Mountain
The heavy blues rock sound of Mountain was befitting of the physical presence of bandleader/guitarist/vocalist Leslie West. Seen by many fans and critics as an American successor to Cream, Mountain’s earliest and most classic era featured that band’s producer, Felix Pappalardi, on bass and vocals. A key influence on what would become known as heavy metal, Mountain would surprisingly also provide the bedrock for hip-hop with their heavily sampled track “Long Red.” Rounded out by drummer Corky Laing (preceded by N.D. Smart) and keyboardist Steve Knight, Mountain was one of the key bands of the late ’60s/early ’70s, appearing at era-defining events including the Woodstock Festival (the band’s third show ever!) and the Atlanta Pop Festival.
Did you know?
- Mountain’s third show was at the Woodstock Festival, although their performance did not appear in the film
- Fellow Long Island native Howard Stern has called Mountain one of his favorite bands
- The beginning of the live recording of their song “Long Red” has become one of the most sampled drum breaks in hip hop, sampled in songs by EPMD, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Kanye West, Game, among many others.