Leslie West

Recognition arrived early for Leslie West through his role as lead guitarist in the Vagrants, a Long Island outfit that enjoyed strong local popularity throughout the 1960s. Felix Pappalardi, the bassist later known for producing Cream, oversaw one of the band’s singles. Once the Vagrants and Cream both disbanded, Pappalardi handled bass duties and production on West’s first solo effort, the July 1969 album Mountain. Shortly afterward the pair recruited drummer Norman Smart, soon succeeded by Corky Laing, along with keyboardist Steve Knight, and launched the group Mountain. Their debut Climbing! appeared in February 1970, earned gold status, and included the Top 40 hit “Mississippi Queen.” Nantucket Sleighride followed in January 1971 and also reached gold certification, while Flowers of Evil arrived in November 1971. Pappalardi stepped away from the band in 1972 to concentrate on production work, after which the live set Mountain Live (The Road Goes on Forever) surfaced in April 1972 and the compilation The Best of Mountain appeared in February 1973.

West and Laing then joined former Cream bassist Jack Bruce to create the power trio West, Bruce & Laing. The group issued Why Dontcha in October 1972 and Whatever Turns You On in July 1973, followed by the live album Live ’N’ Kickin’ in April 1974. Bruce departed in summer 1973, prompting West and Laing to form the short-lived Leslie West’s Wild West Show. West, Pappalardi, drummer Alan Schwartherg, and keyboardist Bob Mann subsequently revived Mountain and captured the double-live album Twin Peaks in Osaka, Japan, during August 1973; it reached stores in February 1974. A studio follow-up, Avalanche, emerged in July 1974 with West, Pappalardi, Laing, and Knight participating. Mountain disbanded once more, leading West to assemble the Leslie West Band, which released The Great Fatsby in April 1975 featuring Mick Jagger and The Leslie West Band in 1976 featuring Mick Jones, later of Foreigner.

After struggling with substance abuse, West withdrew from music for a period before returning clean and reuniting Mountain with Laing and bassist Mark Clarke—Pappalardi having died in 1983—for the March 1985 album Go for Your Life. The band split again, after which West recorded Theme in 1988, again collaborating with Jack Bruce. He contributed to the 1988 Guitar Speaks project and the 1989 Night of the Guitar collection, both spotlighting renowned rock guitarists for IRS Records’ Illegal imprint. His next solo outing, Alligator, arrived in August 1989, succeeded by Dodgin’ the Dirt in 1994.

In 1994 West and Laing enlisted former Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding for another Mountain lineup that supplied two tracks to the 1995 compilation Over the Top. West’s solo album As Phat as It Gets appeared in 1999. After the Voiceprint release Guitarded in 2004, he delivered two blues-oriented albums for Blues Bureau International: Got Blooze in 2005 and Blue Me in 2006. Complications from type 2 diabetes cost him a leg in June 2011, yet he maintained his schedule and issued Unusual Suspects that September, featuring guest appearances by guitarists Billy Gibbons, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Joe Bonamassa, and Steve Lukather. Still Climbing, another all-star effort from 2013, included contributions from blues artists Johnny Winter and Jonny Lang, Twisted Sister vocalist Dee Snider, and guitarist Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge. Following the 2015 release Soundcheck, West reduced his studio work but kept touring regularly until health issues halted performances in 2019. He died on December 23, 2020, at the age of 75.