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."
Randall’s Island, dude, I was there.
Great NY summer night drinking wine and smokin dubes.
Smell of incense in the air and Leslie’s Sunn amps shaking the ground.
Steve Gaines - Leslie West - Allen Collins - Gary Rossington
To top that off was that The Outlaws were the opening act .... One Ass Kicking Show
Oh man! One of my first concerts was Mountain at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ (on my birthday - December 30). Our crew used to go driving around listening to Mountain (among others) all the time. Must have ruined about 2 or 3 Best Of eight tracks. Here’s a favorite of mine:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ8ZKb1MWZ4
that explains it. Before I even read this, Sirius XM was playing a marathon of mountain songs on the DeepTracks (27) channel.
Awesome Opossum! High Five!
One tumbler of 12 year old, run of the mill Buchanan’s Deluxe Scotch, going down the hatch in honor of your summer night in the company of Leslie West!
RIP Leslie West...
My next fav. YT vid. is Grand Funk Railroad playing “I’m Your Captain” at Shea Stadium.
Any chance that you were there?
Grand Funk Railroad - I’m Your Captain - Shea Stadium 1971
2,636,505 views
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_t59To7Snk
Grand Funk Railroad - I’m Your Captain (Live 1971)
This video was shown at Shea Stadium the entire last year before Shea closed. This July 9th 1971 concert still holds the ticket sales record, breaking the record set by The Beatles.
I was that the 1972 show at Madison Square Garden with Freddy King.
Mark Farner wrote An American Band about that tour.
Great Band
I thought he had died years ago.
First, RIP Leslie. Enjoyed your performances immensely.
As to Chad Stuart, your reply #15 is the first I've heard of his death. The day of his death, (Sunday), I had "A Summer Song" stuck in my head so I went to youtube and listened to it a few times.
Kind of a strange coincidence.
Upon reading your reply, I went to find news about Chad's death and found this:
Mr. Stuart continued to perform, but with a greatly reduced pop-cultural stature. At one point he opened for the hard-rock band Mountain in a bowling alley in Hartford, Conn.
(Refers to the late sixties/early seventies after breaking with Jeremy.)
Interesting that it ties in with the post about Mountain. Thanks for the info.
Excellent choice!
My favorite was always Nantucket Sleigh ride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa7pDgF8rrY
I do not recall hearing it before - I like it.
I loved Mountain's first album, but lost touch with them after that.
My favorites are completely obvious - "Mississippi Queen" and "Theme for an Imaginary Western."
In "Theme," I think the blend of Pappalardi's voice against the guitar is truly beautiful.
According to Wiki, Pappalardi produced Jack Bruce's original recording of the song.
In the late 1970s, I drove up to a rock and roll club north of Ft. Lauderdale - in Boca Raton or Deerfield Beach - and saw Leslie West playing with a band I had never heard of before.
West was hugely overweight and intoxicated. At the time I assumed he was broke and about to join the pantheon of Rock Legends who died young.
Congratulations, Leslie West, for making it to age 75!
I saw Mountain in concert in the early 70s. They were so loud my ears were ringing for days afterward.
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