Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Leslie West, who founded the rock band Mountain, died today at 75 from cardiac arrest.
West, born Leslie Weinstein, was born in New York City, and first emerged in the scene as a member of The Vagrants. A few years later he and Felix Pappalardi formed Mountain, a band that was amongst the first to pioneer the genre later to become known as heavy metal. Hits included “Mississippi Queen” and “Theme From An Imaginary Western." In 1969, West brought his presence to the stage at Woodstock.
As the decade turned, he formed West, Bruce and Laing with his band-mate from Mountain drummer Corky Laing and Cream’s Jack Bruce. In, 1971 West contributed to The Who’s "Who’s Next" sessions in the city, performances which can be heard on the 1995 and 2003 reissues of that album.
West appeared in films that include "Family Honor" (1973) and "The Money Pit" (1986). He was a regular guest on the Howard Stern Show.
West was inducted in to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.
West is known for popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. model with P-90 pick-ups to create a tone that was his own. More recently, he enjoyed a long relationship with Dean Guitars, releasing several signature models.
West is survived by his wife Jenni, whom he married on stage after Mountain’s performance at the Woodstock 40th Anniversary concert in Bethel, N.Y. on Aug. 15, 2009, his brother Larry and nephew Max.