Leon Otha Haywood, born on February 11, 1942, in Houston, Texas, was an American
singer and songwriter. He began playing piano at age three and performed with
local groups during his teens, including working as an accompanist for blues
musician Guitar Slim. In the early 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles, where he
worked with saxophonist Big Jay McNeely and recorded his first single, "Without
a Love", on the Swingin' label. He joined Sam Cooke's band as keyboardist until
Cooke's death and subsequently released several singles for Fantasy Records and
Imperial Records, including "She's...