Having survived bladder cancer five years ago and then had his lower right leg amputated when problems with chronic diabetes led towards gangrene, West could have been forgiven for throwing in his lot but he didn't. Forty five years may have passed since Mountain played at Woodstock and West made his debut album but he remains chipper. "Some people start at the top of their game and after twenty years you wonder what happened to them. I like to joke that the older I get the better I used to be, but after giving up drugs and smoking, my voice can hit notes that I never could reach before. I'm thankful for that." more on this story

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