“Mississippi Queen” is a classic hard rock anthem by Mountain, released in 1970 on their debut album Climbing!. It’s one of the defining songs of early ’70s hard rock — raw, heavy, and full of swagger — and it’s often cited as a precursor to both heavy metal and southern rock.

🎸 The Song

• Written by: Leslie West, Corky Laing, Felix Pappalardi, and David Rea
• Released: 1970
• Album: Climbing!
• Label: Windfall Records

The song is built around Leslie West’s massive guitar riff, which became one of the most recognizable in rock history. It’s a gritty, blues-based riff played with a thick tone that came from West’s Les Paul Junior plugged into a cranked Sunn or Marshall amp.

Corky Laing’s cowbell intro — famously counted in before the riff — was reportedly added almost as a joke during a take, but it became one of the song’s trademarks.

🎤 Lyrically

“Mississippi Queen” tells the story of a man’s encounter with a beautiful and wild Southern woman — the “Mississippi Queen.” It’s got that mix of bluesy storytelling and rock attitude that defined much of the early ’70s sound.

⚡ Legacy

• It reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970.
• The song has been covered and referenced by many artists, from Ozzy Osbourne to Sam Kinison.
• It’s featured in movies, commercials, and video games like Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.
• It remains Mountain’s signature song and one of the greatest guitar tracks of all time, often praised for Leslie West’s tone, phrasing, and power trio chemistry.

Below is the audio for this riff without the lead guitar part. This music was performed and programmed by me. The original recording was not used to make this. Feel free to download this little backing track and try your hand at recording the lead part.