1. Leslie West was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain.
34 Facts About Leslie West
1. 2.
Leslie West was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City on October 22,1945, to Jewish parents.
3.
Leslie West grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey, and in East Meadow, Forest Hills, and Lawrence, New York.
4.
Leslie West had acting roles in Family Honor and The Money Pit.
5.
Leslie West played guitar for the track "Bo Diddley Jam" on Bo Diddley's 1976 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album.
6.
Also in 1976, Leslie West auditioned for Lynyrd Skynyrd after the departure of Ed King, but the vacated slot eventually went to Steve Gaines.
7.
Leslie West teamed up with Ian Gillan of Deep Purple renown, to co-write and play guitar on the song "Hang Me Out To Dry" from the Gillan album ToolBox, released in Europe in 1991.
8.
Leslie West released it on Guitarded, and Bonamassa on A New Day Yesterday.
9.
In May 1987, Leslie West played the band leader in a series of late night pilot shows for Howard Stern on the FOX network.
10.
Leslie West taped a total of five shows with Stern, which never aired.
11.
Leslie West continued to make occasional appearances on radio, notably on Stern's radio show.
12.
Leslie West contributed the music and co-wrote the lyrics to the song "Immortal" on Clutch's 2001 album Pure Rock Fury, which was a reworked cover of the song "Baby I'm Down" from Leslie West's first album.
13.
Leslie West was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15,2006.
14.
Leslie West married his fiancee Jenni Maurer on stage after Mountain's performance at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel, New York.
15.
On June 20,2011, Leslie West had his right leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes.
16.
Leslie West made his first public appearance after his surgery on August 13,2011.
17.
In 2014, Leslie West was a guest performer on Eli Cook's album, Primitive Son.
18.
Weeks before his death Leslie West was scheduled to begin recording a new studio album with a variety of guitarists.
19.
That group of musicians including Slash, Zakk Wylde, Dee Snider, and others, came together to record the album, titled Legacy: A Tribute To Leslie West, which was released on 25 March 2022.
20.
Leslie West said in various interviews that his drug problems and similar drug abuse problems of other bandmates, had interfered with the success of both Mountain and Leslie West, Bruce and Laing.
21.
Leslie West said in a 2014 interview that he believed his past smoking contributed to the crisis with his leg.
22.
Leslie West went into cardiac arrest on December 21,2020, and was rushed to a hospital in nearby Palm Coast, where he never regained consciousness.
23.
Leslie West was renowned for helping popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr.
24.
Leslie West frequently used two Les Paul Juniors, one "TV Yellow" and the other a sunburst.
25.
Leslie West used a modified Gibson Flying V, with the neck pickup removed and a P-90 pickup fitted at the bridge position.
26.
Leslie West had a two-pickup Flying V which he used after the "ash tray" Flying V broke.
27.
Leslie West used a plexiglass Electra guitar, which is a Japanese copy of the better-known Ampeg-made Dan Armstrong guitar, for slide.
28.
Leslie West long favored "headless" guitars, and can be seen playing them on some of the videos he appeared in.
29.
In 2005, Leslie West received a sponsorship with Carlsbro amplifiers, and could frequently be seen playing through "Carlsbro 50 Top" valve heads.
30.
Leslie West started endorsing and using Budda Amplification in 2008.
31.
Leslie West was associated with Sunn amplifiers, and used a Sunn Coliseum PA head, when it was shipped to him by accident.
32.
Leslie West claimed that this is the amp that gave him his signature sound in a Gibson interview with West.
33.
The Sunn amplifiers that Leslie West used were of the late 1960s era and were not factory stock.
34.
Leslie West used Budda amplifiers, with a Budda backline visible on stage footage of Leslie West's appearances.