Drawing on decades of research, folklorists Jim Leary and Richard March have distilled a definitive presentation of Upper Midwestern traditional and ethnic music, from Ojibwa drums to Norwegian fiddles, from polka to salsa, from gospel choirs to southeast Asian rock bands. The book Down Home Dairyland: A Listener’s Guide provides a wonderful overview of Wisconsin’s musical heritage through forty essays, fifty-seven photographs, plus a rich discography and bibliography.
Both the cassette and the music CD sets provide samplings from the Down Home Dairyland series of forty half-hour radio programs on Wisconsin Public Radio. These audio collections include interviews with traditional musicians, sample sound recordings, and discussion of the patterns of musical styles in the region.

Distributed for the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, University of Wisconsin–Madison.