Sonny West

Sonny West was a close personal friend and bodyguard for sixteen years with Elvis Presley, living at Elvis’ homes in Memphis and California for many years. Elvis had a select few that were dubbed the “The Memphis Mafia” by a newspaper columnist. Sonny was one of the Charter members of that close knit group.

Besides “Taking Care Of Business” for Elvis, Sonny also worked in Elvis’ movies, first as an “extra” as a California Highway Patrolman in “Wild In The Country” in 1960. He then began to do stunt work in Elvis’ movies as a “stunt double” for an actor in a fight with Elvis’ character, or as a “bad guy” himself like in “Live A Little, Love A Little” where he and a cousin Red, tried to throw Elvis’ character out of a room where the large printing presses were. Needless to say, they weren’t successful as Elvis didn’t lose fights in his movies. Sonny got a featured role in “Stay Away Joe” as an Indian named Jackson Heecrow that grew up as a childhood friend of Elvis’ character in the movie. In the mid-sixties Sonny did two motorcycle films co-starring in the first one and then starring in the second one.

In January 1969, Sonny met a beautiful actress named Judy Jordan, who before moving to Los Angeles had been the original “Away We Go” girl on the “Jackie Gleason Show” in Miami for three years. They were married in December of 1970 in Memphis with Elvis as Sonny’s “best man” and Priscilla as Judy’s “matron of honor”. They have two children named Bryan and Alana, with Bryan being the oldest. He was the Senior Account Executive with an advertising agency in Nashville while his daughter attended college in the medical field receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree and a Respiratory Degree. Sonny passed away at 78 years old in Memphis, TN.