Les McCann, Jazz Pioneer Sampled on Hip-Hop Classics, Dead at 88

Les McCann, a trailblazing pianist and singer known for fusing strains of jazz, funk, and R&B and pioneering soul jazz, died on Friday at the age of 88.

The cause of death has not been disclosed, but his manager Alan Abrahams told NBC News that the musician had died at a Los Angeles hospital after developing pneumonia a week ago.

The singer had lived for the last four years at a skilled nursing facility in L.A, according to The New York Times.

McCann, who is best remembered for his 1967 protest song “Compared to What,” alongside saxophonist Eddie Harris, released more than 50 albums throughout his lifetime. But much of his music lives on through classic hip-hop songs that sampled his work: Notorious B.I.G.’s “10 Crack Commandments” samples his composition “Vallarta,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “After Hours” samples “North Carolina,” and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s “Next Episode” samples “Go on and Cry.”

Nearly 300 artists — including Warren G., Slick Rick, Cypress Hill, and Nas — have taken inspiration and sampled McCann’s work in their music, according to the Times.

McCann was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1935 and formed a trio after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. During his stint, though, the musician won a talent contest and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. He dropped albums Les McCann Plays the Truth and The Shout in 1960 as he built his profile as a musician, per Variety.

The musician later signed to Atlantic in 1968 and dropped a cover of Gene McDaniels’ “Compared to What” in 1969, marking one of the biggest releases of his career.

“When I heard him,” he said of the McDaniels track in 2017, per the Times. “I hired him in my band — one of the best singers I’ve ever heard. And I found out he was also a writer. We stayed in touch for years after that, and he would always send me songs.”

“I can’t tell you how many songs he sent me, but that one stuck with me,” he added.

Les McCann, a trailblazing pianist and singer known for fusing strains of jazz, funk, and R&B and pioneering soul jazz, died on Friday at the age of 88.

The cause of death has not been disclosed, but his manager Alan Abrahams told NBC News that the musician had died at a Los Angeles hospital after developing pneumonia a week ago.

The singer had lived for the last four years at a skilled nursing facility in L.A, according to The New York Times.

McCann, who is best remembered for his 1967 protest song “Compared to What,” alongside saxophonist Eddie Harris, released more than 50 albums throughout his lifetime. But much of his music lives on through classic hip-hop songs that sampled his work: Notorious B.I.G.’s “10 Crack Commandments” samples his composition “Vallarta,” A Tribe Called Quest’s “After Hours” samples “North Carolina,” and Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre’s “Next Episode” samples “Go on and Cry.”

Nearly 300 artists — including Warren G., Slick Rick, Cypress Hill, and Nas — have taken inspiration and sampled McCann’s work in their music, according to the Times.

McCann was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1935 and formed a trio after being discharged from the U.S. Navy. During his stint, though, the musician won a talent contest and performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. He dropped albums Les McCann Plays the Truth and The Shout in 1960 as he built his profile as a musician, per Variety.

The musician later signed to Atlantic in 1968 and dropped a cover of Gene McDaniels’ “Compared to What” in 1969, marking one of the biggest releases of his career.

“When I heard him,” he said of the McDaniels track in 2017, per the Times. “I hired him in my band — one of the best singers I’ve ever heard. And I found out he was also a writer. We stayed in touch for years after that, and he would always send me songs.”

“I can’t tell you how many songs he sent me, but that one stuck with me,” he added.