Clark "Bucky" Halker was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin in 1954, and spent most of his
childhood in Ashland. He began playing guitar and singing in local rock bands and as solo
artist in his teens. Halker studied History at the College of Idaho, and received a PhD at
the University of Minnesota. His academic focus centred on labor protest music and poetry.
After several years of teaching, Halker moved to Chicago in 1986 to continue his career as a
historian and musician.
Bucky Halker released his first album, "A Sense of Place", in 1984. This was followed by
"Step 'n Blue" in 1986, "Human Geography" in 1993, and "Passion, Politics, Love" in 1997. In
addition to solo projects, Halker also played with a Chicago-based band called the
Remainders, who released three recordings between 1989 and 1993. In 2006, he released
"Wisconsin 2/13/63", a two volume compilation inspired by his childhood in Ashland.
Halker's scholarly work has included the book "For Democracy, Workers, and God: Labor
Song-Poems and Labor Protest, 1865-1895" (University of Illinois Press, 1991), the five
volume "Folksongs of Illinois" series, and extensive recordings, writings and lectures
related to promiment labor movement activists and musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Joe
Hill. Halker collaborated with fellow musician Andy Dee to release "The Ghost of Woody
Guthrie" in 2012. In 2015, Halker released "Anywhere by Utah: Songs of Joe Hill". His most
recent recording is "Coal", a collection of mining labor songs released in 2024.
