Wesley Webb West, 79; Innovative Country Music Steel Guitarist

Wesley Webb “Speedy” West, 79, an innovative country and western steel guitar player, died of unspecified causes Saturday in Broken Arrow, Okla. He had been in poor health since suffering a stroke in 1981.

West was the first country music steel guitarist to use pedals, which helped him earn the nickname “Speedy.” He performed on a custom-made instrument with three necks and four pedals.

Born in Springfield, Mo., West moved to Los Angeles after World War II and played with Hank Penny’s Band and the Spade Cooley Band before signing on with Cliffie Stone’s Band from 1948 to 1959. With Stone, he appeared in such films as “House of the Sierras” and “Singing Spurs.” West made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1951, and in 1954 began a successful recording run with Jimmy Bryant with “Two Guitars Country Style.”

A popular Capitol Records session musician for several years, West estimated that he played on more than 6,000 records for 177 pop and country artists. West also produced the first album for Loretta Lynn, and was portrayed by guitarist Billy Strange in the 1980 biopic of her life, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”