Elbert West Bio
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close-to-the-vest, until he is performing. "I'm a private person," says West. "I've spent my whole life holding back the pain. It's only released when I express it in my songs."
The Welch, West Virginia native is the second of seven children of a coal miner who found it difficult to make ends meet. The children spent much of their youth living in missions. Financial hardship served to tighten the bond between them. West comments, “As I look back on those hard times, I really see how the experience pulled us together. We eventually moved to the Virginia-Tennessee border town of Bristol and our quality of life began improving.” West and his four brothers, Mark, Rick, Rocky, and David formed a band and played everywhere from bars to church socials. The emotional high he received from those exposed to his songwriting and singing convinced him that music would be an essential part of his life. Among his greatest influences, West admires Roger Miller and Kris Kristofferson, Hank Williams, George Jones, Lefty Frizzell and Johnny Paycheck. The fiercely independent Dwight Yoakam and consummate trailblazer Johnny Cash are also major West influences. Childhood poverty and family tragedy has served to fortify Elbert West's survival instincts as his singing and songwriting clearly exhibit. "I want people to know me through my music. They will understand me. I put a lot of myself into what I write and record. I'm passionate about life, I'm passionate about passion!" laughs West. "I'm livin' the life and I'm enjoying it. All of the good and the bad together has made a great stew, and I wouldn't trade one day of it."
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