Shelly West was an icon of the ‘80s country music scene. Her duets with David Frizzell put new meaning to country music during that era, and her solo career afterward wasn’t any less successful.
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Despite that, Shelly West didn’t spend a long time on top of the charts. She retired before the fans had enough of her music. So where did Shelly West go? She may be away from the public eye, but that doesn’t mean she’s getting away from the attention that comes with being an ‘80s star.
A Brief Overview of Shelly West’s Life
Shelly West was born on the 23rd of May in 1958. Growing up in a musical family, there’s no wonder she decided to walk the same path. Her mother, Dottie West, remains one of the most influential female country singers between the ‘60s and ‘70s, and her father, Bill West, was a guitar player.
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Having a mother working in the industry, Shelly West was a part of the country music scene from a young age.
The young artist started learning music and performing behind the scenes, but her talent got her the first breakthrough of her career. She rose to fame at the same time that her mother was rebranding herself as a country-pop star.
In 1981, Shelly released her first duet with David Frizzell, Lefty Frizzell’s younger brother. The song, You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma, topped the country charts and was the start of a very successful set of collaborations.
The duo had several more hits, including A Texas State of Mind, Another Honky-Tonk Night on Broadway, and I Just Came Here to Dance.
Four years prior to their first song together, Shelly West had married David’s younger brother, Allen Frizzell. However, they divorced in 1985 after some controversial charges of cocaine abuse. Needless to say, the end of their marriage wasn’t by any means pretty.
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The Solo Career of Shelly West
After scoring plenty of success with David Frizzell, Shelly West launched her solo career by the mid-’80s. Some of her singles were massive hits, like Flight 309 to Tennessee and Someone’s Been Sleeping in Our Bed.
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Unfortunately, Shelly West didn’t spend enough time in the country music scene. Though her career mostly consisted of being at the top of the charts, she decided that the time she had on the scene was enough.
She retired at some point in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s to focus on her family. Despite that, the indelible mark her duets left on the genre are still iconic, and her singles are still fondly remembered.
Shelly West and Her Mother’s Legacy
Shelly’s mother, Dottie West, was an iconic figure in the country genre. While her daughter was rising to fame, Dottie was releasing her last album in 1984. In the 1980s, she pursued an acting career, and she managed to get roles in some TV shows like The Love Boat.
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Unfortunately, in 1991, Dottie West met her death in a traffic crash. Only a month earlier, she’d lost control of her Camaro and crashed into a concrete wall.
She was given a ticket for the accident and for forgetting to wear a seat belt.
A few weeks later, West was driving herself to a scheduled performance when her vehicle stalled. She flagged down a car and caught a ride to her performance place, but the driver lost control of the vehicle, eventually hitting the embankment.
Though the driver survived the crash, Dottie didn’t. She suffered a lacerated liver and a ruptured spleen, and she lost plenty of blood during the surgery.
While taking care of her family and staying in the shadows, Shelly made sure to honor her mother’s legacy. In 2018, she attended the Country Music Hall of Fame in honor of Dottie.
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Where Is Shelly West Now?
After retiring, Shelly West took a large step away from the public eye and the entire music industry. She decided to focus on her family instead, and she tried to keep her personal life as private as she could.
She’s currently not actively involved in any music projects, and she mostly stays out of the spotlight.
Final Thoughts
Shelly West was born into a musical family, with a guitar player for a father and a country music star for a mother. It was inevitable that she’d join the industry, and as it turns out, the country music scene was lucky to have her.
After scoring some huge success with David Frizzell, she decided to retire and spend the rest of her life taking care of her family.
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