Roman Rezac
(1917-2010)
Inducted in 1996
With the winnings of some money from the county fair, Roman bought a two-row button accordion for himself and a fiddle for his brother Ed. Coming from a family of 11 and based in Lonsdale, Minnesota, Roman never received music lessons, so he learned from an instruction book himself. At the age of 14, his father bought him a concertina, and Roman started playing with his uncle’s seven-member band. Four years later, Roman and his brother Ed started their own band, and performed for over 34 years. The band traveled all over Minnesota as well as surrounding states, and to Nebraska and Texas. In addition to playing dance jobs, the Roman Rezac Band had radio shows on KYSM in Mankato and KDHL in Faribault for many years, and appeared on the Mankato television station KEYC-TV for seven years. The band recorded five albums. After his band dissolved, he played with the Ivan’s Jolly Dutchmen Band for 12 years. Since retiring, Roman says simply, “I enjoyed playing music.”
