Wesley Webb West (January 25, 1924 – November 15, 2003), better known as Speedy West, was an American pedal steel guitarist and

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

. He frequently played with Jimmy Bryant, both in their own duo and as part of the regular

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

backing band for Tennessee Ernie Ford and many others. The duo also recorded with non-Capitol artists in Los Angeles. In 1960, Speedy played on and produced

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

's first single. During his time at Capitol, he played on over 6000 recordings, including pop records by artists like

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

. West, who began playing Paul Bigsby's second ever pedal steel guitar in 1947, was the first country steel guitarist to use a pedal guitar. Nashville players like Bud Isaacs would adopt it in the early 1950s. After a stroke in 1981, West was unable to play pedal steel, but would continue to attend steel guitar conventions. His health would continue to deteriorate and he would pass away on November 15, 2003.

Partial discography

*''Speedy West And Jimmy Bryant - Two Guitars Country Style'' (1954 - Capitol Records) *''West Of Hawaii'' (1958 - Capitol Records) *''Steel Guitar'' (1960 - Capitol Records) *''Guitar Spectacular'' (1962 - Capitol Records) *''Speedy'' (1977 - Steel Guitar Record Club)

References

External links

Speedy West
at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Speedy West Interview
NAMM Oral History Library, May 17, 2002.
Wesley Webb “Speedy” West
on Find A Grave. {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Speedy 1924 births 2003 deaths Musicians from Springfield, Missouri American country guitarists American male guitarists Steel guitarists Western swing performers 20th-century American guitarists Pedal steel guitarists Guitarists from Missouri Country musicians from Missouri 20th-century American male musicians