Leslie Abel West (born Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020)[2] was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.

[1] His musical career began with the Vagrants, an R&B/blue-eyed soul-rock band influenced by the likes of the Rascals that was one of the few teenage garage rock acts to come out of the New York metropolitan area itself (as opposed to the Bohemian Greenwich Village scene of artists, poets, and affiliates of the Beat Generation, which produced bands like the Fugs and the Velvet Underground).

The Vagrants had two minor hits in the Eastern United States: 1966's "I Can't Make a Friend" and a cover of Otis Redding's "Respect" the following year.

[6] With Steve Knight on keyboards and original drummer N. D. Smart, the band appeared on the second day of the Woodstock Festival on Saturday, August 16, 1969, starting an 11-song set at 9 pm.

The band's original incarnation saw West and Pappalardi sharing vocal duties and playing guitar and bass, respectively.

West, along with keyboard player Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears, recorded with the Who during the March 1971 Who's Next New York sessions.

Also in 1976, West auditioned for Lynyrd Skynyrd after the departure of Ed King, but the vacated slot eventually went to Steve Gaines.

In May 1987, West played the band leader in a series of late night pilot shows for Howard Stern on the FOX network.

[9] In 2007, Mountain released Masters of War on Big Rack Records, an album featuring 12 Bob Dylan covers that saw Osbourne providing guest vocals on a rendition of the title track.

West married his fiancée Jenni Maurer on stage after Mountain's performance at the Woodstock 40th anniversary concert in Bethel, New York (August 15, 2009).

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.

[16] West went into cardiac arrest on Monday, December 21, 2020,[18] and was rushed to a hospital in nearby Palm Coast, where he never regained consciousness.

Many celebrities and rock musicians paid tribute to West on his death, including Howard Stern,[20] Brian May,[21] Geezer Butler,[21] Peter Frampton,[21] Joe Satriani,[21] Neal Schon,[21] David Coverdale,[21] Vernon Reid,[21] Tom Morello,[21] Slash,[21] Joe Bonamassa,[21] and Dee Snider,[22] among others.

Foo Fighters also performed "Mississippi Queen" live on The Howard Stern Show in tribute to West shortly after his passing.

[23] A multitude of rock guitarists have credited West as an influence on their playing over the years, including Eddie Van Halen,[24] Randy Rhoads,[25] Michael Schenker,[26] Johnny Ramone,[27] and Tim Sult,[28] among others.

West was renowned for helping popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. guitar, with a single P-90 pickup, along with the use of Sunn Amplifiers, to create a tone which became his trademark sound.

West stated that he had narrowed his commonly played instruments down to two: an off-the-shelf Steinberger and a Kramer with DiMarzio pickups.