Performer Information

Wesley Tuttle began his musical career in California as a teenage member of  Stuart Hamblen’s band. Soon, he was helping manage the Sons of the Pioneers, working with the Disney movie studios (yodeling on the soundtrack of the classic animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) and, for a time, working on radio at Cincinnati’s WLW, where he met Merle Travis. Wes and Merle became life-long friends.

After returning to Hollywood from the Midwest, Wesley welcomed Travis to Hollywood and introduced him to the executives at the then-new Capitol Records, where Wesley had already secured his own contract. Tex Ritter had been the first big-name Western artist to join new label, but Tex had always had difficulty with meter, so on recording sessions, Wes, who played rhythm guitar, positioned himself directly in front of Tex, to help Tex stay on the beat!

Wesley recorded a couple of hit country records (“Detour” & “With Tears in My Eyes”) early on, and he sang in a number of B-Western films in the 1940s with Tex Ritter, Jimmy Wakely, Johnny Bond, and others. Later, he and his wife, Marilyn, were part of the cast on Jimmy Wakely’s tv show, and Wesley and Johnny were largely responsible for producing the weekly Town Hall Party tv show in Los Angeles, videos of which are still available online. Wesley also hosted a daily morning radio show from his home studio, featuring “live” as well as recorded Western and country music and frequent visits from friends who were the current music stars in Hollywood.

 In later years, Wes retired from the music business and became a minister.    
O.J. Sikes