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Speedy West

Speedy West

Speedy West has been played on NTS shows including Loose Bones, with Deep Water first played on 20 June 2016.

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

One of the greatest virtuosos that country music has ever produced, Speedy West bridged the western swing and rockabilly eras with eye-popping steel guitar. Besides contributing to literally thousands of country sessions, West cut many of his own instrumentals, as a solo act and with his guitarist partner Jimmy Bryant. Adept at boogie, blues, and Hawaiian ballads, West played with an infectious joy and daring improvisation that, at its most adventurous, could be downright experimental. It's doubtful whether anyone could collect all of Speedy's solos under one roof, but it was his sessions of the 1950s and early '60s -- especially those with Jimmy Bryant -- that found his genius at its most freewheeling and dazzling.

He was photographed by Herb Wise; the American photographer who found critical success with his portraits of artists from the 1960s and 1970s.

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Speedy West

Speedy West has been played on NTS shows including Loose Bones, with Deep Water first played on 20 June 2016.

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

One of the greatest virtuosos that country music has ever produced, Speedy West bridged the western swing and rockabilly eras with eye-popping steel guitar. Besides contributing to literally thousands of country sessions, West cut many of his own instrumentals, as a solo act and with his guitarist partner Jimmy Bryant. Adept at boogie, blues, and Hawaiian ballads, West played with an infectious joy and daring improvisation that, at its most adventurous, could be downright experimental. It's doubtful whether anyone could collect all of Speedy's solos under one roof, but it was his sessions of the 1950s and early '60s -- especially those with Jimmy Bryant -- that found his genius at its most freewheeling and dazzling.

He was photographed by Herb Wise; the American photographer who found critical success with his portraits of artists from the 1960s and 1970s.

Original source Last.fm

Tracks featured on

Most played tracks

Deep Water
Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West
Capitol Records1954
Afternoon Of A Swan
Speedy West
Capitol Records1962
Lazy Guitar
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Step One Records1990
The West Is Calling
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Step One Records1990
Boogie Man
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Step One Records1990
Blue Bonnet Rag
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Capitol Records1954
Rippling Waters
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Bear Family Records1997
Reflections From The Moon
Speedy West, Jimmy Bryant
Bear Family Records1997
Rolling Sky
Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West
Capitol Records1957
Rippling Waters
Speedy West
Capitol Records1962