Biography

Chester Lester was born in Mammouth, WV, a small coal mining town about sixty miles from Charleston. The family later moved to Tyler Mountain where he attended Cross Lanes Elementary School and, later, Nitro High School. He found interest in music in the seventh grade. By his freshman year in high school, he began to form several bands and played high school dances and skating rinks. After high school, he was intent on music as a career. While working night clubs in and around Beckley and Oak Hill, WV, he met one of the state's best guitar players, Norman Chapman.

Being somewhat older, Norman had worked with Nashville stars and a local recording artist Eddie Seacrist on a TV show called "Pieces of Eight." At the time Chester met him, he was working with "The Buddy Starcher Show" on WCHS. Buddy needed a bass player and vocalist and Norman recommended Chester. He worked with Buddy from 1963 until the show's end in 1967. The show not only exposed him to people in surrounding states, but also in Nashville, due to a syndicated show they did for an insurance company in that city. This offered Chester the opportunity to have his first recordings, "Patches," "I'd Rather Switch than Fight" and "Any Place But Here" on Buddy's label. During this time, the show's band either worked package shows with, or backed up, Nashville recording artists such as Mel Tillis, Johnny Paycheck, Charlie Louvin, Hoyt Axton and many others. It was then he began to think about going to Nashville.

After the show ended, Chester went on the road for two years with a local band. In his off time, Chester started writing songs. While on the road, his wife was sending his songs to Tommy Jennings, brother of Waylon Jennings, in Nashville. While he was working in Bowling Green, KY, he made a trip to Nashville and met Tommy. This gave Chester an open door in Nashville, as well as someone to help him with his songs. The band left the road, and Chester started working in a Charleston club with one of Charleston's top night club performers, George Legg.

Through this period of time he kept writing his songs and in 1975 he decided to make the move to Nashville. A fellow West Virginian, Russ Hicks, who had a publishing company with other steel guitar players Buddy Emmons and Jimmy Crawford, helped him in the move. He continued to write and demo his songs while playing bass for several bands. In 1979 Chester met Don King at Con Brio Records. Don took him to the label's owner Bill Walker and Bill signed Chester as a writer and recording artist. It was here he had his first two major recordings as an artist, "Mama Make up My Room" and "If Only We Could."

In 1982 Chester was introduced to Bob Montgomery at House of Gold Music and had his first major cuts as a songwriter, "He's the Fire" by Diana, and "Bedtime Stories" by Jim Chestnut. He was then signed as a staff writer and had his first number one record "She Left Love All Over Me" by Razzy Bailey. These were followed with cuts by Con Hunley, Dean Martin, Joe Stampley, Mark Grey, Razzy Bailey, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, Bobby Vinton and others.

Chester LesterIn 1989 Chester formed his own publishing company, Chester Lester Music, and had cuts by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash and more. His Johnny Cash song "Going by the Book" was nominated for a Dove Award. During this time, he started producing sessions for artists from other countries. In 1995 he produced an album on Frank Jensen, which was the album of the year in the Netherlands. He is presently producing artists in the overseas market as well as recording himself overseas.