Speedy West in Session: Man of Steel - 1948-1960 - Speedy West In Session: Man Of Steel - 1948-1960 / Various

Between the late 1940s and mid-1950s, the exciting steel guitar sounds of Wesley 'Speedy' West could be heard on dozens if not hundreds or thousands of recordings, from hillbilly to pop and far beyond and by artists as diverse as Doris Day, Spike Jones, Tennessee Ernie, Bing Crosby and even Frank Sinatra - as well as finding time to record several dozen instrumental duets with his 'regular' guitar playing chum Jimmy Bryant. He may not have played on the 6000 sides that has been claimed in the past, but Speedy was certainly among the busiest session players of his time, and the 30 tracks featured on Jasmine's new salute to his session work are but a small overview of a much bigger body of work that features his always recognisable stylings. It's probably true to say that the pedal steel was introduced to pop sessions primarily because of Speedy, and though he was not the last or only steel player to work on pop sessions he was easily the busiest and most prolific - as well as always being the most immediately recognisable! This superb mixture of hits and rarities will provide any listener with an appetite to hear more. If you don't know the name of Speedy West, you will know the names of many of those he worked with - a master of his craft playing with masters and mistresses of theirs and truly an invincible "Man Of Steel".