James "Jim" "Kimo" West is a guitarist best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. West auditioned for Yankovic, after being introduced by Steve Jay, and the two have worked together ever since. West can be heard and seen on all of Yankovic's albums, videos, and concerts.
West is also a composer for TV and film and produced a number of CDs for independent artists. He has released four solo slack-key guitar albums. He pe...
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James "Jim" "Kimo" West is a guitarist best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. West auditioned for Yankovic, after being introduced by Steve Jay, and the two have worked together ever since. West can be heard and seen on all of Yankovic's albums, videos, and concerts.
West is also a composer for TV and film and produced a number of CDs for independent artists. He has released four solo slack-key guitar albums. He performs regularly at festivals and concerts.
Born in Toronto on December 18, 1953, West grew up in Tampa, Florida. He started playing guitar at age 12, and by age 16 he was playing professionally in various Florida rock bands, including at least one with Steve Jay. He came to Los Angeles in the early eighties, where Jay introduced him to Yankovic. West still lives in the Los Angeles area, but spends several months a year in Hawaii. He retains his Canadian citizenship.
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