What:  Country Music Jamboree and Spotlight

When:  7-10 p.m. Friday nights into April

Where: Harnden Masonic Hall on Bryant Road

WILTON — Country music has played a big part in the lives of Bing and Nancy Crosby: Bing plays guitar and Nancy plays bass guitar as their voices harmonize on classic tunes.

That love of music brings them and other musicians together at 7 p.m. each Friday night from January into April for a show at the Harnden Masonic Hall on Bryant Road.

The three-hour shows began this month for the third year. The winter getaways offer serenades by Maine Country Hall of Fame musicians, for a donation.

Once the bills are paid, proceeds from donations or sales of coffee and hot dogs are given to the Wilton and Farmington food closets.

“We tuck aside any funds after expenses and at the end of the season give them a lump sum," Bing said.

The music is not strictly country. There's bluegrass, gospel and some contemporary country, he said.

The Crosbys begin the show, then spotlight three guest performers from around Maine. They donate their time and travel expenses.

“We give each of them a DVD of their performance," he said. "That's all the pay they get, other than free coffee,” he said. He picks the mostly professional musicians for each show.

The Crosbys usually join the other musicians for a few songs to end the shows.

They used to play at jam sessions in Rumford, but Bing had an idea for a country jamboree spotlighting artists. Once they decided to stay in Maine for the winter, he decided it was time to move ahead with his idea. He established the Friday performances.

He and Nancy also perform at nursing homes and churches, he said. They don't make a lot, maybe enough for gas money, he said.

“It's for the fun and enjoyment of playing country music and the enjoyment of the people in nursing homes," he said. "Sometimes, they'll come in with a blank expression but by the second song, they'll start tapping their toes and you'll know you're getting to them.”

Bing has performed professionally since he was a teenager and is a member of the Maine Music Hall of Fame.

At about age 9, he would watch his uncle play guitar and once he left the house, Bing would take the guitar out and start singing. His grandmother encouraged his musical side. A couple of years later, she earned enough bonuses for selling Cloverine Salve to get him his first guitar, he said.

He grew up in Wilton but went to outdoor performances in Jay featuring Ralph Latham and the Pine Ridge Mountain Boys. Someone told Latham that Bing could sing and yodel, and he was invited to perform. At age 17, he went to work for the group, his first professional performances. He played in bands while in the service and formed a group with Latham when he came home.

Nancy loved the music and began to sing with him. While wintering in Arizona, the RV park owner offered free rent in exchange for performances, but he stipulated that Nancy had to play an instrument, too. While at home, she took lessons on the bass guitar from Andy Buckland who teaches in the Mt. Blue School District music program, and the rest is history.

abryant@sunjournal.com