James West (born December 18, 1953), also known as Jim "Kimo" West, is a Canadian guitarist best known for working with

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific ...

. He auditioned for Yankovic after being introduced by Steve Jay and the two have worked together ever since. West can be heard and seen on all of Yankovic's videos, albums, and concerts since 1983. West is also a composer for film and television and produced a number of CDs for independent artists. He has released fourteen solo

slack-key guitar Slack-key guitar (from Hawaiian ''kī hōalu'', which means "loosen the uningkey") is a fingerstyle genre of guitar music that originated in Hawaii after Portuguese cowboys introduced Spanish guitars there in the late 19th century. The Hawaiia ...

albums. He performs regularly at concerts and festivals.

Biography

West was born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

on December 18, 1953, and grew up in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

. At age 12, he started playing guitar. By age 16, he was playing professionally in various Florida rock bands, including at least one with Steve Jay. In the early 1980s, he came to Los Angeles, where Jay introduced him to

. Currently, West resides in the Los Angeles area, but spends several months a year in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. He retains his Canadian citizenship. In 2018, he received his first Grammy nomination a ''Moku Maluhia: Peaceful Island'' in the category of Best New Age Album. In 2020 his album, ''

More Guitar Stories ''More Guitar Stories'' is a studio album by guitarist Jim West. The album earned West a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album The Grammy Award for Best New Age Album is presented to recording artists for quality albums in the new-age music genre ...

'' received another Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album and subsequently won that category.

Discography

With
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific ...

* '' "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D'' * ''

Dare to Be Stupid ''Dare to Be Stupid'' is the third studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the ...

'' * ''

Polka Party! ''Polka Party!'' is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between April and September 1986, the album was Yankovic's follow-u ...

'' * ''

Even Worse ''Even Worse'' is the fifth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitalize ...

'' * ''

UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter (o ...

'' * '' Off the Deep End'' * ''

Alapalooza ''Alapalooza'' is the eighth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1993. By the completion of his previous album, ''Off the Deep End'', Yankovic had already written all of the original songs that he planned to use on his next release ...

'' * '' Bad Hair Day'' * '' Running with Scissors'' * '' Poodle Hat'' * ''

Straight Outta Lynwood ''Straight Outta Lynwood'' is the twelfth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's ''Straight Outta Compton''. It was the sixth studio album self-produced by ...

'' * '' Alpocalypse'' * '' Mandatory Fun''

Solo albums

* 1999 – ''Coconut Hat'' * 2004 – ''Nurturing the Garden – commission for the

National Tropical Botanical Garden The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) is a Hawaii-based not-for-profit institution dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. It operates a network of botanical gardens and preserves in Hawaii and Florida. History I ...

on Kaua'i'' * 2005 – ''Slack Key West'' * 2006 – ''The Hawaiian Tribute To Sublime: Livin's EZ'' * 2007 – ''Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar-Kimo Style'' * 2007 – ''Hotel Honolulu – The Hawaiian Tribute to the Eagles'' * 2008 – ''Kimo's Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas'' * 2012 – ''Na Lani O Maui: Maui Skies'' * 2013 – ''Ki Ho'alu Christmastime'' * 2015 – ''Guitar Stories: Slack Key & Beyond'' * 2017 – ''Slackers In Paradise'' ( with Ken Emerson ) * 2018 – ''Moku Maluhia: Peaceful Island'' * 2020 – ''

'' * 2021 – ''Ka Honua Maluhia: Peaceful World''

Producer

* "Eia Mai Ka La" by Kapo Ku * ''Lily Wilson'' by Lily Wilson * ''Jose Can U See?'' by Bill Dana * ''The Enchanted Forest'' * ''Broken'' by Cynthia Clawson * ''The Koolanesian Heart'' by Norm Compton * '' Stepping Out'' by Diana Krall

Compilations

* ''The Rocky Story''

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

References

External links

Official website
* * http://www.westernmostmusic.com/
Jim West entry on Dean Guitars website
{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Jim 1953 births Living people Canadian guitarists "Weird Al" Yankovic Scotti Brothers Records artists Grammy Award winners

Biography

Discography

With "Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific ...

Solo albums

Producer

Compilations

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

References

External links

With
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific ...