Jim West (guitarist)
Jim West | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | James West |
Born | (1953-12-18) December 18, 1953 (age 70) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | Rock, slack-key guitar |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, producer |
Instrument(s) | Guitar |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | Westernmost, Scotti Brothers, Volcano, Placebo |
Website | jimkimowest |
James West (born December 18, 1953), also known as Kimo, is a Canadian guitarist best known for working with "Weird Al" Yankovic.[1]
Biography
West was born in Toronto, Ontario on December 18, 1953, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. At age 12, he started playing guitar.[2] By age 16, he was playing professionally in various Florida rock bands, including at least one with later bandmate Steve Jay.
In the early 1980s, he came to Los Angeles, where Jay introduced him to "Weird Al" Yankovic. He auditioned for Yankovic after being introduced by Steve Jay and the two have worked together ever since.[citation needed] West can be heard and seen on all of Yankovic's videos, albums, and concerts since 1983.
West is also a composer for film and television and produced a number of CDs for independent artists.[citation needed] He has released fourteen solo slack-key guitar albums. He performs regularly at concerts and festivals.[citation needed]
In 2018, he received his first Grammy nomination a Moku Maluhia: Peaceful Island in the category of Best New Age Album.[3] In 2020 his album, More Guitar Stories received another Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album and subsequently won that category.[4]
He has a private studio in Los Angeles,[5] but spends several months a year in Hana, Hawaii.[6] He retains his Canadian citizenship.[citation needed]
Discography
With "Weird Al" Yankovic
- In 3-D
- Dare to Be Stupid
- Polka Party!
- Even Worse
- UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff
- Off the Deep End
- Alapalooza
- Bad Hair Day
- Running with Scissors
- Poodle Hat
- Straight Outta Lynwood
- Alpocalypse
- Mandatory Fun
Co-leader albums
- With Greg Leisz, Hotel Honolulu – The Hawaiian Tribute to the Eagles (CHM, 2007)
- With Ken Emerson, Slackers In Paradise (Westernmost, 2016)
Solo albums
- 1999 – Coconut Hat
- 2004 – Nurturing the Garden – commission for the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua'i
- 2005 – Slack Key West
- 2006 – The Hawaiian Tribute To Sublime: Livin's EZ
- 2007 – Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar-Kimo Style
- 2008 – Kimo's Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas
- 2012 – Na Lani O Maui: Maui Skies
- 2013 – Ki Ho'alu Christmastime
- 2015 – Guitar Stories: Slack Key & Beyond
- 2018 – Moku Maluhia: Peaceful Island
- 2020 – More Guitar Stories
- 2021 – Ka Honua Maluhia: Peaceful World
Producer
- "Eia Mai Ka La" by Kapo Ku
- Lily Wilson by Lily Wilson
- Jose Can U See? by Bill Dana
- The Enchanted Forest
- Broken by Cynthia Clawson
- The Koolanesian Heart by Norm Compton
- Stepping Out by Diana Krall
Compilations
- The Rocky Story
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Best New Age Album | Moku Maluhia: Peaceful Island | Nominated |
2021 | More Guitar Stories | Won[7] |
References
- ^ "Working with "Weird Al" Yankovic". iZotope. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ^ ""Weird Al" Yankovic: Biographies". Archived from the original on February 8, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "61st GRAMMY Awards: Full Nominees & Winners List". December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Jim Kimo West - Winner details". www.grammy.com.
- ^ "A Little About Kimo". jimkimowest.com. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
- ^ Collins, Dan (March 6, 2023). "Maui is About to Get Weird". Maui Time Weekly. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
- ^ "Jim Kimo West - Winner details". www.grammy.com.
External links
- Official website
- Jim West at IMDb
- http://www.westernmostmusic.com/
- Jim West entry on Dean Guitars website
- v
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- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
- Steve Jay
- Jim West
- Rubén Valtierra
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Another One Rides the Bus
- Internet Leaks
- Greatest Hits
- The Best of Yankovic
- The Food Album
- Permanent Record: Al in the Box
- Greatest Hits Vol. II
- The TV Album
- The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic
- "My Bologna"
- "Another One Rides the Bus"
- "Ricky"
- "I Love Rocky Road"
- "Eat It"
- "I Lost on Jeopardy"
- "Like a Surgeon"
- "Yoda"
- "Hooked on Polkas"
- "Dare to Be Stupid"
- "I Want a New Duck
- "Living with a Hernia"
- "Christmas at Ground Zero"
- "Fat"
- "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies"
- "Chicken Pot Pie"
- "Smells Like Nirvana"
- "You Don't Love Me Anymore"
- "Jurassic Park"
- "Bedrock Anthem"
- "Achy Breaky Song"
- "Headline News"
- "Amish Paradise"
- "Spy Hard"
- "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
- "The Saga Begins"
- "It's All About the Pentiums"
- "Polka Power!"
- "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"
- "Albuquerque"
- "Bob"
- "Couch Potato"
- "eBay"
- "You're Pitiful"
- "Don't Download This Song"
- "White & Nerdy"
- "Pancreas"
- "Canadian Idiot"
- "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
- "Whatever You Like"
- "Craigslist"
- "Perform This Way"
- "Tacky"
- "Word Crimes"
- "Foil"
- "Handy"
- Al TV
- The Compleat Al
- UHF
- The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library
- Alapalooza: The Videos
- Bad Hair Day: The Videos
- The Weird Al Show
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Live!: The Alpocalypse Tour
- An Evening of Dementia with Dr. Demento in Person Plus "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Mandatory World Tour
- Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
- Strings Attached Tour
- The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
- Discography
- Videography
- Polka medleys
- Peter & the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals – Part II
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Category
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