Corky Laing

Laing earned his primary reputation as the driving force on drums for the band Mountain, though his musical path extended well beyond that celebrated lineup. Born Laurence Gordon Laing on January 26, 1948 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, he grew up as the youngest of five siblings, with an older sister named Carol and three brothers—Jeffrey, Leslie, and Stephen—who were triplets and nicknamed him Gorky before the name Corky took hold. His first notable professional break arrived in 1961 when he joined the renowned soul doo wop vocal ensemble the Ink Spots, after which he shifted into rock & roll alongside the group Energy under the guidance of a young Felix Pappalardi. Departing Energy in 1969, Laing stepped in for drummer N.D. Smart to complete the lineup of Mountain with electric bass guitarist Pappalardi and guitarist Leslie West, a trio that joined Cream and Blue Cheer among the foundational power ensembles shaping modern heavy psychedelic rock. Over two years the band issued three albums on the independent Windfall label, highlighted by the massive single “Mississippi Queen.” When Pappalardi stepped away, Laing and West teamed with former Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce to form West, Bruce & Laing, which delivered two studio albums plus one live recording on the Epic label. Mountain regrouped in 1974 for a pair of further releases before dissolving once more. Toward the end of 1975 Laing contributed congas to multiple tracks on Bo Diddley’s all-star project The 20th Anniversary of Rock N’ Roll. The Mountain lineup reconvened in 1985 and Laing maintained an ongoing partnership with the group thereafter. In 2003 he and West assembled Nantucket Sleighride & Other Mountain On-The-Road Stories, a chronicle of their Mountain years and touring experiences. During 2007 Laing recorded Stick It, an audio presentation of his memoirs alongside Cory Bruyea, while Mountain completed the Bob Dylan tribute album Masters of War. West maintained an independent solo trajectory, and Laing’s additional collaborations have included work with John Lennon, Bobby Keyes, Ten Years After, David Rea, Mylon LeFevre, Meat Loaf, Frank Marino, Mahogany Rush, Cork, Eric Schenkman formerly of Spin Doctors, and bassist Noel Redding once of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.