Speedy West

Speedy West ranks among the most exceptional virtuosos country music has produced, connecting the western swing years to the rockabilly era through his spectacular steel guitar work. In addition to appearing on literally thousands of country sessions, he recorded numerous instrumentals of his own, both alone and alongside guitarist partner Jimmy Bryant. Skilled in boogie, blues, and Hawaiian ballads, he delivered each performance with an infectious joy and a bold improvisational style that turned especially experimental at its boldest moments. Gathering every one of Speedy’s solos in a single place would likely prove impossible, yet the sessions from the 1950s and early ’60s, particularly those shared with Jimmy Bryant, captured his genius at its most freewheeling and dazzling. ~ Richie Unterberger