Sam Ku West (1907-1930) was an American steel guitar player from Honolulu, Hawaii he died in Neuilly sur Seine near Paris, France.
West first performed professionally as a member of Irene West’s touring band, adding the “West” surname to his birth name, Sam Ku, Jr… After playing in Singapore in 1926, Prince George of England gave him the name “the Kreisler of the steel guitar”. He also played concert harp live, though he never recorded with it.
West toured America on the vaudeville circuit and also performed abroad throughout East Asia and Europe. He recorded in 1927 and 1928 for several labels; 27 recordings are still extant. He died in Paris at the age of 23 in 1930. |
