
Wilson Bilkovich · CC BY-SA 2.0
Leslie West
American singer, guitarist, and songwriter
1945 – 2020aged 75
Born Leslie Weinstein, he co-founded the rock band Mountain and served as its guitarist and co-lead vocalist, helping shape the thick, blues-driven sound that defined early-1970s hard rock. Rolling Stone named him the 245th greatest guitarist of all time in 2023, a musician better known within the genre than outside it but influential all the same.