Key Points
- Speedy West was the first country musician to professionally use a pedal steel guitar.
- The steel guitar originated in Hawaii in 1885, invented by Joseph Kekuku.
- West played on over 6,000 records and helped shape modern country music.
Wesley Webb West—most commonly; Speedy West—is the first known country musician to professionally use a pedal steel guitar.
Originating in Hawaii in 1885, the original steel guitar came from the hands of an 11-year-old Joseph Kekuku.
According to a former student of Kekuku, C.S. DeLano, “[Kekuku] was walking along a road in Honolulu … holding an old Spanish guitar, when he saw a rusty bolt on the ground.
“As he picked it up, the bolt accidentally vibrated one of the strings and produced a new tone that was rather pleasing,” says an article from 1932, per the Pacific String Museum in Kailua, Hawaii.
“After practicing for a time with the metal bolt, [Kekuku] experimented with the back of a pocket-knife, then with the back of a steel comb, and still later on with a highly-polished steel [bar] very similar to the sort that is used today.”
Kekuku brought the steel guitar with him as he traveled the United States and Europe, permanently influencing the sound of the 20th century.
Around the 1930s, the steel guitar evolved from resembling a classic acoustic guitar; instead, “the hollow body was replaced by a flat slab of wood or metal and electrified with pickups,” per Premier Guitar.
By the end of the decade, pedals were introduced to the instrument as a way “to alter various string pitches—with or without moving the bar—to smoothly transition from chord to chord.”
Born on Jan. 25, 1924, Speedy West rapidly grew to become a staple in the country movement.
After moving out West and joining a swing band, he quickly gained popularity, playing “on more than 6,000 records for 177 different artists, both pop and country,” per the New York Times.
His custom pedal steel featured three necks and four pedals.
West recorded with numerous legendary musicians, such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dinah Shore; playing on and producing Loretta Lynn’s first album.
He and fellow musician Jimmy Bryant earned the nickname “the ‘Flaming Guitarists,’” according to American Songwriter.
“We worked just like a glove together,” West said of Bryant. “We really enjoyed each other’s work.”
West died in November 2003 at the age of 79.
About the author
Trending News Writer, Parade
Nina Clevinger is an editor and writer with over a decade of experience. Her first cover story published in 2015, she specializes in breaking news, music and entertainment, and wellness-related lifestyle.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source parade.com ’
