Page 69 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2021 Issue

Music by Gary West
“I Don’t Do It For The Money
(I Do It For The Love Of Cash)”

Story by Scott Wikle
https://www.facebook.com/mykindofcountrymkoc

Gary West was born and raised in a rural farm area, 35 miles east of Indianapolis, Indiana. His given
name was Gerald Boger Jr. In 1985, while on tour with Tommy Cash (brother of Johnny Cash), Tommy
told Gerald that he needed a new name if he was going to be in show business. Later that night during
Tommy's performance, Tommy introduced Gerald as, "Gary West on the drums.” The rest, as they say,
is history. That same band that was backing Tommy Cash that night was formed by Gerald in 1978, The
Royal Aces. Amazingly that band continued to perform all over the US and Canada for 13 years. In 1988,
Gary moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in a 1963 GMC 4104 tour bus with everything he owned in that
bus…and the journey began.

After a few short weeks in town, Gary landed an artist gig with Grand Ole Opry star, Del Reeves. Gary
went on to perform with many country music legends such as Little Jimmy Dickens (12 years total), Jett
Williams (1 year), The Drifting Cowboys (1 year), Del Reeves (2 years), and backed up many legends
like Johnny Paycheck, Jean Shepard, Charley Pride, Hank Thompson, Melba Montgomery, Ferlin Husky,
and many other Grand Ole Opry legends. Gary recalls, "One of my favorite things to have been a part of
was The Drifting Cowboys. This was Hank Williams Sr.'s original band with Don Helms on steel guitar
and Jerry Rivers on fiddle. These two men were icons in country music history who played on the early
Ray Price, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams recordings, to name just a few. We toured all over Germany,
Switzerland, Holland, and the U.S. that year. We also performed with Hank's daughter, Jett Williams, on
the German Country Music Awards. What an unforgettable experience!"

As an artist, Gary performed throughout the US and Canada as "Gary West and the Wild Wild West
Band!" This was a hard-driving, country/rock style sound with steel guitar. In the 90s, "The Gary West
Trio" became very popular in Nashville, and he enjoyed a six-year stint at the world-renown Opryland
Hotel in Nashville, TN. He mainly performed at the Pickin' Parlor and the Jack Daniels Saloon located
inside the hotel.