Posted on 12/23/2020 2:37:00 PM PST by Impala64ssa
Leslie West, co-founder and guitarist of pioneering hard rock band Mountain, has died at age 75.
The Los Angeles Times confirmed his death through a publicist. Rolling Stone and Variety are also reporting that West has passed.
The news was initially shared by West's long-time associates at Dean Guitars, though no other details were given. The Times report mentioned heart issues, while Rolling Stone said West went into cardiac arrest on Monday at his home near Daytona, Fla., and "never regained consciousness" after being taken to the hospital.
Dean Guitars CEO Evan Rubinson also offered personal condolences, describing West as “a man that I truly loved more than most — the funniest, most honest guy I’ve met.”
He'd suffered a series of other health issues in recent years: In 2011, West's lower right leg was amputated following diabetes complications. But he continued to record and perform throughout his life.
West was born Oct. 22, 1945 in New York City and launched his career as a member of the Vagrants. The R&B/soul act earned a pair of minor regional hits in the mid- to late '60s, including a cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" — but in 1969, West left to record his debut solo LP, Mountain.
While credited to West alone, that album essentially served as a launching pad for Mountain the band. Former Vagrants producer Felix Pappalardi — who'd also helmed projects by the Youngbloods (their self-titled record) and seminal power-trio Cream (Disraeli Gears) — contributed bass, keyboards and production
Recruiting keyboardist Steve Knight and drummer N.D. Smart, they adopted the Mountain moniker — and in August 1969 played their third show at the Woodstock Festival. Drummer Corky Laing soon replaced Smart, and the quartet released their debut LP, 1970's Climbing!, featuring the signature, cowbell-heavy single "Mississippi Queen."
Amid multiple lineup shifts, Mountain released several more albums during their prime '70s run, including 1971's Nantucket Sleighride, the part-studio/part-live Flowers of Evil from the same year and 1974's Avalanche. West and Laing also teamed with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce to form the blues-rock supergroup West, Bruce and Laing, releasing two studio LPs and one live set.
While Mountain originally disbanded in 1974, West and Laing revived the group several times over the next several decades, remaining the sole consistent members. They released four more studio albums, including the 2007 Bob Dylan covers record, Masters of War, which featured guest spots from Ozzy Osbourne and Warren Haynes. West was productive in the new millennium, despite his health issues. He made numerous guest appearances, including a guitar cameo on a "Mississippi Queen" cover from Osbourne's 2005 covers LP, Under Cover.
He remains one of the most revered guitarists to ever play, influencing later generations of rock stars. In December 2020, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl teamed with producer Greg Kurstin for a new update "Mississippi Queen."
"I'm no great guitarist, technically," West told Guitar World in 1987. "I only play with these two fingers [index and ring]. But you wanna know why people remember me? If you take a hundred players and put them in a room, 98 or 99 of 'em are gonna sound the same. The one who plays different, has some of his own – that's the one you're gonna remember."
Chad & Jeremy, always mix them up with and Peter & Gordon
Mountain
Fillmore East,
New York,NY
May 1,1970
Late Show
Cd1
1-Tuning
2-Blood Of The Sun ( About 1:45 Of Distortion Until Levels Are Set )
3-Long Red
4-Theme For An Imaginary Western
5-Guitar Solo > Dreams Of Milk And Honey
6-For Yasgur’s Farm
7-Stormy Monday
Cd2
1-Mississippi Queen
2-Crowd
3-Silver Paper
4-Never In My Life >
5-Dirty Shoes >
6-Drum Solo ( Cut ) >
7-Never In My Life ( Cut In )
8-Crowd
9-Baby I’m Down
Aud Cassette Master > Reel >
M-Audio Transit > Cool Edit >
Cd Wave Editor > Flac
http://www.archive.org/serve/Mountain1970-05-01FillmoreEastNYC/Mountain1970-05-01FillmoreEastNYC.mp3
Yeah some hiss—but its freaking ancient tape you know.... More at tela.sugarmegs.org.
RIP Les.
Saw him perform in San Diego, 1972 - with Jack Bruce and Corky Laing. Great show of course - I remember most of it, and somehow ended up with one of Laing’s ricocheted drumsticks.
Just damn.
RIP.
“I remember most of it”
lol. Same could be said for many concerts back then.
Always loved Miss Queen. Live versions on YT with Frampton post leg amputation, and even a live version with Van Halen from a few years eelier.
Another COVID-related death
Leslie West...had a voice and kick-ass guitar playing ability. He sounded like a man. Not like a lot of the more feminine higher-pitched voices of today. Power chord rhythm guitar. MOUNTAIN!
Always loved Miss Queen. Live versions on YT with Frampton post leg amputation,
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Yes it’s a classic and uplifting how sound of mind and spirit Leslie sounded both talking and playing. Sounded like he had a full life. God bless him and may he rest in peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMhPgo2fofg
RIP, Leslie. I just read a few hours ago that he was on a respirator and only had a few hours left. Just got home from errands and now he’s gone. Dammit. Neil Peart. EVH. Leslie West. Can 2020 suck any worse? But there’s a Band For The Ages rocking Heaven this Christmas.
belay that, For Yasgur’s Farm
thx
Did a driving trip today, and the DJ on Sirius/XM Deep Tracks played a Mountain song, and mentioned he’d been in poor health and to keep him in prayers.
I’m sure we all have a favorite...
After work, a few coworkers and I, would gather round the computer and take turns calling out our favorite tunes. Some were classic hits and others were outright oddballs that only the person selecting the tune liked.
I had about 10 old school (60’s - 70’s) songs that I would predictably pick.
Mississippi Queen was my go to song.
A Colonial style chair fell apart that had about a dozen upright dowels forming the backrest that were quickly turned into drum sticks. We annoyed the hell out of some of our coworkers that were still working their night shift, but damn it, we had fun doing it.
Mountain - Mississippi Queen live @ Randall’s Island N.Y 1970
2,702,342 views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFUUtGVsEOE&list=RDZFUUtGVsEOE&start_radio=1
“Mississippi Queen” is a song by the American rock band Mountain. Considered a rock classic,[6] it was their most successful single, reaching number 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 record chart, and number 57 in Italy, in the Musica e Dischi charts in 1970.[7] The song is included on the group’s debut album and several live recordings have been issued.[6] “Mississippi Queen” has been recorded by several artists, including W.A.S.P., Sam Kinison, Amanda Ayala, Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Ozzy Osbourne, the latter of whom had a hit with the song in 2005.[8]
I saw them at the USC (South Carolina) coliseum during the same time period.
Probably the same tour.
The drummer sticks where flying like 20 feet above his (Corky Laing?) head.
He had a rack of new sticks set up right next to his drum set. One would fly up in the air, then he would just grab a new one and keep playing.
Dude, Thanks for posting. I have been remembering those drum sticks for the past 50 years. I sometimes wondered, did I imagine those flying sticks? With confirmation, I am assured. Those drum sticks were flying.
One of my top 5 guitar influences ...
Wasn’t the fastest or flashiest but his licks were clean, warm, melodic and chock full of even- order harmonics.
Rest in peace big guy.
Z
Oh those days of riding around in the Z28 listening to those 8 track tapes...RIP Leslie.
signed, a Yankee Mississippi Queen
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.