The Musicians of the Midnight Sun Podcast is a

collection of interviews profiling the music makers

from the Northwest Territories,

from the late 1950s to the mid 1970s.

A time of cultural and musical revolution not only in North America, but around the world.

Music & voices from the past

L-R John Tees and Wayne Bertrand. 1966, St. Pat_s school, Yelowknfe, NT (photo courtesy Wayne Bertrand)-min.jpg

The insights contained in the following interviews document how the time and influence of these revolutions resonated with these popular and traditional musicians of northern Canada..

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latest Podcast episode - William Tagoona

William Tagoona chronicles his young musical life through the 1960s and 1970s. From hearing and witnessing traditional Inuit music, to singing and playing popular songs with the bands “The Harpoons” and “The Pur” at the residential school in Churchill, MB.

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Philip Stobo

Philip Stobo and his family immigrated from Glascow, Scotland to Fort Simpson, NWT in 1969 when he was 15 years old. In 1971, Philip moved to Yellowknife, to attend Sir John Franklin High School and lived in Akaitcho Hall, where he formed the band, “Mother, Flag and Country”. Philip’s insights and his experiences bring what could be described as one of the final pieces of the puzzle to fill out the dynamic tapestry of Akaitcho Hall bands dating back to the early 1960s.

William Tagoona

In this interview, Inuit Musician/Singer/Songwriter William Tagoona chronicles his young musical life through the 1960s and 1970s. In his lifetime, William has been driven to fuse his love of popular music with his love for Inuit culture and most importantly, the Inuit language, Inuktitut.

Bill Gilday

Bill Gilday has lived a life full of passion for his music and his family. As a music educator in Yellowknife, he influenced generations of youth with his ambitious choir and band programs Bill was a founding member of “The Gumboots”, a six-piece group that played innumerable live shows and recording 4 CDs over a remarkable 25 year run.

Rob Wickson

Yellowknife Bass player Rob Wickson came of age surrounded by the vibrant local music scene in the early 1970s. He worked multiple day jobs, paying close attention to the musicians and to the music scene as it was unfolding. Later, Rob and Wayne Bertrand were joined by the late Brian Killeen and drummer Kim Ferrie to form the band “Sky Syrkle”.

Ray Dube

Ray Dube caught the DC3 in Fort Smith, NT and landed in Yellowknife to attend Sir John Franklin High School in 1964. He boarded at Akaitcho Hall, joined the school music program and took up the Bb tenor saxophone. Ray started to play for dances at Akaitcho Hall and in town at the Elks Club with his band, “The Nomads”.

John Tees

Born and raised in Sǫ̀mbak'è/Yellowknife, NT, Guitar player, Singer/Songwriter John Tees was a founding member of the celebrated band “Stained Glass Illusion” in the late 1960s.

Wayne Bertrand

Guitar player, Singer/Songwriter Wayne Bertrand was an active player in the vibrant Yellowknife music scene through the late 1960s. early 1970s and beyond.

Sandy Wilson

Guitar player Sandy Wilson landed in the middle of the bustling Yellowknife music scene in 1972 and performed with the band “Friends” for many years

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meet host pat braden

As a young, idealistic Bass player looking to make his way in life as a professional musician in the late 1970s, I looked to the recordings and photographs of the musicians from the early Rock and Roll, Blues, Country and Big Band eras as my model.

While this was happening in the cities and cultural centres of North America and the world, I wondered if there might be an equally rich and relevant history here in the north that would parallel or echo these profound musical eras.

When I began collecting these interviews in 2003, I was driven by the desire to create a freely accessible place and a welcoming vessel where these musicians and their musical stories could be documented, recognized and celebrated. Through my own musical journey, I recognize that I gravitate to musicians and musics that have preceded my own generation.

I have always felt that I should have been born, at least, a Baby Boomer so that I would have been able to participate or at least been witness to this amazing time of cultural revolution and musical upheaval.

With this project, I recognize now that the closest I will ever get to identify with those times is through the eyes, the experiences, the musics, the insights and stories of these musicians of northern Canada who lived it.

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