Initially a session songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, West saw his first chart success in the 1990s as a co-writer on singles for country singer Tracy Lawrence, including the Number Ones "Sticks and Stones" and "Can't Break It to My Heart".
[4] Early in his musical career, West wrote songs for Tracy Lawrence, Tim McGraw, and John Michael Montgomery.
By 2001, he had signed to Broken Bow Records, then a newly formed independent label, and his debut album, Livin' the Life, was released that year.
[1] West co-wrote ten of the album's thirteen tracks,[3] while others – including "(This One's Gonna) Leave a Mark", previously recorded by John Michael Montgomery – were co-written by Randy Archer and Johnny Park, formerly of the duo Archer/Park.
[2] Erik Hage of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, saying, "West has a big, husky baritone, a keen songwriting ability, a defiant attitude, and is a major country talent.