Bill "Fuzzy" Wiltsie

In Oswego, N.Y. on  June 24th 1952 the journey of life started for me and what a trip it's  been . My Mom & Dad Genevieve Brennan Wiltsie (My Irish Queen) and  my Dad , Rowland A. Wiltsie (My Hero) had a Baby Boy and little did I  know I had 3 Sisters waiting to meet me at home. Betty Ann , Carol (Sis)  and Martha. Our house at 214 is still known as the meeting House in  Ireland due to all of my Great Uncles and Aunts following my Grandparents  to 214 when they would arrive at Ellis Island on their journey to  America.


I was about 8 years old when my Mom asked me if I wanted to  play the accordion and I quickly said "NO" . My Mom said "Billy your  Great Uncle Jack from Ireland plays the Squeeze Box and Fiddle, don't you  want to play like him?" and I just stood there looking at my Mom . Then  Mom asked again "Billy are you sure you don't want to play the  Accordion?" and again my quick reply was "NO" ! My Mom looked at me with a  fine closed lip smile and said without hesitation "Good your first  lesson is next Tuesday" . That was the start of where I am today and I  thank My Beautiful Irish Queen every day for making that choice for me.  That next Tuesday I met Maxine Hubbard, my music teacher, at Grose Music  store for my first lesson.  In time she was like family to me and  everyone in our family. Maxine went on to teach the accordion to my  cousin, Ted Hanley, who is an amazing musician and friends at St. Mary's  School . I use to get out of school 1 hr. early on Tuesdays because of  my music lesson and I have a hunch that alone made the accordion a  popular instrument. Wherever the family went, so did the accordion , it  was always in the trunk.   I played many a relatives living rooms and  finished basements. I took lessons for almost 6 years and was in the  Grose Jr. and Sr. Accordion Bands.  We played in Church Halls , The  Old Ladies Home and anywhere Maxine could fit a 20 piece Accordion Band.  After performing, Maxine would hand each of us a sealed envelope with  our names on the envelope and $2.00 would be in it. Then she would tell  us "you children are now Professional Musicians because you were paid  for your performance tonight always remember that".


At 12 years old in St. Mary's School, myself and a few guys formed the  band "MidNite Streaks".  It started out with Mom's frying pan covers being  cymbals tied to the cellar pipes and 1 snare drum along with a guitar  and small amp.   We rehearsed next to the boiler in the basement. After  a while Pop put a small accordion speaker input in my Accordion so I  could plug into an amp. We played for a few St. Marys 8th grade dances .  Shortly after that, the band broke up.   I helped form a band called "The Age  Of Innocence" With this band being a 5 piece . At 14 we started playing  Frat Parties and City Dances like Christ Church, Hopkins Hall etc. . I  found it not cool to play the accordion at the gigs so I rented a  Farfisa combo organ and the band rented a PA system and off we went...  looking good.

After several years of fun and life memories from those Frat Parties  "The Age Of Innocence" broke up and we all moved on. I went on and played  and sang in several no name pickup bands along with some great musicians  and great guys.  At 18 I graduated OHS and met the Love of my Life  "Lizzie" . In 1971 I joined the Boilermakers Local #175 following my  Grandfather Brennan, Uncle Ray and my Dad. In June 1972 I married "My  Lizzie" and concentrated on my career, marriage and our first home, ( which we are still in ), and in time two sons and a daughter shared the  dinner table. For fun I would sing a few tunes with friends at local  bars and once in a while a song at a wedding,  just to say I did.


Fast forward to 38  yrs. old when Joe Conzone calls me up and says "Fuzzy I have 2  guitarists here and my drums are out of the closet pick up a case of  beer and get up here , let's have some fun". That phone call changed  everything. Like my mom starting me in music at 8; Joe got me back into  music at 38 . That phone call and many hours of rehearsal led me to  being in one hot working band in 1990 called "Steam Heat".  It felt so  normal to be back on stage and having fun making music. "Steam Heat" went  on to play many Harborfest gigs and almost every club in the area We  also had a radio gig, which was very cool. After "Steam Heat" broke up in  late 1994,  I jammed around with other bands in the area for a while.  


Later in 1994 the band "Six Guys Named Moe" was formed and it was a  great party band with some of Oswego's greatest musicians.  The band  played the local venues and there were only 5 guys in the band , that  was always a conversation piece.   In 1995 I joined a hot Blues Band  called "The Delta Kings", we played at Harborfest 96 and also Opened for  38 Special that year with some other bands and way to many clubs to  mention . We also were on a live feed TV commercial for Harborfest 96 as  we were performing at a club on the river immediately after our Harborfest gig .  


After I left "The Delta Kings" I saw an ad in the New Times from a  Syracuse Band seeking a B3 player and Vocalist. I called the number and  to my surprise,  it was Jules,  who was a bass player I jammed with in the  past. I didn't hesitate to go and try out.  That was the beginning of  what was to be "SaltMakers Road".  We went on to play Harborfest 2005, main  stage and many other Harborfest and City gigs over the years;  along with Oswego  and Syracuse Clubs.  We also recorded a cover album in the studio at  SUNY Oswego the same year.  


In  2011 "SaltMakers Road" disbanded and the "Long Time Coming" Band was  formed,  and is still a working band to this day. There have been a few  changes in the regular lineup over the years but friends always stay  friends. LTC had the honor to win a "People's Choice Syracuse Area Music  Award in 2020"; thanks to all of our fans . LTC has recorded two albums ,  the 1st being a cover album in 2020.  The 2nd. being an all original  album in 2021. LTC is still playing at the casino, local and out of area  clubs, private functions, and City Of Oswego gigs.


Along with LTC I am  also playing with the band "King Chro & The Talismen" who are a  recording band that started here in Oswego, back in 2015. King Chro won a  "Syracuse Area Music Award" (Sammy) for best Rock Recording in 2017 and  has been the closing bands for many Festivals around the State . We  have had the great fortune to be interviewed on radio prior to a  Festival and to have 4 radio stations spin some of our original tunes  from Rochester , Syracuse , Buffalo and out of state. We are putting the  2nd original album together at this time and it should be out by next summer.


Thanks for reading my bio everyone. Blame the Music , because  without Music this bio would have been a lot shorter. I am So Honored,  to say the least.   


Bio written by Bill "Fuzzy" Wiltsie, 2023

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John attended his first talent show at Wayne Central High School in Ontario, NY in the mid 1990’s.  After watching some older kids perform an energetic cover version of The Beastie Boys song, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” John and his best buddy decided that they wanted to play guitar. McConnell’s mother didn’t love the idea and she was worried that if he pursued his rock and roll dreams that he might grow his hair long, take drugs and start dabbling in the occult.  After she consulted his father, John’s parents came together to tell him that if he purchased a guitar with his own money, they would allow it.  A 14-year-old John quickly filled out working papers and landed a job washing dishes at the local country club. Before he knew it, he purchased his first left handed electric guitar and amplifier from the local music store in Webster, NY.

McConnell was off to the races, learning how to play and trying his hand at songwriting. By age 15, he co-founded his first band, Flux Capacitor, whose catalog consisted almost entirely of original music.  Flux was heavily influenced by the rock and hip hop of the 1990’s. The band was no stranger to garages, basements, talent shows and the occasional club gig in Rochester.  The members of the band became united in the common belief that music, swearing and smoking cigarettes were “cool.” *Disclaimer* John no longer views swearing or cigarettes as cool.

John graduated high school in 1999 and traveled an hour east to attend college at Oswego State. After a short musical hiatus, McConnell was inspired by contemporary singer-songwriters of the early 2000’s and he picked his guitar up again.  By 2003 he started performing in pubs and restaurants as a solo acoustic act.

Today John is an Oswego, NY-based singer, songwriter & guitarist, whose own brand of, "Solo Indie Lounge" blends elements of blues, jazz, soul, americana and beyond.  Brandishing an untrained finger-style approach to the guitar, McConnell's sound is unique, identifiable and creates a groove that is sure to find you bobbing your head or tapping your foot. John has been in the trenches of the CNY music scene for two decades and has played thousands of gigs from Upstate NY to NYC to LA and other spots along the way.  In 2022, he won a Syracuse Area Music Award for his Tuesday night Facebook Livestream called McTunesday, aka, The Garbage Night Variety Hour.

McConnell has hosted open mics in Oswego for 15 years and has often found himself in mentorship roles for budding performers of all ages. He has served as a board member for the Oswego Music Hall for a decade and he was picked to write a song for the Syracuse Acoustic Guitar Project in 2017. He’s been invited to perform for Syracuse’s Salt City Waltz on 3 separate occasions and he was a founding member of the CNY groove-rock band, Turnip Stampede, whose 7-year-run remains impactful on the region.

John feels deeply blessed by his musical journey thus far and would like to thank everyone that has supported him along the way!  Big love!

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Ruth E. Hill Germain may have come from humble beginnings and historically been considered a bit of a half-pint, but she has always packed a hearty punch with a lot of power- with her prominent soprano voice, that is.  


Born in Oswego, NY in 1936, to a typical working class family, it didn't take long for that power to be exposed.  With no formal training, she had an uncanny ability to not only sing melody, but harmony, Ruth began singing at the age of five and soon started giving public performances at the encouragement of her elementary school teacher.  Her first foray into the spotlight was at the USO in Oswego where she would entertain local servicemen with a song or two.  She became well known in the community as the little girl who could sing.


This simple act of singing for soldiers at the USO began an almost domino effect that would propel her on a life-long musical journey.  As a child, in addition to singing in the school chorus, she began to play the clarinet in the sixth grade at Fitzhugh Park Elementary School and played until graduation from Oswego High School.  She studied under Leonard and and Madeline Lambert who would further encourage her musical ability.  She also began piano lessons and played the piano and/ or organ through-out her adult life.  One of the greatest  musical honors from her time at Fitzhugh Park Elementary was being given the lead in the school musical, Tchaikovsky's operetta "The Forest Prince" when she was in sixth grade.


Ruth's musical experiences in elementary school served as a perfect foundation for her to continue to grow musically and carve-out an even bigger niche in the local community as she entered high school.  While at Oswego High  School she continued honing her clarinet skills while participating in the OHS marching band.  But that was secondary to her growing reputation as a top-notch soprano.  While in high school, she was a member of the traditional school chorus, was selected to participate in the All-State Chorus, and was a member of the Oswego High School Acapella Choir.  She further distinguished herself when she was selected to join the adult select chorus, The Philomelians, one year earlier than was typically allowed, due to her level of talent.  She remained in The Philomelians for many years into her adult life.   Her most influential musical instructor/ conductor at that time was Beryl Lewis Hill, however she still operated off raw talent as the only music course that she took in high school was ear training.  What makes her musical accomplishments at that time even more impressive is that Ruth worked evenings as a waitress to help financially support and care for her parents who where ill- all while maintaining an excellent grade-point average.


Ruth has often fondly remembered three significant honors bestowed upon her musically during her late elementary and high school years.  First,  she was selected to sing at her Ninth-Grade graduation from Fitzhugh Park Elementary School.  Second, as a senior at Oswego High School, she was given the lead part of Yum Yum in the first-ever performance of "The Mikado" in Oswego which was directed by local icon Francis Marion Brown.  She was later recognized for that performance in the early 2000's when "The Mikado" was performed again in Oswego at Waterman Theater at SUNY Oswego.  Finally, Ruth was offered a four year musical scholarship to the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam which was quite an honor in 1954.  However, Crane would have to wait- permanently- for Ruth to attend because she had met the love-of-her-life, James, and she selected marriage and family over education.  


Even though she passed on the Crane Music School and left the hallowed halls of musical opportunity that Oswego High School offered, she continued her life-long musical journey.  For the first half of her life, she held a prominent role in the church choir at Trinity United Methodist Church in Oswego until converting to Catholicism in 1976.  Her conversation to Catholicism not only opened new spiritual doors but also musical ones.  She soon became the choir director at St. Louis Roman Catholic Church in Oswego where the choir under her direction was known for its riveting performances during weekly mass but also during Christmas and Easter services.  The choir was known for an outstanding rendition of Handel's "The Hallelujah Chorus" and Ruth still soloed often, particularly, by singing Schubert's "Ave Maria".  Ruth served in this role for 15 years.  


Another musical conquest that kept Ruth busy for 15 years while she directed the church choir was performing as a soloist at local weddings.  It is estimated that in her 15 years of helping local couples celebrate their nuptials, Ruth performed at approximately 300 wedding celebrations leaving her mark on many throughout the local community.  She would not accept payment for these performances during the first several years of soloing at weddings.  


Last but not least, Ruth has been known to bounce one of her grandchildren, or great grandchildren on her knee and sing ”I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”to share her love of music and singing and possibly propel them into their own musical journey.  


Bio written by Linda Germain

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