-based song-playing during his 30-some years performing music. Along with several recordings of original songs that focus on the “people and places of ‘un-metropolitan’ America,” CV also produced and performed a couple of outstanding collections of American historical moments, including Abraham Lincoln in Song (songs about Lincoln and from his era, released in 2008) and Oh Freedom! (songs related to the Civil Rights Movement released in 2014). He’s also the longtime producer and host of the Hickory Ridge Concert Series held in the Dickson Mounds Museum near Lewistown and spent years as the main guy behind the nationally distributed, award-winning public radio performance series titled “Rural Route 3.” For 2017, in conjunction with the Illinois State Museum, Chris organized this current series to be held on second Thursdays, monthly through the year, at the Thorne Deuel Auditorium with each show featuring top names in acoustic music.