Les McCann Age, Bio, Death, Parents, Wife, Net Worth

Les McCann is a pianist and vocalist known for his innovations in soul jazz and his 1969 recording of the protest song “Compared to What”. McCann’s recordings, primarily from the 1990s and 2000s, have been sampled by nearly 300 hip hop acts, including A Tribe Called Quest, Cypress Hill, De La Soul, B.I.G., Sean Combs, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Mary J. Blige, Pharcyde, Eric B. & Rakim, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr, and Raekwon. McCann passed away from pneumonia in December 2023.

Les McCann Age

He was 88 years old.

Les McCann Height

173 cm (5 ft 8 in).

Les McCann Nationality

American

Les McCann Biography

Leslie McCann was an American jazz pianist and vocalist known for his innovations in soul jazz and his 1969 recording of the protest song “Compared to What.” Born in Lexington, Kentucky, McCann grew up in a musical family with three sisters, most of whom sang in church choirs. He was largely self-taught as a pianist and attended Los Angeles City College.

At 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and won a singing contest, leading to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. After leaving the Navy, McCann moved to California and played in his own trio. The trio’s first job was at the Purple Onion club in 1959.

McCann’s career began in the early 1960s when he recorded as a pianist with his trio for Pacific Jazz. In 1969, Atlantic released Swiss Movement, an album with the song “Compared to What,” which reached the Billboard pop charts. McCann became an innovator in soul jazz, merging jazz with funk, soul, and world rhythms. In 1971, he and Eddie Harris performed a 14-hour concert in Accra, Ghana, which was recorded for the documentary film Soul to Soul.

McCann had a stroke in the mid-1990s, but returned to music in 2002 and continued to release music until 2018. He also exhibited his work as a painter and photographer.

Les McCann Death

McCann passed away in Los Angeles after being admitted with pneumonia at a hospital. His longtime manager, Alan Abrahams, confirmed his death. McCann had been living in a skilled nursing facility in the Van Nuys neighborhood for four years.

Les McCann Parents

He was born to James and Anna McCann. His father was a water maintenance engineer.

He left Kentucky at 17 when he enlisted in the Navy and was posted to the San Francisco area.

Les McCann Siblings

His family was a musical one; he, his four younger brothers, and his sister all sang in the Shiloh Baptist Church choir.

Les McCann Wife

His wife is unknown

Les McCann Children

His children if he has any are unknown.

Les McCann Net Worth

His net income is estimated to be between $1 Million – $5 Million dollars. He has made such an amount of wealth from his primary career as a jazz and vocalist.

Les McCann Career

Les McCann, a jazz pianist and vocalist, was an early progenitor of soul jazz, known for his earthy, uplifting approach to music. His albums, released from 1960 to 2018, influenced funk and R&B artists and became a rich vein for hip-hop artists. His greatest commercial success came by chance in June 1969 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

McCann and Eddie Harris, an Atlantic artist, played separate sets at the festival, and they gave an unscheduled performance together. Despite the pressure, McCann smoked hash before going onstage, and everything just took off. The highlight of the concert was Eugene McDaniels’s protest song “Compared to What,” which was released as a single and peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard R&B chart. “Swiss Movement” was nominated for a Grammy Award and sold a half-million copies.

McCann and Harris reconvened in 1971 for the Atlantic studio album “Second Movement,” and they performed an obligatory reprise of “Compared to What” at the 1988 festival. Their collaboration was a testament to the power of music and the influence of music on the music industry.

 

Source: DKlassgh.net