Leslie West

Leslie West

Leslie West was an American rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Mountain. He died of a heart attack at the age of 67.

About Leslie West in brief

Summary Leslie WestLeslie West was an American rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He was best known as a founding member and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Mountain. West was born in New York City to Jewish parents, but grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey. His musical career began with the Vagrants, an R&B-blue-eyed soul-rock band influenced by the likes of the Rascals. In 1969, West and Felix Pappalardi formed the pioneering hard rock act Mountain, which was also the title of West’s debut solo album. The band appeared on the second day of the Woodstock Festival on Saturday, August 16, 1969 starting an 11-song set at 9pm. West, along with keyboard player Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears, recorded with The Who during the March 1971 Who’s Next New York sessions. West also played guitar for the track \”Bo Diddley Jam\” on Bo Diddly’s 1976 20th Anniversary of Rock ‘n’ Roll all-star album.

In 2005 he contributed to Ozzy Osbourne’s Under, performing guitar on a remake of his remake of \”Mississippi Queen\”. West continued to record and perform on his own solo album, entitled Blue Me, Blue Me. In 2007, West released Masters of War on Big Rack Records, an album featuring 12 covers that saw his fiancée Jenni Maurer providing a guest vocals on a rendition of the title track of the Bob Dylan album, “Masters of War” West was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006 on Long Island. He died of a heart attack at the age of 67. He is survived by his wife, Jenni, and their two children, a son and a daughter. He had acting roles in Family Honor and The Money Pit.