Masters of Harmony

2009 Barbershopper of the Year Bill Rosica: The Man, the Mystery, the Myth

Skip Farrar, Feb 24, 2010

On a recent Wednesday evening, I spent a pleasant hour over dinner with Bill Rosica, our 2009 Masters of Harmony Barbershopper of the Year (not to mention the 2010 President). I thought it would be fun to get to know what makes him tick. In Bill’s typical fashion, he made my work a lot easier by sending some advance information and statistics. For instance, Bill married his wife Mary on September 4, 1999. Between his son Matthew (36) and his daughter Michelle (32), he has three grandsons and two granddaughters. Bill began singing barbershop in 1961 with his father Joe, a former Far Western District quartet champion. What Bill didn’t know was that I wanted to get behind the scenes and let his fellow Masters find out just who Bill really is. To that end, the best piece of information he provided was this: “I’ve always sung lead because I am not smart enough to be a baritone, not sissy enough to sing tenor, and not manly enough to sing bass.” Does this sound like the Bill you thought you knew?

The Man: If you have been around the Masters for any length of time, you’ve seen Bill in action. Most of us, new and old, shared in his recent success as he stepped into the fray with his usual “I can do it” attitude and tackled the job of General Chairman for the 2009 International Convention in Anaheim. By all accounts, it was a fantastic event with Bill at the forefront of the whole “shootin’ match.” No stranger to leadership and hard work, Bill has been General Chairman of the Far Western District’s Fall Convention six times, directed Bakersfield’s Golden Empire Chorus to the small chorus championship in 1997, has produced most of the annual shows for the Bakersfield Chapter for 20 years, and was awarded BOTY for Bakersfield four times. While double-teaming on his chapter memberships between the Masters and Bakersfield, he won the President’s Award in 2001 in Bakersfield, and the same award from the Masters, twice (2004, 2008), along with the Jack Hines Memorial Award in 2000. He holds the SPEBSQSA Bachelor of Harmony. All that said, Bill took a look back at his idols, the past Masters BOTYs, and all he could say was, “I am humbled and extremely proud to be in such company.”

The Mystery: So who exactly is Bill Rosica? To start with, Bill is truly a local boy. Know that if I fail to mention the location of any of Bill’s endeavors, they are nearly all in or around Bakersfield, California. Bill graduated high school in 1963 as a South High Bakersfield Rebel. Not just a singing whiz, he was a varsity letterman in swimming and football. Who knew? In kicking around high school memories, Bill recalled one of his most challenging moments in football. As a shy and retiring kid, Bill was a running back for the team and was content just to do his job. You heard right, Bill was shy! At a Wednesday practice, the starting quarterback broke his leg with a big game coming up that Friday. What to do? Since Bill’s coach recognized the same “I can do it” attitude lurking inside the young wallflower, the coach simply threw Bill in as the quarterback. The game must have been traumatic because Bill cannot remember if they won, lost or tied – or he developed amnesia from too many hits.

Broken bones play a part in many of Bill’s recollections. While attending college in, you guessed it, Bakersfield (Cal State), Bill’s dad got a call from the high school nurse. She reported that Bill’s little brother “might” have broken his arm. Well, Bill got home an hour later and drove with his dad over to the high school where his brother sat with a compound fracture. Bill’s dad asked the nurse, “What do you mean you think he ‘might’ have broken his arm, the bone is sticking out?” To which the nurse replied that she was not allowed to diagnose! That was the most shocking moment of Bill’s life right up until the time he took his little brother skiing and the youngster wound up with a spiral break in his leg. Perhaps this background explains Bill’s break-some-bones-and-take-some-names attitude when he meets with an obstacle. Bill doesn’t actually believe in road blocks, just temporary obstacles to be gone over, under, around or through. This attitude and a great mind for details is a large part of Bill’s success. How is your memory? Do you remember the first barbershop song you sang? Bill’s first was “California, Here I Come” way back somewhere in 1961 when he started singing with his dad. You could say Bill was a barbershop brat, having sung for 22 years before he actually joined the Society in 1983.

The Myth: Who says you can’t be active in two chapters that are over 125 miles apart? With this in mind, I asked Bill how he fits the Masters into his daily life. Certainly it’s hard for many of us living in the L.A. area to get to rehearsals every Wednesday and then to the numerous shows on weekends. Bill fits it all in, and then some, as an active dual member. Once again, we see that “I can do it” attitude. A big piece of the puzzle is that Bill is the Environmental Affairs Project Manager for the California Water Service Company and covers a territory stretching from Visalia to San Diego. His management supports Bill’s singing life and he is often able to arrange his schedule to be in the Los Angeles area on Wednesdays, shortening the long commute. Even so, Wednesdays are very tiring as he often doesn’t get home until 1:00 am and rises for a new day at 6 on Thursdays. What you don’t know, too, is that Bill dedicates at least an hour daily to barbershop business, sometimes even after rehearsals.

Is the myth true that barbershop singing changed Bill’s life? Well, it certainly changed his dreams. Bill used to have recurring dreams of one inadequacy or another for as long as he could remember: That missed pass in the big football game or a missed double toe-loop in ice skating! Well, Bill joined the Masters in 1997 and, after winning gold in Anaheim in 1999, the dreams suddenly and mysteriously stopped. Was it winning in July or marrying Mary that September that did the trick?

The Mission: Bill suspects that his “I can do it” attitude has had a large part in his success. But as president, what does this mean for the rest of us? I asked Bill exactly that and got a not surprising response. Since Bill doesn’t take road blocks or even obstacles seriously, he has ambitious plans for his presidential term. Bill believes the Masters are the best-kept secret in the entertainment capitol of the world. There is no reason the Masters can’t perform on the Grammys, Emmys, or the Academy Awards. There is no reason we can’t perform a benefit right at home in Santa Fe Springs, and why not an international tour? He doesn’t want to hear why we can’t, but how we can! Congratulations once again to Bill Rosica, BOTY, President and one heck of a hard worker.