Billie Sawyer has a love for music and he’ll use whatever instrument he needs to share that love with those around him.

Sawyer has brought his one-man band show — and all the necessary instruments — to Riverside Park for the annual Battle of Selma festivities this week and Thursday he was performing for area school children visiting the battlefield.

“At an event they want me to play period music, and I will, but when I start playing some kind of rock and roll song, the kids all start dancing and clapping,” Sawyer said. “And for me, that’s the point. All the songs I play, I fell in love with.”

Sitting on a rocking chair Thursday, the Whitebluff, Tenn. native sang and played a variety of songs on guitar, mandolin, harmonica, tambourine and foot drum.

More varied than his collection of instruments is the list of songs he performs, something Sawyer said has expanded over his years as a musician.

“When I was a kid I thought John Phillip Sousa was the only music that existed. Then when I was a rock and roll drummer, I was all about the Three Dog Night, the Allman Brothers and the Doobie Brothers,” Sawyer said. “And now, when I play one song people come up and suggest I learn period music or some other song they enjoy personally. So I have a really eclectic collection. I have almost tripled my repertoire since I started playing these re-enactments.”

Acknowledging the ranks of one-man bands has become increasingly thin in recent years, Sawyer said he is honored to be one of the few still showcasing the talent.

“You don’t see it a lot,” Sawyer said. “It’s truly a niche and I like that.”

Thursday morning, students from several area schools streamed by and listened to Sawyer play and explain how he plays different instruments at the same time while also singing.

For Martin Middle School librarian Debbie Stauffer, Thursday was not only her first time to the Battle of Selma, but it was the first time she had ever seen a one-man band in person.

“I’m really impressed he’s able to play all the different instruments at once, and he’s excellent at all of them,” Stauffer said. “I know our students loved it. Several of them wanted to stay here longer and listen to him and dance to the music.”

Sawyer said his lifelong love for music didn’t mean he easily picked up the skills necessary to be a one-man band.

“Some people will say you are born with this talent, but not me,” Sawyer said. “I had to fight for everything. I was not musically inclined. I was always around good musicians, and that’s how I learned.”