Born Leslie Weinstein on October 22, 1945 in New York City, guitar god Leslie
West would go on to popularize a specific electric blues guitar sound with his
band Mountain. He bought his first guitar with money given to him at his bar
mitzvah. After some low-level success with The Vagrants, West released his debut
album, Mountain, in 1969. That album established his blues-rock chops, and set
the template for the sound of the band, also named Mountain, that he would also
form that year with bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer Corky Laing. Their
sound, a forerunner to heavy metal, ...