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Leslie West

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For the English cricketer, seeLeslie West (cricketer).

Leslie West
West live at the Florida Theatre in 2008.
West live at theFlorida Theatrein 2008.
Background information
Birth nameLeslie Abel Weinstein[1]
Born(1945-10-22)October 22, 1945
Queens,New York City,New York,U.S.
DiedDecember 23, 2020(2020-12-23)(aged 75)
Palm Coast, Florida,U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1964–2020
Labels

Leslie Abel West(bornWeinstein;October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020)[2]was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock bandMountain.West was named the 245th greatest guitarist of all time byRolling Stonein 2023.[3]

Life and career[edit]

Early years: 1945–1973[edit]

West was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City on October 22, 1945, to Jewish parents.[1][4]He grew up inHackensack, New Jersey,and inEast Meadow,Forest Hills,andLawrence,New York.[5]After his parents divorced, he changed his surname to West.[1]His musical career began withthe Vagrants,anR&B/blue-eyed soul-rock band influenced by the likes ofthe Rascalsthat was one of the few teenagegarage rockacts to come out of the New York metropolitan area itself (as opposed to theBohemianGreenwich Villagescene of artists, poets, and affiliates of theBeat Generation,which produced bands likethe Fugsandthe Velvet Underground). The Vagrants had two minor hits in the Eastern United States: 1966's "I Can't Make a Friend" and acoverofOtis Redding's "Respect"the following year.

Some of the Vagrants' recordings were produced byFelix Pappalardi,who was also working withCreamon their albumDisraeli Gears.In 1969, West and Pappalardi formed the pioneeringhard rockactMountain,which was also the title of West's debut solo album.Rolling Stoneidentified the band as a "louder version of Cream".[6]WithSteve Knighton keyboards and original drummerN. D. Smart,the band appeared on the second day of theWoodstock Festivalon Saturday, August 16, 1969, starting an 11-song set at 9 pm.

The band's original incarnation saw West and Pappalardi sharing vocal duties and playing guitar and bass, respectively. New drummerCorky Laingjoined the band shortly after Woodstock. They had success with "Mississippi Queen",which reached No. 21 on theBillboardchartsand No. 4 in Canada. It was followed by "Theme For an Imaginary Western", written by Cream bassistJack Bruce.Mountain is one of the bands considered to be forerunners ofheavy metal.[7]

After Pappalardi left Mountain to concentrate on production projects, West and Laing produced two studio albums and a live release with Jack Bruce under the nameWest, Bruce and Laing.West, along with keyboard playerAl KooperofBlood, Sweat & Tears,recorded withthe Whoduring the March 1971Who's NextNew York sessions. Tracks from the sessions included a cover ofMarvin Gaye's "Baby Don't You Do It," and early versions of "Love Ain't For Keepin'" and the Who's signature track "Won't Get Fooled Again".Though the tracks were not originally included on the album (recording restarted in England a few months later without West or Kooper), they appear as bonus tracks on the1995and2003reissues ofWho's Nextand on the 1998 reissue ofOdds & Sods.

ReformingMountainand solo career: 1973–2000[edit]

Mountain reformed in 1973, only to break up again in late 1974. West had acting roles inFamily Honor(1973) andThe Money Pit(1986).

West also played guitar for the track "Bo Diddley Jam" onBo Diddley's 197620th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Rollall-star album. Also in 1976, West auditioned forLynyrd Skynyrdafter the departure ofEd King,but the vacated slot eventually went toSteve Gaines.[8]

During the mid '70s, West issued a pair of albums simply credited to himself, 1975'sThe Great Fatsby(which included a guest appearance byMick Jaggeron guitar) and 1976'sThe Leslie West Band(which featuredMick Joneson guitar, just before he formedForeigner).

Since 1981, Mountain has continued to reform, tour, and record on a regular basis. West teamed up withIan GillanofDeep Purplerenown, to co-write and play guitar on the song "Hang Me Out To Dry" from the Gillan albumToolBox,released in Europe in 1991. West andJoe BonamassarecordedWarren Haynes' "If Heartaches Were Nickels" together. West released it onGuitarded(2005), and Bonamassa onA New Day Yesterday(2000). In May 1987, West played the band leader in a series of late night pilot shows forHoward Sternon the FOX network. He taped a total of five shows with Stern, which never aired. Stern went on to create a new show dubbed the Channel 9 show without West. West continued to make occasional appearances on radio, notably on Stern's radio show.[6]

21st century[edit]

West contributed the music and co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Immortal" onClutch's2001 albumPure Rock Fury,which was a reworked cover of the song "Baby I'm Down" from West's first album. In 2005 he contributed toOzzy Osbourne'sUnder Coveralbum, performing guitar on a remake of "Mississippi Queen". In addition to fronting Mountain, West continued to record and perform on his own. His solo album, entitledBlue Me,was released in 2006 on theBlues Bureau Internationallabel. West was inducted into theLong Island Music Hall of Fameon October 15, 2006.[9]In 2007, Mountain releasedMasters of Waron Big Rack Records, an album featuring 12Bob Dylancovers that saw Osbourne providing guest vocals on a rendition of the title track.

West married his fiancée Jenni Maurer on stage after Mountain's performance at theWoodstock 40th anniversary concertinBethel, New York(August 15, 2009). A concert crowd of over 15,000 people was present, as West and Maurer were wed under a canopy of upraisedelectric guitars.[10]On June 20, 2011, West had his right leg amputated as a result of complications fromdiabetes.[11]West made his first public appearance after his surgery on August 13, 2011.[12]In 2014, West was a guest performer onEli Cook's album,Primitive Son.[13]His 2015 album,Soundcheck,peaked at number 2 on theBillboardTop Blues Albumschart.[14]

Weeks before his death West was scheduled to begin recording a new studio album with a variety of guitarists. That group of musicians includingSlash,Zakk Wylde,Dee Snider,and others, came together to record the album, titledLegacy: A Tribute To Leslie West,which was released on 25 March 2022.[15]

Health, death, and tributes[edit]

By the late 1970s, West was recovering from addiction toheroin,morphine,andcocaine.West said in various interviews that his drug problems and similar drug abuse problems of other bandmates, had interfered with the success of bothMountainandWest, Bruce and Laing.[16]In the mid-1980s, just as he was overcoming the drug problems, West was diagnosed withdiabetes,and his weight fluctuated over the years as he struggled with the disease.[17]In the early 2000s, he also survived a short bout withbladder cancer.[4]In 2011, due to complications from his diabetes, West's right leg had to be amputated.[11]West said in a 2014 interview that he believed his past smoking also contributed to the crisis with his leg.[16]

West went into cardiac arrest on Monday, December 21, 2020,[18]and was rushed to a hospital in nearbyPalm Coast,where he never regained consciousness. After being contacted byRolling Stone,West's brother Larry West confirmed that Leslie West had died. A report byVarietybased on social media posts made by Larry West states that Leslie West died on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.[18][17][19]He was 75.

Many celebrities and rock musicians paid tribute to West on his death, including Howard Stern,[20]Brian May,[21]Geezer Butler,[21]Peter Frampton,[21]Joe Satriani,[21]Neal Schon,[21]David Coverdale,[21]Vernon Reid,[21]Tom Morello,[21]Slash,[21]Joe Bonamassa,[21]andDee Snider,[22]among others.Foo Fightersalso performed "Mississippi Queen" live onThe Howard Stern Showin tribute to West shortly after his passing.[23]

Influence on other guitarists[edit]

A multitude of rock guitarists have credited West as an influence on their playing over the years, includingEddie Van Halen,[24]Randy Rhoads,[25]Michael Schenker,[26]Johnny Ramone,[27]andTim Sult,[28]among others.

Equipment[edit]

West was renowned for helping popularize theGibson Les Paul Jr.guitar, with a singleP-90pickup, along with the use ofSunn Amplifiers,to create a tone which became his trademark sound.[29]According to formerGuitar Worldeditor-in-chiefBrad Tolinski,West achieved his trademark early '70s guitar tone via a Sunn Coliseum PA that ran on 6550 tubes, rather than a traditional guitar amplifier.[30]

Guitars[edit]

Photo of an Electra Plexiglass guitar of the type West used for slide guitar during the 1970s. This guitar was often mistaken for the nearly identical Dan Armstrong from which it was copied

West frequently used twoLes Paul Juniors, one "TV Yellow" and the other a sunburst.[29]West also used a modifiedGibson Flying V,with the neck pickup removed (he used the hole for an ash tray) and a P-90 pickup fitted at the bridge position. West also had a two-pickup Flying V (serial number 906965) which he used after the "ash tray" Flying V broke. West also used a plexiglass Electra guitar, which is a Japanese copy of the better-known Ampeg-made Dan Armstrong guitar, for slide.

West also played aWestonePantera guitar. From 1977 to 1982, he used a signature on-board effects MPC model guitar, created by the Japanese companyElectra.[29]He most recently used a signature model fromDean Guitars,the USA Soltero Leslie West Signature model,[29]fitted with a custom-designed Dean pickup called "Mountain of Tone." Based on an endorsing contract in the 1970s, West played British-made Burns guitars. West also long favored"headless" guitars,and can be seen playing them on some of the videos he appeared in. In an interview segment onNight of the Guitars – Live!West stated that he had narrowed his commonly played instruments down to two: an off-the-shelf Steinberger and a Kramer with DiMarzio pickups.

Amplifiers[edit]

In 2005, West received a sponsorship withCarlsbroamplifiers, and could frequently be seen playing through "Carlsbro 50 Top" valve heads. His studio amplifier was a Marshall JMP. Live, he used Marshall JCM 900s. He started endorsing and usingBudda Amplificationin 2008.[29]He was also associated with Sunn amplifiers, and used a Sunn Coliseum PA head, when it was shipped to him by accident. He claimed that this is the amp that gave him his signature sound in a Gibson interview with West.

The Sunn amplifiers that West used were of the late 1960s era and were not factory stock. The four-channel amplifier heads' preamps were wired as cascading preamps to channel one, out to the amp's power section. This is what produced the long compressed sustain and distorted overdrive of the great Mountain sound that he is well known for.

West used Blackstar amps. West also used Budda amplifiers, with a Budda backline visible on stage footage of West's appearances.

Effects[edit]

West employedoctaver,chorus,anddelayeffects.

Discography[edit]

Solo[edit]

Year Album Peak chart positions
US US
Blues 		UK
1969 Mountain 72 — —
1975 The Great Fatsby 168 — —
1976 The Leslie West Band — — —
1988 Theme — — —
1989 Alligator — — —
1989 Night of the Guitar- Live! — — —
1993 Leslie West Live! — — —
1994 Dodgin' the Dirt — — —
1999 As Phat as it Gets — — —
2003 Blues to Die For — — —
2005 Guitarded — — —
2005 Got Blooze — — —
2006 Blue Me — — —
2011 Unusual Suspects[31][32][33] — 4 153
2013 Still Climbing 198 1 —
2015 Soundcheck — 2 —

With Mountain[edit]

Main article:Mountain (band) § Discography

With West, Bruce and Laing[edit]

Main article:West, Bruce and Laing § Discography
Year Album
1972 Why Dontcha
1973 Whatever Turns You On
1974 Live 'n' Kickin'

References[edit]

  1. ^abcLaney, Karen 'Gilly' (December 20, 2011)."Top 10 Jewish Rock Stars".UltimateClassicRock.com.Townsquare Media, Inc.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  2. ^"In loving memory of Leslie Abel Weinstein a.k.a. Leslie West October 22, 1945 - December 23, 2020".baldwincremation.com.RetrievedMarch 28,2021.
  3. ^"The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".Rolling Stone.October 13, 2023.RetrievedOctober 14,2023.
  4. ^abFarber, Jim (December 23, 2020)."Leslie West, 'Mississippi Queen' Rocker, Is Dead at 75".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  5. ^Fischler, Marcelle S."Nascent Hall of Fame to Welcome First Honorees".The New York Times,October 15, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2007. "Dee Snider of Stony Brook, the shock-rocker from the 1980s heavy metal band Twisted Sister, known for his defiant metal anthemWe're Not Gonna Take It,and Leslie West of the band Mountain, who grew up in East Meadow, Lawrence and Forest Hills, are also being inducted... "
  6. ^abRolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll,p. 674, Mountain, Rolling Stone Press, U.S., 2001. The group's name is widely believed to have been inspired by West's then-considerable physical bulk, although he subsequently lost a lot of weight. Initially the group did not feature a keyboardist, but one was later added to the band to keep them from seeming like aCreamimitation.
  7. ^Ingham, Chris (2002).The Book of Metal.Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 204.ISBN978-1-56025-419-5.
  8. ^"41 Years Ago, Lynyrd Skynyrd Almost Hired This Rock Legend – You Won't Believe Who It is".April 29, 2016.
  9. ^"Leslie West".Long Island Music Hall of Fame.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  10. ^Pareles, Jon (August 16, 2009)."Back to the Garden, Without the Shock, or All That Mud".The New York Times.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  11. ^ab"Rock guitarist Leslie West's lower leg amputated".Reuters.June 20, 2011.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  12. ^"Bman's Blues Report: Leslie West is Back – 1st Public Appearance".Bmansbluesreport.com. November 6, 2011.RetrievedJuly 17,2014.
  13. ^"Primitive Son - Eli Cook | Credits".AllMusic.RetrievedJanuary 4,2016.
  14. ^"Blues Albums Chart".Billboard.December 12, 2015.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  15. ^"Slash + More Honor Leslie West on Tribute Album, Hear Zakk Wylde Cover 'Blood of the Sun'".Loudwire.November 11, 2021.RetrievedMarch 25,2022.
  16. ^abHamilton, Anita (December 24, 2020)."Farewell to Mountain's Leslie West".50+ World.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  17. ^abBrowne, David (December 23, 2020)."Leslie West, Mountain Guitarist Who Belted 'Mississippi Queen,' Dead at 75".Rolling Stone.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  18. ^abWillman, Chris (December 23, 2020)."Leslie West, Frontman for 'Mississippi Queen' Band Mountain, Dies at 75".Variety.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.
  19. ^Kohn, Daniel (December 22, 2020)."Leslie West, Mountain Guitarist and Co-Vocalist, Dies at 75".Spin.RetrievedDecember 23,2020.
  20. ^"Howard Stern Remembers His Friend and" Hero "Leslie West".YouTube.January 5, 2021.
  21. ^abcdefghij"Rockers React to LESLIE WEST's Death".December 23, 2020.
  22. ^"DEE SNIDER: 'LESLIE WEST Was One of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time'".January 3, 2021.
  23. ^"Foo Fighters Cover" Mississippi Queen "Live on the Stern Show".YouTube.February 11, 2021.
  24. ^"Eddie van Halen on His Guitar Heroes and How He Found His Sound".Rolling Stone.October 6, 2020.
  25. ^"Randy Rhoads:" I started tuning up and Ozzy said, 'You've got the gig.' I didn't even get to play! "".September 28, 2020.
  26. ^"Michael Schenker Keeps Guitar Legacy Alive & Well (INTERVIEW)".March 6, 2017.
  27. ^"Ramones: Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone".
  28. ^"Clutch: Neil Fallon Weighs in on Band's Classic Albums".August 2009.
  29. ^abcdeGress, Jesse (July 2009). "10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Leslie West".Guitar Player.43(7): 78–86.
  30. ^"How Did Mountain's Leslie West Get Such a Great Guitar Tone?".
  31. ^"Chart Log UK: Chart Date: 08.10.2011".Zobbel.de.RetrievedJuly 17,2014.
  32. ^"Bman's Blues Report: Unusual Suspects – Leslie West – New release review".Bmansbluesreport.com. September 22, 2011.RetrievedJuly 17,2014.
  33. ^"Here Comes The Flood: Leslie West: Unusual Suspects".herecomestheflood.com. September 13, 2011.RetrievedDecember 24,2020.

External links[edit]

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