Born on This Day in 1924, the First Country Steel Guitarist to Ever Play a Pedal Guitar and Who Recorded With Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Loretta Lynn

Fiddles, banjos, and guitars have long been commonplace in country music. However, a pedal steel guitar brings a whole new layer of emotional depth to your favorite country song. First used in 19th-century Hawaii, the instrument gained popularity in the U.S. during the first half of the 20th century. On this day (Jan. 25) in 1924, Wesley Webb “Speedy” West—the genre’s first steel guitarist to ever incorporate pedals—was born in Springfield, Missouri.

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How Speedy West Earned His Nickname

Growing up on a farm 10 miles east of Springfield, Speedy West first became acquainted with the steel guitar at a young age thanks to some neighbor boys who played. In fact, his stunning alacrity on the instrument is what earned him the nickname “Speedy” from other local country artists.

“The name stuck, and I think it had a lot to do with my career,” he said in a 2002 interview with the National Association of Music Merchants.

Eventually, West decided to sell his livestock and head for California to try his hand at show business. So, he packed his wife and toddler son into his 1936 Lincoln Zephyr and headed west. By day, he worked at a dry cleaning plant. By night, however, West honed his skills in darkened beer joints. Soon he would link up with Jimmy Bryant—”greatest guitar player ever was,” he declared.

“We worked just like a glove together,” West said. “We really enjoyed each other’s work.”

The Dynamic Duo

Before long, Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant earned the moniker “the “Flaming Guitarists.” Together, they recorded more than 150 of their own compositions for Capitol Records in Hollywood. Additionally, they often backed singer and TV host Tennessee Ernie Ford.

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According to his entry at findagrave.com, West was likely the first steel guitarist to add pedals to his instrument. He was doing this as early as 1948.

West would go on to contribute to more than 6,000 recordings, playing with artists like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Loretta Lynn. In 1960, he both played on and produced Lynn’s first single, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl.”

[RELATED: Remember When: Loretta Lynn Wrote Her First Single from a Story Inspired by a Drunken Woman]

A stroke forced Speedy West to retire from playing steel pedal guitar in 1981. However, he would continue attending steel guitar conventions until his death on Nov. 15, 2003. He was 79 years old.

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