Leslie West news and features

“Leslie West said: ‘I prefer your licks, Pete. Eric seems to be playing things he’s learned, that he’s picked up from other blues players’”: Pete Townshend says the Mountain legend favored his expansive rock licks over Eric Clapton’s blues vocabulary

By Matt Owen published 7 January 24

“I think that is a fair comparison, although I have seen Eric play live, where he really goes sky high,” the Who hero added

Peter Baron (left) and Leslie West perform onstage

“My friend came to my taco stand, telling me Leslie West wanted to jam. I was like, ‘What kind of drugs are you on? I’ve never even played a club before’”: At 17, Peter Baron went from street food vendor to playing with a rock guitar icon overnight

By Andrew Daly published 29 November 23

Peter Baron spent decades touring with Leslie West. He reveals what the Mountain guitar legend taught him (and vice-versa), and the one-of-a-kind guitar quirk West got from watching Porky Pig…

Vito Bratta performs onstage with White Lion

Vito Bratta recorded White Lion’s All You Need is Rock 'n' Roll with Jimi Hendrix’s black Stratocaster – and Leslie West’s Marshall amp

By Matt Owen published 11 July 23

West's 100-watt Mountain Marshall is still owned by Bratta, who got his hands on the fabled Strat through Al Kooper – who was gifted the guitar by Hendrix himself

4 soloing ideas you can learn from Leslie West

By Richard Barrett published 15 February 23

Scale the blues-rock mountain and balance on the edge of major and minor tonalities with this lesson in the style of one of rock's greatest players

Hear Slash and Marc LaBelle’s biting cover of Mountain’s Mississippi Queen

By Matt Parker published 28 March 22

The guitar hero appears on the recording as part of the Leslie West tribute album, Legacy

Hear Yngwie Malmsteen’s energetic cover of Long Red, taken from the new all-star Leslie West tribute album

By Matt Owen published 28 March 22

The high octane reimagining of West's 1969 track is classically Malmsteen, and swaps out dreamy acoustics and keyboards for sweeps, solos and shredding aplenty

Charlie Starr and Leslie West Silver Paper cover

Hear Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr cover soulful Leslie West rocker, Silver Paper

By Matt Parker published 7 March 22

The song is Starr’s contribution to the forthcoming Leslie West tribute album, Legacy

Eddie Ojeda (left) and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister perform at the Bloodstock Festival at Catton Park on August 12, 2016 in Burton upon Trent, England

Hear Twisted Sister's Dee Snider and Eddie Ojeda team up with Rudy Sarzo and Mike Portnoy for a thunderous cover of Theme For An Imaginary Western

By Jackson Maxwell published 20 January 22

The hard-rocking version of the Pete Brown/Jack Bruce-penned tune – famously covered by Mountain – features on Legacy, the forthcoming all-star Leslie West tribute album

Leslie West (left) and Corky Laing of Mountain, perform during Hippifest in Vienna, Virginia

Slash, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman, George Lynch, Dee Snider and more to feature on all-star Leslie West tribute album

By Jackson Maxwell published 11 November 21

Hear the album's first single – Wylde's loving, tough-as-nails interpretation of Mountain's Blood Of The Sun – now

Eddie Van Halen Kramer/Ripley Frankenstrat

Eddie Van Halen-owned Frankenstrat, gifted to Leslie West, sells at auction for $50,000

By Matt Owen published 12 April 21

The Steve Ripley-made model is thought to have been understudy to EVH's main axe on tours in the mid-'80s, and was gifted to the legendary Mountain guitarist soon after

Eddie Van Halen-owned Kramer Striker/Ripley Frankenstrat, gifted to Leslie West, goes up for auction

By Matt Owen published 8 April 21

The unique guitar, which was made by renowned luthier Steve Ripley in 1984, is thought to have been EVH's backup guitar on numerous tours in the mid-'80s

Leslie West: "I wanted the biggest tone, and vibrato like somebody who plays violin in a 100-piece orchestra"

By Alan di Perna published 29 March 21

The life and times of a titanic presence in hard rock and a trailblazer for tone

Leslie West, 1945-2020: the guitar world pays tribute

By Matt Owen published 24 December 20

Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa and Joe Satriani are among the players who have paid their respects to the influential Mountain guitarist

Leslie West talks jamming with Jimi Hendrix and seeing Eddie Van Halen for the first time in this classic 1987 Guitar World interview

By Gene Santoro published 24 December 20

The trailblazing Mountain guitarist discusses life on the road in one of the heaviest hard-rock outfits of the time

Guitar legend and Mountain frontman Leslie West dies aged 75

By Richard Bienstock published 23 December 20

Best known for his scorching guitar work on Mississippi Queen, West influenced generations of players

Learn the hallmarks of the hugely influential guitar style of Mountain's Leslie West

By Andy Aledort published 22 October 19

Take a look at Leslie West's heavy, dense guitar work in this lesson

In Deep with Andy Aledort: Part 2 of a Tribute to Mountain Guitarist Leslie West — Video

By Andy Aledort published 18 June 15

Exclusive Video: Leslie West Premieres Trailer for New Album, 'Still Climbing'

By Damian Fanelli published 16 October 13

Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive trailer for Leslie West's upcoming album, Still Climbing. The album will be released October 28 on Provogue Records.

New Leslie West Album, 'Still Climbing,' to Feature Mark Tremonti and Johnny Winter

By Guitar World Staff published 13 August 13

Leslie West will release a new album, Still Climbing, October 29 via Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group.

Interview: Leslie West Discusses the Gibson Les Paul Jr., His Health, Influences and Upcoming Iridium Shows

By John Grimley published 7 June 12