Photo: Wilson Bilkovich / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Leslie West was one of those guitarists who made you feel the weight of every note — a big man with an even bigger sound. His work with Mountain is the stuff of hard rock legend; "Mississippi Queen" is one of those riffs that's burned into the DNA of anyone who grew up on classic rock radio, and his tone on that song alone should earn him eternal respect. He came out of Queens, New York, went to Forest Hills High School — same school that produced the Ramones, which tells you something about the neighborhood — and carved out a style that sat somewhere between blues grit and hard rock swagger. Rolling Stone eventually ranked him among the greatest guitarists ever, and honestly, it felt overdue. He passed away in December 2020, but that raw, bluesy roar he conjured from a Les Paul doesn't get old.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Leslie West
- Name (Japanese)
- レスリー・ウェスト
- Reading
- れすりー・うぇすと
- Born
- October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rooster
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- singer / guitarist / songwriter / musician
2. Background
- High school
- Forest Hills High School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Leslie West born?
October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020.
Where is Leslie West from?
Leslie West is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Leslie West do?
Leslie West works as singer, guitarist, songwriter, musician.
Singer — see all → · Guitarist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.