Decades-old songs by Minnesota folklorist Ellen Stekert released with help of AI

Minnesota folklorist and musician Ellen Stekert has released a new album for the first time in decades. But the songs on “ Go Ahead Around Songs, Vol. 1 ” are not new recordings. They were cut years ago in the 1950s and 1960s and were never formally released. With the help of artificial intelligence, those archival recordings have now been restored and assembled into a collection. In addition to her music, Stekert is a pioneering scholar in folklore studies. She taught for many years at the University of Minnesota and became Minnesota’s first state folklorist in 1976. Stekert joined MPR News host Nina Moini along with Ross Wylde, who helped produce the album.