STEVE LUKATHER, RICHIE KOTZEN, STEPHEN PERKINS, TRACII GUNS And ALEX SKOLNICK To Perform At LESLIE WEST Tribute Concert

Give Back Through Music (GBTM) is producing its first annual "American Classics" concert, celebrating legendary American music icons who have left us. Scheduled for January 23 at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California, the show pays tribute to Leslie West, co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band MOUNTAIN.

One of the most admired pioneers of rock guitar, Leslie has influenced many of today's artists some of which are performing in this concert. The night will be hosted by Eddie Trunk and includes performances by Steve Lukather, Orianthi, Richie Kotzen, Jesse Hughes, Stephen Perkins, Tracii Guns, Alex Skolnick, Rudy Sarzo, Marco Mendoza, Julia Lage, Stu Hamm and over a dozen more artists.

"It's wonderful to see all of our friends joining-in to pay tribute to Leslie and to support a great cause that Leslie felt so strongly about," said Fabrizio Grossi, co-founder of Give Back Through Music. "We are building an immersive experience for the fans and especially for our high-level donors, who will have the opportunity to meet the artists."

Give Back Through Music has chosen MusiCares as the beneficiary of this fundraiser. MusiCares has done so much towards the wellbeing of musicians, and was a favorite charity of Leslie's.

"We love and embrace the MusiCares mission 'to help the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world'," says Marc Reiser, co-founder of Give Back Through Music. "We're so aligned as partners, because we empower music fans to give back and with this concert, to raise money for artists in need. We are especially drawn to the work they are doing to help fight hardship, by offering mental health and addiction recovery programs."

Yamaha International is a founding sponsor of Give Back Through Music, and Dean Guitars is also helping to sponsor this show. GBTM will display items that will be included in an online auction in the weeks following the show, and the nonprofit will give away swag and gear during the show, to round-out the fan experience.

To purchase tickets, go to this location.

Leslie Weinstein, known to the musical world as Leslie West, died in December 2020 at the age of 75. The iconic guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and storyteller suffered cardiac arrest at his home near Daytona, Florida and was rushed to a hospital, where he never regained consciousness.

Weinstein was born in New York City, and first emerged in the scene as a member of THE VAGRANTS. A few years later, he and Felix Pappalardi formed MOUNTAIN, a band that was amongst the first to pioneer the genre later to become known as heavy metal. Hits that include "Mississippi Queen", "Theme From An Imaginary Western" and others established an indelible voice and guitar tone that remains legendary to this day. In 1969, West brought his presence to the stage at Woodstock.

As the decade turned, he formed WEST, BRUCE AND LAING with his bandmate from MOUNTAIN drummer Corky Laing and CREAM's Jack Bruce. In, 1971, West contributed to THE WHO's "Who's Next" sessions in the city, performances which can be heard on the 1995 and 2003 reissues of that cornerstone album.

Alongside his significant contribution to pop culture as the face of MOUNTAIN, West appeared in films that include "Family Honor" (1973) and "The Money Pit" (1986). He was a regular guest on "The Howard Stern Show", and over the course of decades remained a periodic visitor alongside enjoying a decades-long friendship with the talk show host.

West was inducted in to the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame in 2006, and appeared on dozens of other recordings from a vast universe of artists. Samples of his performances lived a secondary life on the masters of a who's who of hip-hop and rap stars.

The guitarist is renowned for helping popularize the Gibson Les Paul Jr. model with P-90 pick-ups to create a tone that is undisputedly his own. At the end of his life, he enjoyed a long relationship with Dean Guitars, releasing several signature models.

Image courtesy of Provogue Records/Mascot Label Group