Red West
Encyclopedia
Red West is an American
actor
, film stuntman
and songwriter
.
West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee
, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll
singer Elvis Presley
. An excellent athlete and former U.S. Marine
, West played football
for his high school and junior college
teams and was a boxer
in the Golden Gloves
championships.
Today, he is probably best known to American film audiences for his role as Red in Road House
, alongside Patrick Swayze.
, Bill Black
, and later D. J. Fontana
when they toured the U.S. South
performing live concerts as the "Blue Moon Boys". In 1960, following Presley's discharge from the United States Army
, Red West went to work for the singer as a bodyguard
and became known as one of the media-dubbed Memphis Mafia
.
In addition, West was a talented songwriter who wrote songs that not only Elvis Presley recorded but also were recorded by teen idol
s Ricky Nelson
, Pat Boone
and Johnny Rivers
.
In 1976, Red West was involved in a series of heavy-handed incidents in Las Vegas
with aggressive fans that got out of hand and drew growing criticism by the media
. More than that, West was becoming more vocal about Elvis' drug problem and how he needed rehab. As a result, Red West and two other bodyguards were fired by Elvis' father, Vernon Presley. West continued his career in film and in 1977 collaborated with the other two former Presley bodyguards (his cousin Sonny West and Dave Hebler) and professional writer Steve Dunleavy
on a book
about their time working for Elvis Presley titled "Elvis: What Happened" (ISBN 0-345-27215-3). This was the first book that focused on Elvis' addiction to prescription drugs. The book came out a few weeks before Elvis died. Some fans have suggested that reading the book may have made Elvis more depressed and hastened his death. When Elvis died in August 1977, the book sold more than 1 million copies.
Red West wrote several songs with Elvis Presley in 1961 and 1962. He received help from Elvis Presley in writing two songs in the early 1960s, which were collaborations: You'll Be Gone
and That's Someone You Never Forget
. "You'll Be Gone" was also co-written with Charlie Hodge, and appeared on the Girl Happy
soundtrack album and as a 45 single in 1965. The single reached no.35 on the Canadian singles chart in 1965. "That's Someone You Never Forget" was the final track on the 1962 album Pot Luck
and was released as a 45 B side single in 1967 and was featured on the Artist of the Century compilation. Red also co-wrote "If You Think I Don't Need You" with Joey Cooper for the motion picture "Viva Las Vegas." He teamed up with Joey Cooper again on "I'm A Fool," which Ricky Nelson recorded. "I'm A Fool" later became a hit for Dino, Desi and Billy. He also co-wrote the tunes "Seeing Is Believing," (with Glenn Spreen) "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees," (with Glenn Spreen) "Separate Ways" (with Richard Mainegra) and "If You Talk In Your Sleep" (with Johnny Christopher) which Elvis recorded in the early 1970s. The Christmas song "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" was written by West and recorded by Elvis in 1966. Red had put out his own recording of "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" in 1965 on the Brent label.
. From there, West went on to do more stunt work in film as well as developing a career as an actor in a number of motion pictures and on television. He was often on screen as a henchman in the television series The Wild Wild West
. He was also a stuntman on the series and developed a strong friendship with the star Robert Conrad
.
West played Sgt. Andy Micklin
in the 1978 Robert Conrad series Baa Baa Black Sheep
. He also guest starred twice on the CBS hit Magnum, P.I.
(as different characters), as four different characters on NBC's hit The A-Team
, Knight Rider pilot episode Knight of the Phoenix, and in The Once and Future King (The Twilight Zone)
as the man who played an Elvis impersonator
's boss at the Crown Electric company (and who was a real-life schoolmate and best friend of Elvis).
Today, Red West continues to work in motion pictures, his most recent role in the 2010 Film; "Father of Invention".
CBS
miniseries Elvis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, film stuntman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a close high school friend of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
singer Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. An excellent athlete and former U.S. Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, West played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for his high school and junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
teams and was a boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
in the Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
championships.
Today, he is probably best known to American film audiences for his role as Red in Road House
Road House (1989 film)
Road House is a 1989 American action film partially based on the life of Norman "Storm" Cantwell, directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring Patrick Swayze as a bouncer at a newly-refurbished roadside bar who protects a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman. Sam Elliot also plays a...
, alongside Patrick Swayze.
West and Elvis
In 1955, West was the driver for Presley and band members Scotty MooreScotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
, Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
, and later D. J. Fontana
D. J. Fontana
Dominic Joseph Fontana is an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. He played on over 460 RCA cuts with Elvis....
when they toured the U.S. South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
performing live concerts as the "Blue Moon Boys". In 1960, following Presley's discharge from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Red West went to work for the singer as a bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
and became known as one of the media-dubbed Memphis Mafia
Memphis Mafia
The "Memphis Mafia" was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and "yes-men" whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died. Several filled practical roles in the singer's life. For instance, they were employed to work for him as bodyguards or on tour...
.
In addition, West was a talented songwriter who wrote songs that not only Elvis Presley recorded but also were recorded by teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
s Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson
Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...
, Pat Boone
Pat Boone
Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
and Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
.
In 1976, Red West was involved in a series of heavy-handed incidents in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
with aggressive fans that got out of hand and drew growing criticism by the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. More than that, West was becoming more vocal about Elvis' drug problem and how he needed rehab. As a result, Red West and two other bodyguards were fired by Elvis' father, Vernon Presley. West continued his career in film and in 1977 collaborated with the other two former Presley bodyguards (his cousin Sonny West and Dave Hebler) and professional writer Steve Dunleavy
Steve Dunleavy
Stephen Francis Patrick Aloysius Dunleavy , is a journalist best known as a columnist for the New York Post...
on a book
Sensation novel
The sensation novel was a literary genre of fiction popular in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s, following on from earlier melodramatic novels and the Newgate novels, which focused on tales woven around criminal biographies, also descend from the gothic and romantic genres of fiction...
about their time working for Elvis Presley titled "Elvis: What Happened" (ISBN 0-345-27215-3). This was the first book that focused on Elvis' addiction to prescription drugs. The book came out a few weeks before Elvis died. Some fans have suggested that reading the book may have made Elvis more depressed and hastened his death. When Elvis died in August 1977, the book sold more than 1 million copies.
Red West wrote several songs with Elvis Presley in 1961 and 1962. He received help from Elvis Presley in writing two songs in the early 1960s, which were collaborations: You'll Be Gone
You'll Be Gone
You'll Be Gone is a song co-written by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and released in 1965 as a single and on the Girl Happy soundtrack album...
and That's Someone You Never Forget
That's Someone You Never Forget
"That's Someone You Never Forget" is a song co-written by Elvis Presley in 1961 and published by Elvis Presley Music, which appeared as the closing track on his 1962 album, Pot Luck. It was written by Elvis Presley with his bodyguard Red West and based upon an idea and title by Presley himself...
. "You'll Be Gone" was also co-written with Charlie Hodge, and appeared on the Girl Happy
Girl Happy (album)
Girl Happy is the twenty-second album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3338, in March 1965 - the March 1 date is disputed. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on June 10, 11, 12, and vocal overdubs by Presley on June...
soundtrack album and as a 45 single in 1965. The single reached no.35 on the Canadian singles chart in 1965. "That's Someone You Never Forget" was the final track on the 1962 album Pot Luck
Pot Luck (album)
Pot Luck with Elvis is the fifteenth album by Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 2523, in June 1962. Recording sessions took place on March 22, 1961, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, and on June 25 and October 15, 1961, and March 18 and March 19, 1962, at RCA Studio B...
and was released as a 45 B side single in 1967 and was featured on the Artist of the Century compilation. Red also co-wrote "If You Think I Don't Need You" with Joey Cooper for the motion picture "Viva Las Vegas." He teamed up with Joey Cooper again on "I'm A Fool," which Ricky Nelson recorded. "I'm A Fool" later became a hit for Dino, Desi and Billy. He also co-wrote the tunes "Seeing Is Believing," (with Glenn Spreen) "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees," (with Glenn Spreen) "Separate Ways" (with Richard Mainegra) and "If You Talk In Your Sleep" (with Johnny Christopher) which Elvis recorded in the early 1970s. The Christmas song "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" was written by West and recorded by Elvis in 1966. Red had put out his own recording of "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" in 1965 on the Brent label.
Career in film and television
When Presley was making films in the 1960s in Hollywood, Red West appeared in small roles in sixteen of the star's films. During this time, West became good friends with actor Nick Adams and his physical abilities got him hired on as a stuntman on Adams' television series, The RebelThe Rebel (TV series)
The Rebel is an American Western television series that ran originally on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The program was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions, marking one of their few non-game show ventures...
. From there, West went on to do more stunt work in film as well as developing a career as an actor in a number of motion pictures and on television. He was often on screen as a henchman in the television series The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
. He was also a stuntman on the series and developed a strong friendship with the star Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
.
West played Sgt. Andy Micklin
Andy Micklin
Andrew 'Andy' Micklin is a fictitious United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant from the Black Sheep Squadron. He was portrayed by actor Red West. The TV show is loosely based on the book by Gregory "Pappy" Boyington...
in the 1978 Robert Conrad series Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)
Baa Baa Black Sheep is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Pappy Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell...
. He also guest starred twice on the CBS hit Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
(as different characters), as four different characters on NBC's hit The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, Knight Rider pilot episode Knight of the Phoenix, and in The Once and Future King (The Twilight Zone)
The Once and Future King (The Twilight Zone)
The Once and Future King is the first segment of the twenty-fifth episode The Once and Future King is the first segment of the twenty-fifth episode The Once and Future King is the first segment of the twenty-fifth episode (the first episode of the second season (1986–1987) of the television series...
as the man who played an Elvis impersonator
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...
's boss at the Crown Electric company (and who was a real-life schoolmate and best friend of Elvis).
Today, Red West continues to work in motion pictures, his most recent role in the 2010 Film; "Father of Invention".
Personal life
In 1961, Red West married one of Elvis Presley's secretaries. Their son John Boyd West is a Hollywood actor who appeared in the 20052005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries Elvis.
Filmography
- Live a Little, Love a LittleLive a Little, Love a LittleLive A Little, Love A Little is a 1968 musical comedy starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film. Shortly thereafter, he went blind...
(1968) - Walking TallWalking TallWalking Tall is a 1973 semi-biopic of Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former professional wrestler-turned-lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee. It starred Joe Don Baker as Pusser...
(1973) - Walking Tall Part II (1975)
- Road HouseRoad House (1989 film)Road House is a 1989 American action film partially based on the life of Norman "Storm" Cantwell, directed by Rowdy Herrington and starring Patrick Swayze as a bouncer at a newly-refurbished roadside bar who protects a small town in Missouri from a corrupt businessman. Sam Elliot also plays a...
(1989) - The RainmakerThe Rainmaker (1997 film)The Rainmaker is a 1997 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Matt Damon. Coppola wrote the script, based on the 1995 novel of the same name by John Grisham....
(1997) - Glory RoadGlory RoadGlory Road is a fantasy novel by Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialized in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published in hardcover later the same year...
(2006) - Goodbye SoloGoodbye SoloGoodbye Solo is a 2008 American independent film written and directed by Ramin Bahrani. It premiered as an official selection of the 2008 Venice Film Festival where it won the international film critic's FIPRESCI award for best film, and later had its North American premiere at the 2008 Toronto...
(2009) - Father of Invention (2010)