Leslie West, âMississippi Queenâ Rocker, Is Dead at 75
He rose to fame with Mountain, which Rolling Stone called a âlouder version of Creamâ â a band Mr. West idolized. One of the groupâs first gigs was Woodstock.
Leslie West with his band West, Bruce and Laing at the Rainbow in London in 1973. “I wanted to have the greatest, biggest tone,” he said of his guitar playing, “and I wanted vibrato like somebody who plays violin in a hundred-piece orchestra.”Credit.Fin Costello/Redferns
By Jim Farber
Dec. 23, 2020
Leslie West, whose meaty guitar riffs and snarling lead lines powered the hit band Mountain through âMississippi Queenâ and other rock anthems of the 1970s, died on Wednesday in Palm Coast, Fla. He was 75.
Leslie West, Mountain singer and guitarist, dead at 75
Thu Dec 24, 2020 at 2:38pm ET
Mountain guitarist Leslie West dead at 75. Pic credit: Rich Bornstein/YouTube
Leslie West, a founding member and guitarist for the hard rock band Mountain, has passed away at 75.
Leslie’s brother, Larry West Weinstein, told Variety that he died on Tuesday (December 22).
The musical instruments company, Dean Guitars, also confirmed the sad news of West’s death in posts to Instagram and Twitter on Wednesday.
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“With a heavy heart, we are saddened to hear about the passing of #Dean Artist and part of the Dean family, Leslie West. Legendary and one of a kind. Rest In Peace,” the Instagram statement read.
Leslie West dead - Mountain singer s heart gives out at the age of 75
Singer Leslie West died after his heart failed and he was placed on a ventilator, his devastated brother confirmed. Tributes have flooded in for the iconic Mountain singer
Updated
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Leslie West (Getty Images)
Leslie West has died at 75 years of age, according to reports. West was rushed to a hospital on December 21 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida, but he never regained consciousness.
Career
West, who was a lead vocalist and guitarist of the hard rock band Mountain, is considered a pioneer in heavy guitar playing with his work s influence stretching across various genres ranging from metal to hip-hop. He was active in the music industry since 1965 and was associated with labels such as Sony, Blues Bureau International and Lightyear.
He landed his first professional gig with a Long Island-based group known as The Vagrants, who played garage rock and recorded several singles that were popular in the New York City area. Together, they formed a new group and became Mountain. The group s musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal.