Leslie West was born on October 22, 1945, in an Army hospital in Queens, New York. His father owned a rug cleaning company, and Leslie lived comfortably until his parents were separated. He spent a lot of time in the streets, but he was sparked with ambition when he saw Elvis Presley's notorious appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in the mid-Fifties. He wanted to learn to play the guitar like Elvis, so his grandfather bought him an old tenor guitar in a pawn shop. He learned three chords and played "Heartbreak Hotel" in a seventh grade talent show. But that wasn't the beginning of a professional career. "Playing three chords isn't really playing the guitar," he said.
After having attended more than ten private schools, Leslie West discontinued his formal education at the end of the tenth grade. He tried making jewelry for a while and worked at odd jobs. With the proceeds from his Bar Mitzvah he was able to put together the money to buy an electric guitar, and not long afterward he saw the Beatles in New York on their first tour. That inspired him to form the Vagrants, his first professional undertaking. The band included his brother Larry. At that time he was playing a musty, scratched-up Telecaster. But along with his professional status, he wanted a shiny, new guitar, so the traded the Fender in on a Kent, a decision he has regretted ever since.
The Vagrants played the usual club tunes, like "Respect" and "Midnight Hour" in the usual clubs. They filled out their gigs by working "sweet sixteen" private birthday parties given by parents in honor of their teenage daughters. The band was paid an average of $100 to perform at the parties, but "it came out to about $3 a man after we got finished paying for the dinner jackets and everything."
During one stretch in a New York club, West and the Vagrants met the Rascals, who were playing a job down the street. "We thought we were better than the Rascals until we saw them live," West remembered. The Rascals introduced Leslie to an agent who helped the Vagrants put together two demo tapes and, ultimately, negotiate a contract with Atlantic. Bassist and Cream producer Felix Pappalardi was called in to produce both sides of a single for the band. Later, West left the Vagrants and made arrangements for a solo album (titled Mountain) that Pappalardi also agreed to work on. Once the album was completed Pappalardi left for England to produce a record with Cream bassist Jack Bruce. West decided that he wanted to get together more premanently with Pappalardi, with the result that Mountain (named after West's album) was formed in late 1969 when the bass player returned to New York.
After reuniting several times with different line-ups, the Leslie West/Felix Pappalardi version of Mountain finally called it a day in 1974. During this time, Leslie and drummer Corky Laing formed an ill-fated partnership with British powerhouse bassist Bruce. The collaboration was dubbed West, Bruce and Laing.The rock media had them pegged as the next big supergroup, but the distance between England and New York City proved to be too great, and after two studio efforts and a live album, the band dissolved.
Sadly, Leslie West, even though he remained one of the premier guitarists in Rock, would never again achieve the level of fame and notariaty he had enjoyed with Mountain and West, Bruce and Laing. But that didn't deter the big man from tearing it up on the six string. He continued his career variously as a solo performer and with several different incarnations of Mountain. Some of his more notable efforts include the solo albums The Great Fatsby and Alligator, as well as a spirited effort under the Mountain banner with Go For Your Life.
Today, even after battling health problems, Leslie West continues to flame on, as evidenced by the recent release of his latest video effort, Big Phat Ass Guitar. Despite the various ups and downs he has experienced in his 30+ year career, Leslie West has persevered to remain once of the most influential guitarists of our time. Here's hoping for many more years of the instrumental "Phatness" of Leslie West.