Burl Ives was born in Jasper County, IL and he attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College. While in college, he played some football and then he wanted to become a football coach. Ives spent time in Terre Haute, IN, where he played records and sang songs on the radio. To be a great singer, Ives said he knew he had to add dramatization to certain songs.

Interviewing folk singers-songwriters Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton.