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Wes was the oldest boy, he had 2 older sisters, 3 younger brothers, and a younger sister. At 7 years old Wes would walk down the railroad tracks playing 2 sticks. Much of Wes's talent was developed because of Bob Wills father, Uncle Johnny Wills, gave Wes got his first fiddle, and then Wes graduated from playing 2 sticks to a real instrument.
All the family carried musical genes, with guitar, piano, drums, steel guitar, and fiddle music on tap.
Wes served 3 1/2 years in WW2 in the Pacific, and carried his old fiddle everywhere he went, sometimes having it shipped behind him after the fighting was over. The Natives of New Guinea were especially thrilled at the sounds that came from such a strange looking machine.
Wes has won hundreds of fiddle contests, judged many more, and has made 9 albums. He had over 100 trophies when he passed on. A few songs are available as download samples on the website and can be played with Winamp or Microsoft Media Player.
He was a member of the New Mexico Fiddlers Hall of Fame, and of the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame. He was also the New Mexico Senior Champion.
He loved people, and spent the last 30 years of his life teaching music and traveling to fiddle contests from Tennessee to California. |
