Mountain

Led by power-riffing guitarist Leslie West and bassist/songwriter/producer Felix Pappalardi, Mountain formed in New York City in 1969. With songs like "Mississippi Queen" and "Boys in the Band," the Woodstock alumnus have come to represent the fierce technique and utter heaviness (and often the unfortunate excess) of the best 1970s blues-inspired hard-rock bands. Pappalardi was tragically murdered by his wife in 1983; however, West and drummer Corky Laing continued to tour and record under the Mountain name into the 2000s.