Her father, Don West, was likely a big influence on her as she grew up. He had been a southern poet and a coal mine labor organizer. This is episode 17 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for this feature. Her family's politics were a lifelong influence. Hedy West wrote liner notes for 1967's Old Times and Hard Times, from self-imposed exile in London. They were a personal statement on the corrosive effect of the Vietnam