It’s not fancy or stressful, “it’s just good clean fun,” Rosalie Rowe said of when she plays with the Kansas Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers.
Rosalie, along with husband Jerry, are regular musicians for the group. They play what they call “old time country music.” They, and roughly seven other people, will be playing at the Allen County Farmer’s Market on Thursday.
Jerry, 84, is a jack-of-all-instruments; he plays the guitar, banjo, fiddle and on Thursday will be playing the mandolin.
Rosalie, 77, plays the tub. That’s right, a wash tub. “People always look at me like ‘what do you mean you play a tub,’” Rosalie said.
“People always want to watch her as she plays, she is a real attention-getter,” Jerry said.
The couple has been playing together since they were teenagers. The talent didn’t end with them. They have four sons and all four know how to play a musical instrument.
Jerry and Rosalie grew up living less than a mile away from one another in Blue Mound. It was there they became involved with the band.
Rosalie’s father was one of the original members of the band. “Listening to the band was the thing to do in Blue Mound in those days, it would be standing room only,” Rosalie said.
Now, the band meets on the third Sunday of every month at the Iola North Community Building. “We always have a potluck at noon and then we start playing around 1:30 or 2,” Rosalie said.
The band encourages new people to come and join in on the music, whether it’s playing a musical instrument, dancing or just listening.
The Fiddlers, Pickers and Singers have always played the music spontaneously and often without sheet music, Jerry said.
January marked the couple’s 60th anniversary, but their time spent with playing music runs longer. “We will continue playing as long as we can,” Rosalie said.
