Who is Les McCann?

1. Les McCann (born September 23, 1935, Lexington, Kentucky) is a soul jazz piano player and vocalist whose biggest successes came as a crossover artist into R&B and soul.

2. In 1969, Atlantic Records released Swiss Movement, a recording of McCann with regular collaborator and saxophonist Eddie Harris and guest trumpeter Benny Bailey at that year's Montreux Jazz Festival. The album contained the song "Compared To What," and both the album and the single were huge Billboard pop chart successes. "Compared To What" featured political criticism of the Vietnam War.
The President, he's got his war,
Folks don't know just what it's for.
Nobody gives us rhyme or reason,
Have one doubt, they call it treason.

3. Some Tips About Les McCann:
"Compared to What" was featured in "Lockdown", the season two episode of "Lost".
The live version of "Compared to What" was featured in the Martin Scorsese film Casino, during the scene where the organizational hierarchy of the casino is being explained.
"Compared to What", has been a featured song in American Idol Season 5 winner, Taylor Hicks, 2007 tour.
McCann's song "Valantra" was sampled by the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. ("The Ten Crack Commandments") on his album Life After Death.
Les discovered Roberta Flack and obtained an audition which resulted in a recording contract with Atlantic Records.
He lives in Los Angeles and continues to perform.
The beginning of 'Sometimes I Cry' was sampled by Massive Attack to create 'Teardrop'.