Ted and Lesley Wesley
Ted Wesley promotional photo, 1975, Yellowknife, NT. (photo courtesy Ted Wesley)
Ted Wesley moved north from Edmonton, Alberta to work at the Discovery gold mine in the early 1960s.
Later, he moved to Yellowknife where he met and married Leslie Harder.
Together with Andy Steen, they formed the band, “The Tundra folk” performed at local gigs, on the Centennial barge and toured the high arctic in a Cessna 185 in the summer of 1967.
Ted recorded his first album“Straight North” in 1972 and “Black Flies and Mosquitoes” in 1973.
In 1972, he was the first musician in the Northwest Territories ever to be signed by a major record label.
In 1977, Ted’s third album, “North of Canada” sold more than 70,000 albums (certified Gold album) and earned him a Juno nomination for Country Male Vocalist of the Year.
In 2010, he released a compilation double CD package, “I Remember… Our Northern Heritage”.
Ted and Leslie Wesley were among the original founders of the “Folk on the Rocks” music festival in 1980.
Ted Wesley passed away December 30, 2021
'Tundra Folk' L-R: Ted Wesley, Lesley Wesley, Andy Steen.1967. NWT Archives, YK Photo fonds, accession number N-2019-001, item number 0521. Copyright may be held by former band members of ‘Tundra Folk’.
Centennial Barge gathering, 1967. L-R: back: Rick Williams, Ted Wesley, (?), Eddie Bazie. L-R: front: (?), Leslie Wesley, David Evalik (photo courtesy David Evalik)
“Tundra Folk” L-R: Frank Wasylkiewicz, Donna Hill, Olive Gordon, Ted Wasylkiewicz. Doug Leonard. Yellowknife, 1970. (photo courtesy Ted Wesley, © NNSL.com)
Ted Wesley, 'North of Canada' LP, released Nov. 1972 (photo © Ted Wesley)
Ted Wesley 'Black Flies and Mosquitoes' released Nov. 1973. (photo © Ted Wesley)
Ted Wesley, Yellowknife, 1972-73 (photo courtesy Ted Wesley)
Ted Wesley, 'Stage on the Rocks' 1978, Yellowknife. (photo courtesy Wayne Bertrand)
