Musicians of the Midnight Sun: Wilf Schidlowsky

Musicians of the Midnight Sunis a10-part CBC radio series produced by northern musical icon Pat Braden. Braden has spent 15 years collecting interviews, photographs, and recordings from some of the North's most celebrated artists, which he is releasing in an online archive.

Listen to Episode 10of Musicians of the Midnight Sun:

If you ask Wilf Schidlowsky, the Yellowknife music scene in the 1970s was a wild place.

The guitarist's memories are populated by characters like an underage pianist, an undercover cop and someone called "Milk Run Pete."

Schidlowsky passed away in 2016, but before he died, he spoke with northern musical legend Pat Braden for a special series profiling northern musicians of the '50s, '60s, and '70s.

The series, called Musicians of the Midnight Sun, wraps up its first run with Schidlowsky, who recalls a wild and rambunctious time on stage.

It wasn't always a life of excitement for Schidlowsky. Before he came North, he was a teacher in rural Saskatchewan, and he performed at talent shows.

His life changed when he answered a newspaper ad for teaching in the North, and moved in next to Alex Czarnecki also profiled in the series who would go to become an iconic saxophonist in the Yellowknife music scene.

Schidlowsky's band played every venue from a grand New Year's party to an Alcoholics Anonymousmeeting, and featured a rotating cast of colourful characters.

Braden's series wraps up with Schidlowsky, the tenth musician to be profiled in detail. Each musician's memories are set alongside archival photos and recordings on the series' website.

You can listen to Pat Braden's full interview with Schidlowsky and see photos from then and now on the Musicians of the Midnight Sun website.