Henry Jasiewicz – Deceased Category – Inducted 1991

    By age 12, Henry Jasiewicz discovered his love for music and was practicing with a muted trumpet in his basement, often while his parents were sleeping.  In the years that followed, he also spent as much time as possible learning the violin.  His musical career began in the…

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Stanley J. Jasinski – Pioneer Category – Inducted 1985

    Stanley J. Jasinski, one of Buffalo’s most outstanding public figures in the field of broadcasting, was born August 25, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan.   While still in high school as an amateur actor and script writer, Stanley began his broadcasting career.  As opportunity would have it, one day…

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Li’l Wally Jagiello – Living Category – Inducted 1969

  Li’l Wally has been one of the most important and influential polka musicians in America. He was responsible for creating the Chicago-style polka, a slower, more danceable, more improvisational sound, whose core appeal lay with Polish-Americans. Wally was a cottage industry unto himself, recording at an often frantic pace…

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