Speedy West
Encyclopedia
Wesley Webb West better known as Speedy West, was an American
pedal steel guitar
ist and record producer
. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant
, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records
backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford
and many others. He also played on Loretta Lynn
's first single.
to parents, Finley G. and Sue Arthur West. Finley was a Linotype
operator at a gospel
publishing company, and in his spare time, played guitar and sang gospel songs.
At age nine, Wesley became interested in music because of his friends and neighbors, the Cline's boys, three brothers. One played steel guitar, another banjo and the other played guitar. The boys' parents suggested to Wesley's father, that he should buy him an inexpensive $12 Hawaiian guitar. Wesley spent all the time he could learning to play the instrument with the help of the Cline's as well as his father.
Wesley's interest in music continued to grow and he yearned for a more expensive instrument, namely, a National steel-bodied resonator model costing $125, which the West family could not afford. In order to give Wesley what he so desperately wanted, his father sold his own guitar in order to buy the National. In the 9th grade he won a prize in a school amateur contest. During a jam session sponsored by KWTO-AM
, Slim Wilson
introduced young Wesley as Speedy West and the name stuck.
West married Opal Mae at 17 and during World War II
, West worked in a machine gun factory. Approximately 1942, Wesley and Opal moved to Strafford, Missouri, near Springfield, where they lived on a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm owned by Wesley's father. Farming was vital to the war effort. One of their main crops was tomatoes. He also milked up to 33 cows daily. Since farming was a vital part of the war effort he was exempt from the draft. After the war ended, Wesley continued to farm but found more time to play music and develop his skills. Wesley began to play the steel locally on jam sessions that were broadcast over KWTO radio in Springfield, and played with friends and other local musicians at every opportunity that came along.
A major turning point occurred when a sailor, who was passing through town, told Wesley about the wonderful musical opportunities available in Southern California
. He told him he could make as much as $25 a night, which sounded like a gold mine just waiting for him. On June 13, 1946, with only $150 in his pocket, West and his wife and their nearly 3-year-old son, Donnie, packed all they could into a 1936 Lincoln Zephyr and headed for Southern California. Following several breakdowns, they arrived in Los Angeles
three days later.
West worked as much as he could at night and on weekends, playing at local bars, such as, Murphy's and the nearby Fargo Club and the four Aces.
West found a new steel guitar idol - Joaquin Murphy, who played with the Spade Cooley band. West soon adopted another idol by the name of Noel Boggs, who played in Hank Penny
's band, as well as the Bob Wills
and Cooley bands. West admired Murphy so much that he attempted to copy his style and then realized that it would be more beneficial to him to develop his own style rather than copy Murphey's.
In 1947, Tex Williams
auditioned West to replace Murphey, who had left the band. Although West didn't get the job, he fondly remembered how Williams encouraged him to sit in with the band, and to keep pursuing his ambition. In fact, sometime later, Williams offered him a job, which he did not accept because of other commitments.
Later that year, West bought an amp created by Leo Fender
, who owned a radio shop in Fullerton, California. In addition to amplifiers, Fender also designed and built steel guitars. This amp was called Fender's Professional Model, which had an all-wood body and handle with chrome trim on the front grille.
Now equipped with a new amp, West felt the necessity of having a more up-to-date steel to replace the homemade electric steel he brought from Missouri. Paul Bigsby from Downey, California, a pattern maker, built West a pedal steel. Bigsby had also built a 3-neck non-pedal steel for Joaquin Murphey. West asked for a three-neck steel with four foot pedals, and Bigsby went to work building it.
In the spring of 1948, Spade Cooley
, who had a 23-piece Western swing band that included a full horn section, hired West. At the time, Cooley also hosted the Hoffman Hayride TV variety show, broadcast by KTLA on Saturday nights, in addition to playing various dance jobs. West's job with Cooley lasted only five months. Cooley's erratic behavior caused him to repeatedly fire and then attempt to rehire several band members, only West chose not to accept an offer of being rehired after he fell victim to one of his tirades.
After Cooley, West played at the Riverside Rancho in the Shambrock Cowboys band. It was about this time that friends familiar with the talents of West, introduced him to Cliffie Stone
, assistant A&R man for Capitol Records
. West's first recording session was with Eddie Kirk who sang "Candy Kisses
".
Beginning in early 1949, West worked full time doing recording sessions. One of the first lessons he learned was to play "commercial," and produce the sound expected by the producer. West learned very quickly that he would not be able to develop his potential for session work if he continued to focus on his own style and try to dazzle everyone with his own talent.
West joined the Hank Penny Western swing band in early 1949, where he was allowed to be more creative in his playing.
Late 1949, West left Penny when he was hired by Cliffie Stone for his daily radio program, Dinner Bell Round-Up, as well as Cliffie's Saturday night dances at El Monte Legion Stadium. Like Penny, Cliffie Stone allowed and encouraged West, as well as other band members, to be creative and expand their talents as much as possible. Many performers launched their careers with the help of Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree
, such as, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Travis
, Eddie Kirk, Billy Strange, Bill Aken(aka Zane Ashton), and many others.
In December 1949, Cliffie Stone took his show to TV. The shows were broadcast over KLAC-TV from 7-8 PM on Saturdays, live from El Monte, and were known as the Hometown Jamboree. After the TV broadcast, the band played for an hour of dancing before they took to the air again for a second Hometown Jamboree over KXLA radio.
While at Hometown Jamboree, West received a lot of encouragement from Merle Travis
, who was also a member of Hometown. Travis suggested that in order to promote his name recognition more, West should have Bigsby make him a nameplate for the front of his pedal steel. Bigsby crafted a Birdseye maple panel that snapped onto the front legs with West's name on the front. Travis also took many opportunities to promote West when he would be on tour in various parts of the country.
. Bryant was working down the street from Murphy's, at the Fargo Club. One night Bryant came to see West play and said to him: "I really like your playing -- why don't you come down to the Fargo Club and dig me". West was so impressed by Bryant's talent that he said, "he couldn't believe what he was hearing". That was the beginning of their long professional and personal relationship.
After 1956, Bryant was dropped by Capitol Records, so West cut a solo LP in 1958 called West of Hawaiï, and then teamed up with guitarist, Roy Lanham. Roy, along with Billy Strange
, Billy Liebert and drummer Earl Palmer
, played on West's last Capitol album in 1962, Guitar Spectacular, including the tracks "Double or Nothing", "Afternoon of a Swan" and "Reflections from the Moon". Strange and Lanham alternated on lead guitar.
, Jo Stafford
, and Paul Weston
's Orchestra, Billy May
's Orchestra, Betty Hutton
, Helen O'Connell
, Doris Day
, Johnnie Ray
, Ella Mae Morse
, Spike Jones
, Jean Shepard
, Bing Crosby
, Frank Sinatra
and many others. Mitch Miller
, A&R man for Columbia Records, was so impressed by West's playing on Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford's 1951 recording of "Hey Good Lookin
" that he paid him double on that session as well as future sessions.
In 1950, West's steel guitar career and reputation were given a major boost following a recording session with Tennessee Ernie Ford
and Kay Starr
. The songs recorded were "I'll Never Be Free" and "Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own", and both reached the top hits on country charts as well as the pop field. Ford and Star had offers to appear around the country, including the Grand Ole Opry in 1950. West and his Bigsby were also along.
West's and Bryant's outstanding work on Ford's hit records led to increasing session work for them beyond Capitol, the daily Dinner Bell Roundup radio show over KXLA, and the Hometown Jamboree. Much of the session work was with Capitol artists and Hometown performers, such as, Gene O'Quin
, Merrill Moore, Cliffie Stone
, Molly Bee and Bucky Tibbs. Some other artists they recorded with were: Sheb Wooley
, Johnny Horton
, Wade Ray, Johnny Bond
, Roy Rogers
and Dale Evans
, Doye O'Dell, Gene Autry
, Sons of the Pioneers
, and many others. West also credits both Lee Gillette and Ken Nelson, A&R men with Capitol, for encouraging their innovative and creative style of playing.
From 1951 to 1956, the duo cut several 45s for Capitol including numbers such as "Stratosphere Boogie", "This Ain't the Blues", "Jammin' with Jimmy", "Serenade to a Frog", and "Bryant's Bounce". Most of these cuts were collected on two Capitol LPs in 1960 entitled Country Cabin Jazz.
Also in the early 1950s, West appeared in three Western movies, while still working the daily Hometown show at KXLA, plus the Saturday night show and dance. During this time, he continued to work on recording sessions. He also landed a guest spot on Red Foley
's ABC-TV show, Ozark Jubilee
, from Springfield Missouri, in addition to a TV show hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. He enjoyed another guest spot on Lawrence Welk's popular ABC-TV show, plus The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
on NBC.
In 1954, West and Bryant released the album, Two Guitars Country Style containing "This is Southland", "Country Capers", "Midnight Ramble" and "Low Man on a Totem Pole".
In the mid-1950s West helped Bobby Bare
get started in show business. He first met him following Bobby's trip to L.A. via hitchhiking and riding rail cars. Bare presented himself as a songwriter when he came to KXLA radio station. He asked West to listen to some songs he had written. They both went to Studio B at the station where Bare sang several songs. West told him he should record them himself. Bare stayed with West for several weeks during which time they went to Bakersfield to record some demo dubs. West started promoting them to various record companies. As a result Ken Nelson at Capitol Records signed him up as an artist. Bare then recorded four songs with West's band on Capitol.
With the onset of rock and roll, the music scene involving Capitol and Hometown Jamboree began to decline. In addition, Cliffie Stone was occupied full-time managing Tennessee Ernie, whose career was exploding with the release of Merle Travis's Sixteen Tons
plus beginning his prime time TV show on NBC.
West changed equipment in 1957 to a Fender 1000 pedal steel. He sold his Bigsby, which he later regretted because of its historical value.
The Hometown Jamboree was canceled in 1959 after which West and other Hometown musicians started working the Las Vegas-Reno-Lake Tahoe club circuit. Their group was Billy and the Kids, featuring Billy Strange
, Merrill Moore, the Black Sisters and West.
and husband, Mooney. Impressed with her voice, West suggested that they release the musicians in the studio and hire some capable studio pickers and rent a better studio. He rounded up some of the Hometown people he had recorded with for years, such as Roy Lanham, Harold Hensley, Roy Harte and Billy Liebert. West also suggested that Loretta overdub harmonies on her original song, "Honky Tonk Girl", an idea that he borrowed from Patti Page
.
The opportunities no longer available for country musicians in the L.A. area, West made arrangements to go to work for Fender Musical Instruments as manager of their warehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. He moved to Tulsa in September, 1960. After moving to Tulsa, West continued to play steel guitar, although not full time because of his employment with Fender. He had his own band for several years and played at various locations in the Tulsa area for dances, special events, etc. He had many opportunities to travel around the United States and abroad, performing on behalf of Fender as well as appearing at several universities. In 1964 West divorced Opal Mae and later married his second wife, Mary.
In 1981 West suffered a stroke
which left his right side paralyzed but his speech unaffected. A few years later he underwent surgery and limited movement was restored to his right side. Although he never played again, West was a very prominent figure at the Steel Guitar conventions.
On November 15, 2003, at the age of 79, West died in his home in Tulsa due to long term health complications. He was preceded in death by his eldest son Don, and was survived by his wife Mary; son Gary who is also a musician and goes by the name Speedy West Jr.; his daughters Tauni and DeAnn; several grandchildren; and ex-wife Opal Mae.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
ist and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant was a prominent American session guitarist. He was billed as "The Fastest Guitar in the Country".-Biography:Ivy J. Bryant, Jr. was born in Moultrie, Georgia, the oldest of 12 children...
, both in their own duo and as part of the regular Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
and many others. He also played on Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
's first single.
Early life
Born Wesley Webb West January 25, 1924 in Springfield, MissouriSpringfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
to parents, Finley G. and Sue Arthur West. Finley was a Linotype
Linotype machine
The Linotype typesetting machine is a "line casting" machine used in printing. The name of the machine comes from the fact that it produces an entire line of metal type at once, hence a line-o'-type, a significant improvement over manual typesetting....
operator at a gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
publishing company, and in his spare time, played guitar and sang gospel songs.
At age nine, Wesley became interested in music because of his friends and neighbors, the Cline's boys, three brothers. One played steel guitar, another banjo and the other played guitar. The boys' parents suggested to Wesley's father, that he should buy him an inexpensive $12 Hawaiian guitar. Wesley spent all the time he could learning to play the instrument with the help of the Cline's as well as his father.
Wesley's interest in music continued to grow and he yearned for a more expensive instrument, namely, a National steel-bodied resonator model costing $125, which the West family could not afford. In order to give Wesley what he so desperately wanted, his father sold his own guitar in order to buy the National. In the 9th grade he won a prize in a school amateur contest. During a jam session sponsored by KWTO-AM
KWTO
KWTO refers to two radio stations in Springfield, Missouri, USA. On AM, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a news-talk format. On FM, KWTO operates at 98.7 MHz and carries a sports talk format....
, Slim Wilson
Slim Wilson
Clyde Carol Wilson , better known as Slim Wilson, was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and radio and TV personality who was a cornerstone of country music in the Ozarks for more than 50 years beginning in the 1930s; both in his own right, and as a member of The Goodwill Family and The...
introduced young Wesley as Speedy West and the name stuck.
West married Opal Mae at 17 and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, West worked in a machine gun factory. Approximately 1942, Wesley and Opal moved to Strafford, Missouri, near Springfield, where they lived on a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) farm owned by Wesley's father. Farming was vital to the war effort. One of their main crops was tomatoes. He also milked up to 33 cows daily. Since farming was a vital part of the war effort he was exempt from the draft. After the war ended, Wesley continued to farm but found more time to play music and develop his skills. Wesley began to play the steel locally on jam sessions that were broadcast over KWTO radio in Springfield, and played with friends and other local musicians at every opportunity that came along.
A major turning point occurred when a sailor, who was passing through town, told Wesley about the wonderful musical opportunities available in Southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He told him he could make as much as $25 a night, which sounded like a gold mine just waiting for him. On June 13, 1946, with only $150 in his pocket, West and his wife and their nearly 3-year-old son, Donnie, packed all they could into a 1936 Lincoln Zephyr and headed for Southern California. Following several breakdowns, they arrived in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
three days later.
Early career
During the first few months after arriving in Los Angeles, West worked during the day at a dry cleaners. After working all day he played steel guitar at night, starting out with a group called the Missouri Wranglers, all part-time musicians, who played the VFW Hall in Southgate.West worked as much as he could at night and on weekends, playing at local bars, such as, Murphy's and the nearby Fargo Club and the four Aces.
West found a new steel guitar idol - Joaquin Murphy, who played with the Spade Cooley band. West soon adopted another idol by the name of Noel Boggs, who played in Hank Penny
Hank Penny
Herbert Clayton Penny was an accomplished banjo player and practitioner of western swing. He worked as a comedian best known for his backwoods character "That Plain Ol' Country Boy" on TV with Spade Cooley...
's band, as well as the Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
and Cooley bands. West admired Murphy so much that he attempted to copy his style and then realized that it would be more beneficial to him to develop his own style rather than copy Murphey's.
In 1947, Tex Williams
Tex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
auditioned West to replace Murphey, who had left the band. Although West didn't get the job, he fondly remembered how Williams encouraged him to sit in with the band, and to keep pursuing his ambition. In fact, sometime later, Williams offered him a job, which he did not accept because of other commitments.
Later that year, West bought an amp created by Leo Fender
Leo Fender
Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, or "Fender" for short...
, who owned a radio shop in Fullerton, California. In addition to amplifiers, Fender also designed and built steel guitars. This amp was called Fender's Professional Model, which had an all-wood body and handle with chrome trim on the front grille.
Now equipped with a new amp, West felt the necessity of having a more up-to-date steel to replace the homemade electric steel he brought from Missouri. Paul Bigsby from Downey, California, a pattern maker, built West a pedal steel. Bigsby had also built a 3-neck non-pedal steel for Joaquin Murphey. West asked for a three-neck steel with four foot pedals, and Bigsby went to work building it.
In the spring of 1948, Spade Cooley
Spade Cooley
Donnell Clyde Cooley , better known as Spade Cooley, was an American Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality...
, who had a 23-piece Western swing band that included a full horn section, hired West. At the time, Cooley also hosted the Hoffman Hayride TV variety show, broadcast by KTLA on Saturday nights, in addition to playing various dance jobs. West's job with Cooley lasted only five months. Cooley's erratic behavior caused him to repeatedly fire and then attempt to rehire several band members, only West chose not to accept an offer of being rehired after he fell victim to one of his tirades.
After Cooley, West played at the Riverside Rancho in the Shambrock Cowboys band. It was about this time that friends familiar with the talents of West, introduced him to Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone , born Clifford Gilpin Snyder, was an American country singer, musician, record producer, music publisher, and radio and TV personality who was pivotal in the development of California’s thriving country music scene after World War II during a career that lasted six decades...
, assistant A&R man for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. West's first recording session was with Eddie Kirk who sang "Candy Kisses
Candy Kisses
Candy Kisses can refer to the following songs:*"Candy Kisses" , a 1949 American folk song*"Candy Kisses" , a 2007 American R&B songCandy kiss or candy kisses can refer to:...
".
Beginning in early 1949, West worked full time doing recording sessions. One of the first lessons he learned was to play "commercial," and produce the sound expected by the producer. West learned very quickly that he would not be able to develop his potential for session work if he continued to focus on his own style and try to dazzle everyone with his own talent.
West joined the Hank Penny Western swing band in early 1949, where he was allowed to be more creative in his playing.
Late 1949, West left Penny when he was hired by Cliffie Stone for his daily radio program, Dinner Bell Round-Up, as well as Cliffie's Saturday night dances at El Monte Legion Stadium. Like Penny, Cliffie Stone allowed and encouraged West, as well as other band members, to be creative and expand their talents as much as possible. Many performers launched their careers with the help of Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree
Hometown Jamboree
Hometown Jamboree was an American country music radio and television show broadcast each Saturday night by KXLA radio, Pasadena, California and KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, California. The show was hosted by Cliffie Stone and first held at the American Legion Stadium in El Monte, California, and later at...
, such as, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, Eddie Kirk, Billy Strange, Bill Aken(aka Zane Ashton), and many others.
In December 1949, Cliffie Stone took his show to TV. The shows were broadcast over KLAC-TV from 7-8 PM on Saturdays, live from El Monte, and were known as the Hometown Jamboree. After the TV broadcast, the band played for an hour of dancing before they took to the air again for a second Hometown Jamboree over KXLA radio.
While at Hometown Jamboree, West received a lot of encouragement from Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, who was also a member of Hometown. Travis suggested that in order to promote his name recognition more, West should have Bigsby make him a nameplate for the front of his pedal steel. Bigsby crafted a Birdseye maple panel that snapped onto the front legs with West's name on the front. Travis also took many opportunities to promote West when he would be on tour in various parts of the country.
Capitol Records and Jimmy Bryant
In 1948, West was working at Murphy's Club, located in the skidrow area of Los Angeles, when he first met Jimmy BryantJimmy Bryant
Jimmy Bryant was a prominent American session guitarist. He was billed as "The Fastest Guitar in the Country".-Biography:Ivy J. Bryant, Jr. was born in Moultrie, Georgia, the oldest of 12 children...
. Bryant was working down the street from Murphy's, at the Fargo Club. One night Bryant came to see West play and said to him: "I really like your playing -- why don't you come down to the Fargo Club and dig me". West was so impressed by Bryant's talent that he said, "he couldn't believe what he was hearing". That was the beginning of their long professional and personal relationship.
After 1956, Bryant was dropped by Capitol Records, so West cut a solo LP in 1958 called West of Hawaiï, and then teamed up with guitarist, Roy Lanham. Roy, along with Billy Strange
Billy Strange
William E. "Billy" Strange is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor.-Recordings and songwriting:...
, Billy Liebert and drummer Earl Palmer
Earl Palmer
Earl Cyril Palmer was an American rock & roll and rhythm and blues drummer, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
, played on West's last Capitol album in 1962, Guitar Spectacular, including the tracks "Double or Nothing", "Afternoon of a Swan" and "Reflections from the Moon". Strange and Lanham alternated on lead guitar.
1950–1959
Between 1950 and 1955, West (with and without Bryant) played on over 6,000 recordings with a total of 177 different artists. Some of those artists include Frankie LaineFrankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
, Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
, and Paul Weston
Paul Weston
Paul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
's Orchestra, Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
's Orchestra, Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
, Helen O'Connell
Helen O'Connell
Helen O'Connell was an American singer, actress, and dancer.Born in Lima, Ohio, O'Connell joined the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1939 and achieved her best selling records in the early 1940s with "Green Eyes", "Amapola," "Tangerine" and "Yours"...
, Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray
Johnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
, Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse
Ella Mae Morse , was an American popular singer. Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B.-Career:Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now...
, Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
, Jean Shepard
Jean Shepard
Ollie Imogene Shepard , better known as Jean Shepard, is an American honky tonk singer-songwriter who was a pioneer for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which reached the #1 spot...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and many others. Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
, A&R man for Columbia Records, was so impressed by West's playing on Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford's 1951 recording of "Hey Good Lookin
Hey Good Lookin' (song)
"Hey Good Lookin" is a 1951 song written and recorded by Hank Williams, and his version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Since its original 1951 recording it has been covered by a variety of artists.-Chart performance:...
" that he paid him double on that session as well as future sessions.
In 1950, West's steel guitar career and reputation were given a major boost following a recording session with Tennessee Ernie Ford
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country and Western, pop, and gospel musical genres...
and Kay Starr
Kay Starr
Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....
. The songs recorded were "I'll Never Be Free" and "Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own", and both reached the top hits on country charts as well as the pop field. Ford and Star had offers to appear around the country, including the Grand Ole Opry in 1950. West and his Bigsby were also along.
West's and Bryant's outstanding work on Ford's hit records led to increasing session work for them beyond Capitol, the daily Dinner Bell Roundup radio show over KXLA, and the Hometown Jamboree. Much of the session work was with Capitol artists and Hometown performers, such as, Gene O'Quin
Gene O'Quin
Gene O'Quin was a Texas, United States, born honky tonk singer. He was born in Dallas on September 9, 1932He had hits during the 1950s.-External links:*...
, Merrill Moore, Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone
Cliffie Stone , born Clifford Gilpin Snyder, was an American country singer, musician, record producer, music publisher, and radio and TV personality who was pivotal in the development of California’s thriving country music scene after World War II during a career that lasted six decades...
, Molly Bee and Bucky Tibbs. Some other artists they recorded with were: Sheb Wooley
Sheb Wooley
Shelby F. "Sheb" Wooley was a character actor and singer, best known for his 1958 novelty song "Purple People Eater"...
, Johnny Horton
Johnny Horton
John Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, Wade Ray, Johnny Bond
Johnny Bond
Cyrus Whitfield Bond , known professionally as Johnny Bond, was a popular American country music entertainer of the 1940s through the 1960s.-Biography:...
, Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
and Dale Evans
Dale Evans
Dale Evans, was an American writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the third wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.-Early life:...
, Doye O'Dell, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, Sons of the Pioneers
Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of America's earliest Western singing groups whose classic recordings set a new standard for performers of Western music. Known for the high quality of their vocal performances, musicianship, and songwriting, they produced finely-crafted and innovative recordings...
, and many others. West also credits both Lee Gillette and Ken Nelson, A&R men with Capitol, for encouraging their innovative and creative style of playing.
From 1951 to 1956, the duo cut several 45s for Capitol including numbers such as "Stratosphere Boogie", "This Ain't the Blues", "Jammin' with Jimmy", "Serenade to a Frog", and "Bryant's Bounce". Most of these cuts were collected on two Capitol LPs in 1960 entitled Country Cabin Jazz.
Also in the early 1950s, West appeared in three Western movies, while still working the daily Hometown show at KXLA, plus the Saturday night show and dance. During this time, he continued to work on recording sessions. He also landed a guest spot on Red Foley
Red Foley
Clyde Julian Foley , better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II....
's ABC-TV show, Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
, from Springfield Missouri, in addition to a TV show hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. He enjoyed another guest spot on Lawrence Welk's popular ABC-TV show, plus The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show is an American variety series hosted by Dinah Shore, and broadcast on NBC from October 1956 to June 1963. The series was sponsored by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors and its theme song, sung by Shore, was "See the U.S.A...
on NBC.
In 1954, West and Bryant released the album, Two Guitars Country Style containing "This is Southland", "Country Capers", "Midnight Ramble" and "Low Man on a Totem Pole".
In the mid-1950s West helped Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
get started in show business. He first met him following Bobby's trip to L.A. via hitchhiking and riding rail cars. Bare presented himself as a songwriter when he came to KXLA radio station. He asked West to listen to some songs he had written. They both went to Studio B at the station where Bare sang several songs. West told him he should record them himself. Bare stayed with West for several weeks during which time they went to Bakersfield to record some demo dubs. West started promoting them to various record companies. As a result Ken Nelson at Capitol Records signed him up as an artist. Bare then recorded four songs with West's band on Capitol.
With the onset of rock and roll, the music scene involving Capitol and Hometown Jamboree began to decline. In addition, Cliffie Stone was occupied full-time managing Tennessee Ernie, whose career was exploding with the release of Merle Travis's Sixteen Tons
Sixteen Tons
"Sixteen Tons" is a song about the life of a coal miner, first recorded in 1946 by American country singer Merle Travis and released on his box set album Folk Songs of the Hills the following year...
plus beginning his prime time TV show on NBC.
West changed equipment in 1957 to a Fender 1000 pedal steel. He sold his Bigsby, which he later regretted because of its historical value.
The Hometown Jamboree was canceled in 1959 after which West and other Hometown musicians started working the Las Vegas-Reno-Lake Tahoe club circuit. Their group was Billy and the Kids, featuring Billy Strange
Billy Strange
William E. "Billy" Strange is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor.-Recordings and songwriting:...
, Merrill Moore, the Black Sisters and West.
1960–death
In the spring of 1960, West was asked to report to a small studio in L.A. where an unknown singer from Washington and her husband were to arrive to record. The singer turned out to be Loretta LynnLoretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
and husband, Mooney. Impressed with her voice, West suggested that they release the musicians in the studio and hire some capable studio pickers and rent a better studio. He rounded up some of the Hometown people he had recorded with for years, such as Roy Lanham, Harold Hensley, Roy Harte and Billy Liebert. West also suggested that Loretta overdub harmonies on her original song, "Honky Tonk Girl", an idea that he borrowed from Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
.
The opportunities no longer available for country musicians in the L.A. area, West made arrangements to go to work for Fender Musical Instruments as manager of their warehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. He moved to Tulsa in September, 1960. After moving to Tulsa, West continued to play steel guitar, although not full time because of his employment with Fender. He had his own band for several years and played at various locations in the Tulsa area for dances, special events, etc. He had many opportunities to travel around the United States and abroad, performing on behalf of Fender as well as appearing at several universities. In 1964 West divorced Opal Mae and later married his second wife, Mary.
In 1981 West suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
which left his right side paralyzed but his speech unaffected. A few years later he underwent surgery and limited movement was restored to his right side. Although he never played again, West was a very prominent figure at the Steel Guitar conventions.
On November 15, 2003, at the age of 79, West died in his home in Tulsa due to long term health complications. He was preceded in death by his eldest son Don, and was survived by his wife Mary; son Gary who is also a musician and goes by the name Speedy West Jr.; his daughters Tauni and DeAnn; several grandchildren; and ex-wife Opal Mae.
External links
- Speedy West at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame