Mountain (band)

Mountain
Mountain
	Mountain in 1970
Background information
Origin	Long Island, New York, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock; blues rock; heavy metal; psychedelic rock (early);
Years active	1969–1974; 1981–1985; 1992–1998; 2001–2010;
Labels	Windfall; Columbia; Lightyear; Recall; Big Rack; Scotti Bros.;
Spinoffs	West, Bruce and Laing; Corky Laing's Mountain;
Past members	Leslie West; Corky Laing; Felix Pappalardi; Steve Knight; N. D. Smart; Bob Mann; Allan Schwartzberg; David Perry; Miller Anderson; Mark Clarke; Richie Scarlet; Randy Coven; Noel Redding; Rev Jones

Mountain was an American hard rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in 1969.^[1]^[2] Originally consisting of vocalist-guitarist Leslie West, bassist-vocalist Felix Pappalardi, keyboardist Steve Knight, and drummer N. D. Smart (soon replaced by Corky Laing), the group disbanded in 1972, but reunited on several occasions prior to West's death in 2020.^[3] They are best-known for their 1970 smash hit song "Mississippi Queen", which remains a staple of classic rock radio, as well as the heavily sampled song "Long Red", and their performance at Woodstock Festival in 1969. Mountain is one of many bands commonly credited with influencing the development of heavy metal music during the 1970s.^[4]^[5] The group's musical style primarily consisted of hard rock, blues rock,^[1] and heavy metal.^[6]

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 over 700 songs^[7] by artists such as EPMD, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Kanye West, the Game, among many others. Songs having used in the sample include Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and Kanye West's "The Glory".^[8]^[9]^[10]

^ ^a ^b "Biography by Bruce Eder & Steve Huey". AllMusic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
^ Paul Du Noyer (December 15, 2013). Deaf School: The Non-Stop Pop Art Punk Rock Party. Liverpool University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-78138-948-5.
^ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 672–673. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
^ Metal – A Headbanger's Journey, DVD, ASIN B000FS9OZY (2005).
^ New Releases: "Eruption", by Mountain Popke, Michael. Goldmine 31.13 (July 8, 2005):56.
^ Nick Talevski (April 7, 2010). Rock Obituaries – Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 482. ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2.
^ Farber, Jim (December 24, 2020). "Leslie West, 'Mississippi Queen' Rocker, Is Dead at 75". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^ Browne, David (December 23, 2020). "Leslie West, Mountain Guitarist Who Belted Out 'Mississippi Queen,' Dead at 75". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^ "Leslie West, guitarist of rock band Mountain, has died at 75". CityNews Vancouver. December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
^ Chilton, Louis (December 24, 2020). "Leslie West, Mountain singer of 'Mississippi Queen' fame, dies aged 75". The Independent. Retrieved November 9, 2023.