Michael West a child of the Rocky Mountains, was born and raised in a sleepy little country suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, that according to Michael, "was a great place to grow up, It's a town where there are more big trucks, Wranglers, cowboy hats and belt buckles than you have ever seen," adds West. "It's a family town, and it's part of the reason I developed my love for country music at such a young age."
Michael West discovered his love and interest in music early on, and much of that love came from time spent in with his mother listening to old records. "She has always loved all types of music. She had piles of records, a very diverse collection, everything from R&B to old Opry albums, she had it all. I fell very deep into that pile; I would totally immerse myself in the music. I would just sit for hours with artist like Merle Haggard, Pasty Cline, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John: singing along with them into the speakers and studying the lyrics sheets. Every artist I listened to and sang along with became in a way vocal heros, and all their styles became part of me and my voice."
When he was 12, Michael went to a Judd's concert and from that day on a need to perform began staking its claim deep in his soul. He wanted to sing, but not into a speaker anymore. All he wanted was to be up there on stage in the lights. "It was all I thought about, I would sit in class and underneath my homework I'd be lifting up the paper trying to turn my early poetry into a song. I never wanted to be like anybody else." Later Michael began singing in school musicals and places like retirement homes and county fairs. "It was really cool to perform at that age and have folks tell me you're going to make it someday kid, everyone was always shocked by the maturity of my voice."
Michael wrote his first song at age 15 and always seemed to have a gift for putting the right words together with heart. Michael had silently amassed a small song catalog over the years and thought it was about time that he used his vocal talent and record one of them. However he had no place to start. Then he met, now good friend, Bryant Keith, while living in South Florida. Bryant being a multi-talented musician and writer from New York became the catalyst for the next few years. They began to write feverishly and formed a duo named Keith & West. The duo was backed by a seasoned and talented seven-piece band. They paid the typical musician dues in local clubs and also took home awards from The Florida County Music Association; such as "Entertainers of the Year" and the "Best Country Duo Award."
Then in 2001 Keith & West decided to record a debut album of original material titled "a Long Stretch of Highway" which was recorded and released independently right before Michael decided to make that faithful pilgrimage to Nashville, TN. During his first two years living the singer/songwriter life in Music City USA, he was commissioned to co-write a song titled "My Love Will Reach You" for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Annual charity event, which was held at RCA Records. He co-wrote the song with Grammy & Emmy winning producer Joe Hogue. He has also obtained three single song contracts on songs co-written with Bryant Keith. Two with Van Watkins Music LLC, and one with The Sundance Channel, which is part of a four-part series called "Keeping Time: New Music From America's Roots."
With strong vocal performances, diverse songwriting ability, and universal appeal easily identify Michael West as a serious talent. His high-octane style uses no formula at all. Instead he offers a blend of abilities, styles and enthusiasms uniquely adapted to himself, on stage. He is an artist who creates a unique musical blend of melodic pop with a rich mixture of classic blues, rock and roll, and soul. Michael West is currently living in Nashville, TN and he is working on his new album which will be released on Woobie Bear Music.
"The last five years in Nashville have not changed me, and now more than ever, I feel a real responsibility to connect with a new audience," says West. "I don't want the biz and politics of music to tarnish my love for music, nor do I want to be just another record-maker or radio-hit writer. I want to write and make music that strikes people on an emotional gut level and that reaches my peers and community. I also want to be true to my voice, Country music was part of that, but now is the right time to leave Nashvegas."
