Career
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 lieutenant to My Heart". West co-wrote album tracks for other artists, including tracks for Tim McGraw and John Michael Montgomery. By 2001, West had signed to Broken Bow Records, then a newly formed independent label, and his debut album, Livin" the Life, was released that year.
West co-wrote ten of the album"s thirteen tracks, 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 Number. 56 on the Billboard Hot Country & 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. 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." West died on May 18, 2015, aged 47 (his age was initially misreported as 46), from undisclosed causes.
