Leslie West facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leslie West
West live at the Florida Theatre in 2008.
Background information
Birth name	Leslie Abel Weinstein
Born	(1945-10-22)October 22, 1945 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	December 23, 2020(2020-12-23) (aged 75) Palm Coast, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Rock hard rock blues rock heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1964–2020
Labels	Sony Blues Bureau International Lightyear
Associated acts	Mountain West, Bruce and Laing The Vagrants

Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was famous for his powerful guitar sound. Leslie was a co-founder, guitarist, and singer for the rock band Mountain.

Life and Music Career

Starting Out: 1945–1973

Leslie West was born in New York City in 1945. He grew up in different towns in New Jersey and New York. After his parents divorced, he changed his last name to West.

His music journey began with a band called the Vagrants. This band played R&B and rock music. They had a couple of small hits in the Eastern United States. These included "I Can't Make a Friend" in 1966 and a cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" in 1967.

Some of the Vagrants' songs were produced by Felix Pappalardi. In 1969, West and Pappalardi started a new band called Mountain. This band played hard rock music. Rolling Stone magazine said Mountain was like a "louder version of Cream." Mountain played at the famous Woodstock Festival in August 1969.

The band became very popular with their song "Mississippi Queen." It reached number 21 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. Mountain is seen as one of the early bands that helped create heavy metal.

After Mountain, West worked with other musicians. He formed a band called West, Bruce and Laing with Jack Bruce from the band Cream. West also played guitar with The Who for some recording sessions in 1971.

Mountain Returns: 1973–2000

Mountain got back together in 1973 but broke up again in 1974. Leslie West also tried acting in a few movies.

Since 1981, Mountain has continued to reunite, tour, and record albums. West also played with other famous musicians. He worked with Ian Gillan from Deep Purple and Joe Bonamassa. West also made guest appearances on Howard Stern's radio show.

21st Century Music

In the 2000s, West kept making music. He worked with bands like Clutch and played guitar on Ozzy Osbourne's album Under Cover. He also released his own solo albums, like Blue Me in 2006.

In 2006, Leslie West was added to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. In 2007, Mountain released an album called Masters of War. It featured 12 songs by Bob Dylan, and Ozzy Osbourne sang on one of the tracks.

Leslie West got married to Jenni Maurer on stage during a concert in 2009. It was at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert. More than 15,000 people watched them get married.

In 2011, Leslie had his right leg amputated because of problems from diabetes. He made his first public appearance after the surgery in August 2011. His 2015 album, Soundcheck, was very popular on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.

Before he passed away, Leslie West was planning to record a new album with many other guitarists. After his death, these musicians, including Slash and Zakk Wylde, finished the album. It was called Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West and came out in 2022.

Health and Passing

In the early 2000s, Leslie West had a short fight with bladder cancer and recovered. In 2011, his right leg had to be amputated due to complications from his diabetes.

Leslie West had a heart attack on December 21, 2020. He was taken to a hospital but never woke up. He passed away on December 23, 2020, at the age of 75.

Musical Gear

Leslie West was known for his special guitar sound. He helped make the Gibson Les Paul Jr. guitar popular. He also used Sunn Amplifiers to create his unique sound.

Guitars

Photo of an Electra Plexiglass guitar of the type West used for slide guitar during the 1970s. This guitar was often mistaken for the nearly identical Dan Armstrong from which it was copied

West often used two Les Paul Juniors. He also used a changed Gibson Flying V guitar. For slide guitar, he used a plexiglass Electra guitar.

Later, West used a signature model from Dean Guitars. It had a special pickup called "Mountain of Tone." He also liked "headless" guitars made by Steinberger.

Amplifiers

In 2005, West started using Carlsbro amplifiers. His studio amplifier was a Marshall JMP. For live shows, he used Marshall JCM 900s. He also used Budda Amplification and was known for using Sunn amplifiers. He said a Sunn Coliseum PA head, which was sent to him by mistake, helped create his famous sound.

Effects

West used guitar effects like octaver, chorus, and delay to shape his sound.

Discography

For his work with Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing, see their pages.

See also

In Spanish: Leslie West para niños