James Robert Keane interview conducted by Clark Douglas Halker, 2013-01-13

James "Jimmy" Keane, a prominent figure on the Irish music scene in Chicago and Ireland, discusses his career as an iron worker and member of Local 1 of the Iron Workers International Union. Keane, who was injured after ten years in the trade, then turned to music and selling real estate as a career. Keane's father, Jimmy "Horse" Keane, was a Local 1 member killed on the job in Chicago. Jimmy's three brothers also work in the iron trade. Jimmy Keane also discusses the music scene and the role of unions in America.
Bucky Halker, the interviewer and a long-time Chicago musician, has known Jimmy for many years through the music scene. Keane appears on Volume 4 of the "Folksongs of Illinois" CD series Halker produced.
Recorded at Bucky Halker's home, Chicago, Illinois, January 13, 2013.
Cultural Traditions of Ironworkers in America's Upper Midwest : Archie Green Fellows Project, 2011-2012 (AFC 2011/062: 00387) Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
To honor the memory of Archie Green (1917-2009), a fellowship program was established at the American Folklife Center in 2010. Archie Green Fellowships support new research in the contemporary culture and traditions of American workers.
In English.