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Shelly West
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Shelly West (born May 23 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American country music singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. Shelly West is best-known for having hit duets with David Frizzell, and for their #1 hit "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." She also was a successful solo artist, having her own #1 hit, "José Cuervo", in 1983.
Shelly West's mother, Dottie West being a country music singer, Shelly West had a lot to live up to.
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Encyclopedia
Shelly West (born May 23 1958, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American country music singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. Shelly West is best-known for having hit duets with David Frizzell, and for their #1 hit "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." She also was a successful solo artist, having her own #1 hit, "José Cuervo", in 1983.
Biography
Early life
With Shelly West's mother, Dottie West being a country music singer, Shelly West had a lot to live up to. However, during the 1980s, Shelly West was a Country singer on her own, proving she could have the success her mother had as an artist.
Shelly West was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1958 to Dottie and Bill West. She was named after her mother's favorite actress, Shelley Winters. During the time West was born, her mother was trying to make it big as a Country artist in Nashville, Tennessee. By the time Shelly was five years old, West finally made it big in Country Music, with a big hit the previous year called "Here Comes My Baby Back Again." She lived on her parents' estate, where Shelly was exposed to Country Music.
Shelly got her start at age 17 touring with her mother's show; she started out singing backup, but was soon given lead vocal chores. While touring, she fell in love with her mother's lead guitarist Allen Frizzell; they married and left the band in 1977 to move to California. Allen was the little brother of Lefty and David Frizzell, the latter of whom had a regular gig in a neighboring town. The newlyweds soon joined his band and played with him for a few months.
They toured the Southwest, and upon their return, David began looking for a record label. A demo of the duet "Lovin' on Borrowed Time" featuring West and her brother-in-law impressed record producer Snuff Garrett, who signed them both to Casablanca West. Unfortunately, Polygram took over the label and dumped the duo, who unsuccessfully tried their luck in Nashville.
1980 – 1982: Success with David Frizzell
Garrett still believed the two had potential and eventually played their song and its follow-up "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" to actor Clint Eastwood, who had just founded his own record label, Viva. Eastwood liked the latter song and added it to his film Any Which Way You Can, and the song hit number one on the country charts in early 1981.
The duo became a popular duet group in the early part of the decades and released a big-selling album in 1981, Carrying on the Family Names. Between 1980 and 1982, they won the Country Music Association's Vocal Duo of the Year three times.
Their next four songs, beginning with the Top Ten hit "A Texas State of Mind," were also successful, and the duo's considerable success continued through 1985, when they split up. (They cited a lack of good duet songs as their main reason; the fact that West and her husband had just divorced may also have been a factor).
Their popularity started to drain following 1982 after the artists wanted to focus on solo carers. Their last studio album was released in 1983, In Session. However, they did record singles up until 1986.
1983 – 1986: Solo career
West made her solo debut in 1983 with "Jose Cuervo," which hit #1 and provided a sales boost for the tequila company. Her solo follow-up "Flight 309 to Tennessee" made the Top Five.
West's first solo album was released in 1983, West by West which was a big seller that year. West continued to notch a number of solo hits over the next three years under her record label.
In 1984, West notched another Top 10 smash, "Another Motel Memory" off her second solo album, Red Hot. Following "Jose Cuervo"'s success, West's hits began to become less and less as big as they had been before. However, West still was able to stay within Country's Top 40 up until 1985, including, "Somebody Buy This Cowgirl a Beer" and "Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon." She released a final studio album before departing with her record label in 1985 called, Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon. Later that year she had one more mid-range hit, "Love Don't Come Any Better Than This," and then faded from the charts.
West didn't record almost at all following 1986 after marrying for a second time.
1987 – present: Career today
West did reunite with David Frizzell for a few shows in the late '80s.
In 1990, Shelly toured with her mother, Dottie West; together, they were popular on the road. The following year, Shelly's mother was involved in a major car accident (in late August). Dottie West eventually died from injuries suffered in the accident (date of death: September 4). To honor her mother, West was a technical adviser for the TV movie biography about her mother's life titled, Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story, produced by and starring Michele Lee. Since then, however, West left the music business, preferring to raise her young family.
In 2005, CMT honored Shelly and her duet partner, David Frizzell, when they were voted No. 6 on their 100 Greatest Duets Special. Though they did not perform any songs, Shelly West and David Frizzell appeared on the CMT special in June 2005, and West was interviewed on CMT.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Single | US Country | Label |
|---|
| 1981 | Carryin' on the Family Names (with David Frizzell) | 6 | Warner Bros. | | 1982 | The David Frizzell & Shelly West Album
(with David Frizzell) | 8 | Viva | | Our Best to You (with David Frizzell) | 24 | | 1983 | West by West | 6 | | Red Hot | 26 | | 1984 | In Session (with David Frizzell) | 33 | Golden Duets (The Best of Frizzell & West)
(with David Frizzell) | 45 | | 1985 | Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon | 28 |
Singles
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
|---|
| 1983 | "Jose Cuervo" | 1 | West by West | | "Flight 309 to Tennessee" | 4 | | "Another Motel Memory" | 10 | Red Hot | | 1984 | "Now I Lay Me Down to Cheat" | 56 | | "Somebody Buy This Cowgirl a Beer" | 34 | | "Now There's You" | 21 | Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon | | 1985 | "Don't Make Me Wait on the Moon" | 46 | | "I'll Dance the Two Step" | 64 | | "If I Could Sing Something in Spanish" | | | 1986 | "What Would You Do" | 54 | single only | | "Love Don't Come Any Better Than This" | 55 |
Singles with David Frizzell
| Year | Single | US Country | Album |
|---|
| 1981 | "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" | 1 | Carryin' on the Family Names | | "A Texas State of Mind" | 9 | | "Husbands and Wives" | 16 | | 1982 | "Another Honky-Tonk Night on Broadway" | 8 | The David Frizzell & Shelly West Album | | "I Just Came Here to Dance" | 4 | | "Please Surrender" | 43 | Our Best to You | | 1983 | "Cajun Invitation" | 52 | | "Pleasure Island" | 71 | In Session | | 1984 | "Silent Partners" | 20 | | "It's a Be Together Night" | 13 | Golden Duets (The Best of Frizzell & West) | | 1985 | "Do Me Right" | 60 |
Awards
| Year | Award | Award Program |
|---|
| 1980 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Vocal Duo of the Year; (w/ David Frizzell) | | 1981 | Song of the Year; "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" | | 1982 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Vocal Duo of the Year; (w/ David Frizzell) | | Country Music Association Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year; (w/ David Frizzell) | | Music City News Country | Vocal Duet of the Year; (w/ David Frizzell) | | 1983 | Most Promising Female Artist of the Year | | Vocal Duet of the Year; (w/ David Frizzell]) |
See also
External links
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