Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp uploaded a video interview with Leslie West, the legendary guitarist, vocalist and original founding member of MOUNTAIN, which was registered less than four months ago – on September 3, 2020 – as part of Camp“Labor Day Opening Party”. The chat, which was conducted by Brittany Denaro, better known as Britt Lightning, the host and co-producer of Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp Masterclasses and the current lead guitarist in VIXEN, can be seen below.
West died Wednesday (December 23) at the age of 75. The iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller suffered cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida on Monday (December 21) and was rushed to a hospital, where he never regained consciousness.
Weinstein was born in New York City and first appeared on the scene as a member of THE VAGRANTS. A few years later, he and Felix Pappalardi formed MOUNTAIN, a band that was one of the first to be a pioneer in the genre and later became known as heavy metal. Hits that include “Queen of Mississippi”, “Theme of an imaginary western” and others established an indelible voice and a guitar tone that remains legendary to this day. In 1969, West brought his presence to the stage in Woodstock.
Over the decade, he formed WEST, BRUCE AND LAING with your bandmate from MOUNTAIN drummer Corky Laing and CREAMin Jack Bruce. In 1971, West contributed to WHOin “Who is next” sessions in the city, performances that can be heard in the 1995 and 2003 reissues of that fundamental album.
Along with his significant contribution to pop culture as the face of MOUNTAIN, West appeared in films that include “Family Honor” (1973) and “The money pit” (1986). He was a regular guest in “The Howard Stern Show”, and for decades he remained a periodic visitor, in addition to enjoying a decades-long friendship with the talk show host.
West was introduced in the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and appeared on dozens of other recordings from a wide universe of artists. Samples of their performances lived a secondary life in the masters of a who’s who of hip-hop and rap.
The guitarist is known for helping to popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. model with P-90 pick-ups to create a tone that is arguably yours. More recently, he has had a long relationship with Dean Guitars, launching several subscription models.
West is survived by his wife Jenni – who he married on stage after MOUNTAINthe performance of no Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel, New York on August 15, 2009 – brother Larry and nephew Max.
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