Elbert Lee West (July 22, 1967 – May 18, 2015) was an American country music artist. Initially a session songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, West saw his first chart success in the 1990s as a co-writer on singles for country singer Tracy Lawrence, including the Number Ones "Sticks and Stones" and "Can't Break It to My Heart".[1][2] West co-wrote album tracks for other artists, including tracks for Tim McGraw and John Michael Montgomery.[3]
Elbert West | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Elbert Lee West |
| Born | July 22, 1967 Welch, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 18, 2015 (aged 47) Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1990–2013 |
| Labels | Broken Bow |
Biography
editElbert West was born on July 22, 1967.[4] Early in his musical career, West wrote songs for Tracy Lawrence, Tim McGraw, and John Michael Montgomery.
By 2001, he had signed to Broken Bow Records, then a newly formed independent label, and his debut album, Livin' the Life, was released that year.[1] West co-wrote ten of the album's thirteen tracks,[3] while others – including "(This One's Gonna) Leave a Mark", previously recorded by John Michael Montgomery – were co-written by Randy Archer and Johnny Park, formerly of the duo Archer/Park. "Diddley", which peaked at No. 56 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, was the album's lead single and West's only single to chart. "Diddley" was also made into a music video, which aired on CMT.[2] Erik Hage of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, saying, "West has a big, husky baritone, a keen songwriting ability, a defiant attitude, and is a major country talent."[5] After a falling out over a record, West left Broken Bow Records.
In 2013, West started having seizures. He died in Portland, Tennessee, on May 18, 2015, at the age of 47 from a stomach aneurysm. West is survived by his wife Tammy and their three children.[6][7]
Discography
editLivin' the Life (2001)
edit| Livin' the Life | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Elbert West | |
| Released | 2001 |
| Genre | Country |
| Label | Broken Bow |
| Producer | D. Scott Miller |
Track listing
edit- "Crawlin' Time" (Judy Hoffman, Elbert West) – 3:22
- "Side of the Road" (D. Scott Miller, West) – 3:46
- "Diddley" (Doc James Shapiro, C.B. Carter) – 2:52
- "Neon Light" (West, Earl Clark) – 3:35
- "(This One's Gonna) Leave a Mark" (John Michael Montgomery, David Lee, Johnny Park, West) – 3:34
- "Unpredictable" (Miller, West) – 2:35
- "Livin' the Life" (Randy Archer, West) – 3:33
- "Robin Loves to Hear Me Sing" (Miller, John Ramey) – 4:21
- "My Last Resort" (Miller) – 3:08
- "Sinner" (Miller, West, Ken Prueitt) – 3:46
- "Middle of the Line" (Lee, West) – 3:14
- "Everything That He's Not" (Miller, West, Stewart Harris) – 5:23
- "Kiss My Lips Goodbye" (Miller, West, Even Stevens) – 2:57
Personnel
edit- Steve Brewster – drums, percussion
- Gary Burnette – six-string bass guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
- John Cowan – background vocals
- Steve Mackey – bass guitar, tic tac bass
- Russ Pahl – six-string bass guitar, banjo, Dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, gut string guitar, sitar, talk box guitar, tic tac bass
- James Pennebaker – fiddle, electric guitar, steel guitar
- Laura Vida – background vocals
- Barry Walsh – piano
- Elbert West – lead vocals
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 2001 | "Diddley" | 56 | Livin' the Life |
| "Unpredictable" | — | ||
| 2002 | "(This One's Gonna) Leave a Mark" | — | |
| 2004 | "A Beautiful Day for Goodbye" | — | singles only |
| "Kimberly Cooper's Eyes" | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Diddley" | |
| "Unpredictable" | Michael Merriman |
References
edit- ^ a b Hage, Erik. "Elbert West biography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Downs, Jolene. "Elbert West – Livin' the Life review". About.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Claffey, Laura. "Elbert West interview". Country Interviews Online. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
- ^ "FamilySearch". www.familysearch.org.
- ^ Hage, Erik. "Livin' the Life review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
- ^ Skates, Sarah (May 19, 2015). "Lifenotes: Songwriter Elbert West". MusicRow. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
- ^ "Elbert Lee West". The Tennessean. May 20, 2015. p. 10A. Retrieved December 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.