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Les McCann, an influential musician and recording artist recognized for co-founding the soul-jazz genre, has died at the age of 88 in Los Angeles, his manager said.
Grammy-nominated jazz musician Leslie “Les” McCann has died at the age of 88.
A largely self-taught musician, Les McCann joined the Navy in the 1950s and was stationed in California. In 1956, he won a Navy talent contest as a singer and appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” according to the 2007 book “The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz.”
McCann died Friday in Los Angeles a week after being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to his manager, Alan Abrahams.
Les McCann was a key inspiration for Bonnie Raitt, Bill Withers, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and many more. His 1969 recording of 'Compared to What' with saxophonist Eddie Harris has been sampled hundreds of times.