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 the company of Free Street Too with Pat Henry, Free Street Theater founder and producer. Free Street Theater is an arts outreach organization that provides workshops in writing, theater, music and dance and stages performances for populations