Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Leslie West

Leslie West (born Leslie Weinstein; born 1945) is an American rock musician, guitarist, songwriter, and singer. One of the founders of the rock band Mountain. As a guitarist, Leslie influenced the establishment of such music styles in the USA as hard rock and heavy metal. According to the British magazine Classic Rock, Leslie West is one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Leslie West was born in New York on October 22, 1945. After his parents' divorce, he shortened his surname from Weinstein to West. At the beginning of his career, Leslie played in several garage bands on Long Island, the most well-known of which was the band Vagrants. In 1969, together with Felix Pappalardi, he founded the band Mountain. The band played heavy blues rock. Rolling Stone magazine described the band's style as a louder version of Cream. One of the first hits that made the band famous was the song "Mississippi Queen". The song reached position 21 on the Billboard Charts; many cover versions of it were made, the most well-known being the cover by Ozzy Osbourne. Leslie played in the supergroup West, Bruce and Laing, which, besides him, included bass guitarist Jack Bruce, known for his work in Cream, and Canadian drummer Laurence Gordon "Corky" Laing. In this lineup, the band recorded two studio albums and one live album. Later, Leslie West began a solo career. At the same time, he recorded with many well-known musicians, among whom were Al Kooper, Bo Diddley, and Joe Bonamassa. For his imposing dimensions, Leslie received the nicknames "The Mountain Man" and "The Fat Fingers of Rock 'n' Roll". In 2011, he underwent surgery to amputate his right leg.