Billy Preston

William Everett Preston (September 2 1946 – June 6 2006) was an American soul musician from Houston, Texas, raised mostly in Los Angeles, California. In addition to his successful, Grammy-winning career as a solo artist, Preston collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Ray Charles, George Harrison, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, Richie Sambora, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. He played the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the Hammond organ on the Get Back sessions in 1969 and is one of several people sometimes credited as the "Fifth Beatle". He is one of two non-Beatles to receive label performance credit on any Beatles record (the other being Tony Sheridan).

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Early career

Preston began playing piano while sitting on his mother's lap at age three, and he was considered something of a prodigy on piano and organ. By the age of ten he was performing in the bands of gospel singers Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland. At age 12 he appeared in the 1958 Paramount Pictures film St. Louis Blues, portraying blues composer W.C. Handy as a young man. In the 1960s he performed with Little Richard and Ray Charles. He also began a recording career as a solo artist with the 1965 album The Most Exciting Organ Ever. He was also a regular on the mid sixties ABC -TV musical variety series SHINDIG, a member show's house band.  

"The fifth Beatle"?

He met The Beatles while on tour in Little Richard's band in 1962. The then-unknown Beatles were the opening act. The Washington Post explained their subsequent meeting:

They'd hook up again in 1969, when The Beatles were about to break up while recording the last album they released, Let It Be (they would later record Abbey Road, which was released prior to Let It Be). George Harrison, always Preston's best Beatles buddy, had quit and walked out of the studio and gone to a Ray Charles concert in London, where Preston was playing organ. Harrison brought Preston back to the studio, where his keen musicianship and gregarious personality temporarily calmed the tension.

In bootlegged "Let It Be" session tapes, one can hear several heated arguments between John Lennon and Paul McCartney about making Preston a group member (Lennon was all for it) McCartney said there is no point since the group was near its end anyway. It would have made Preston officially "the fifth Beatle," a title he was not loath to exploit over the next three decades. Perhaps as consolation, "Get Back," the only Beatles single (depending on which chart you believe) to enter the British charts at No.1, was credited to "the Beatles with Billy Preston" – the one and only time the band shared the spotlight with a sideman. Preston also accompanied the Beatles during their famous rooftop gig in London, the Beatles' last public performance. [1]

He went on to play on their 1970 Let It Be album and on the songs "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Something", from 1969's Abbey Road.

Post-Beatles

Signed to the Beatles' Apple label, in 1969, Preston released the album That's the Way God Planned It and a single of the same name (produced by George Harrison). His relationship with Harrison continued after the breakup of The Beatles; he was the first artist to record "My Sweet Lord", in his album Encouraging Words (Harrison's own version the single hit number one in the U.S. and the UK and was the first number one by a former Beatle after they disbanded) and he was on several of George's 70s solo albums. Preston also made notable and energetic contributions to The Concert for Bangladesh, a Harrison-organised charity concert, toured with Harrison on his 1974 tour of North America and, after George's death, The Concert for George. Preston also worked on solo recordings by two other ex-Beatles, John Lennon and Ringo Starr.   His solo career also peaked during this timeframe, beginning with 1972's "Outa-Space", an instrumental track that further popularized the sound of the clavinet in funk music. The song reached #2 in the U.S. and won the Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

Over the next two years, he followed up with the #1 hits "Will It Go Round In Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing", and the #4 hit "Space Race". American Bandstand host and executive producer Dick Clark enjoyed "Space Race" to the extent that he used the instrumental for the mid-show break for virtually the remainder of its run.

After the Beatles, Preston played keyboards for the Rolling Stones, alongside pianist Nicky Hopkins. Preston appears on the Stones' albums Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock'n Roll and Black and Blue. He toured as a support act on their 1973 European Tour and recorded his live album Live European Tour 1973 in Munich with Mick Taylor on guitar. In 1974 he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits You Are So Beautiful. In 1975 he was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live's series premiere episode (along with Janis Ian). In 1975 and 1976 he again toured with the Stones, this time getting to play two of his own songs, backed by the Stones, in the middle of every concert. The Stones and Preston parted company in 1977, mainly due to a row over money. He continued to play on solo records by Stones members and made an appearance again on the Stones' 1997 Bridges to Babylon album.

The 1980s were leaner years for Preston. He had a hit single in 1980 with Syreeta Wright with the ballad "With You I'm Born Again" that reached number four on the charts. He was arrested and convicted for insurance fraud after setting fire to his own house in Los Angeles, and he was treated for alcohol and cocaine addictions. In 1991 he entered no-contest pleas to the cocaine and assault charges. He was sentenced to nine months at a drug rehabilitation center and three months of house arrest.

Preston managed to conquer his problems in the early 1990s, toured with Eric Clapton, and recorded with a wide range of artists. He also toured with Ringo Starr and appeared on the 1990 live album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. He was also invited to become a member of The Band in 1991, after the death of their piano player, Stan Szelest. He completed a tour, but his above-mentioned legal problems put an end to the collaboration before they had a chance to record together in the studio.

While touring and fighting his own health issues, Preston received the devastating word that on 29 November, 2001, his longtime bandmate, friend and guitarist of the 1960s, George Harrison had died after a long battle with cancer. Preston, among many of Harrison's longtime friend, performed in the 2002 Concert for George in London, England, to play a tribute song.

Preston participated in the tribute concert Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall and his performance of My Sweet Lord has received critical acclaim. Preston played the Hammond Organ for the show and sang "Isn't It A Pity" and "My Sweet Lord" plus backing vocals to most of the songs. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond players of all time (in the theatrical version of the concert). He toured with The Funk Brothers and Stevie Winwood in Europe in early 2004 and then with his friend Eric Clapton in Europe and North America. It has been claimed that his big contribution to the Beatles' sound was made clear with the release of the Let It Be... Naked album.

In 2005 he recorded "Go Where No One's Gone Before", the main title song for the anime series L/R: Licensed by Royalty.

Preston played clavinet on the song "Warlocks" for the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Stadium Arcadium released in 2006. Although very ill he jumped out of his bed after hearing a tape of the song given to him by the band, recorded his part, and went back to bed [2]. Preston's final contributions were the Gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album 12 Songs, and his keyboard work on The Road to Escondido by Eric Clapton and J. J. Cale.

Preston made his last public appearance in late 2005 at the Los Angeles press junket for the re-release of the Concert for Bangla Desh movie. He was in good spirits and talked to many in the press. Afterwards he played a three song set of Give Me Love, My Sweet Lord and Isn't It a Pity which featured Dhani Harrison on Guitar and Ringo Starr on drums for the final song only.

There still remains an unreleased CD of Beatles covers that he had been working on for several years before his death. Many tracks from this CD were previewed by him at The Fest For Beatles Fans shows in the years before his death.

Death

Preston had battled kidney disease in his later years, brought on by a lifetime of alcohol and drug abuse. Although he received a kidney transplant in 2002, his health continued to deteriorate. He died on June 6, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications. He had been in a coma since November 21, 2005. His funeral was held on June 20 at the Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California. Preston is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Trivia

• Preston is one of only two non-Beatles to receive a credit on a Beatles single; the other is Tony Sheridan. However, as noted elsewhere, the Beatles were actually Sheridan's backing band for those records, so the real honor goes to Preston alone.
• He was the first artist to enter the UK Singles Chart at number one with his debut playing keys on The Beatles' "Get Back".
• Preston co-wrote the song "You Are So Beautiful" with Bruce Fisher, made famous by Joe Cocker.
• Miles Davis titled a song "Billy Preston" in his honor.
• He appeared as Sgt. Pepper in the film version of the Beatles album and had a cameo appearance in the film "Blues Brothers 2000".
• Along with Janis Ian, he was a musical guest on the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Years prior to having appeared on "SNL", Preston was keyboardist for the weekly music TV show Shindig!.
• He is quoted as saying, "I do believe that God has his hands on me and that he has work for me to do."
• Billy Preston's mother was not Ernestine Wade, who played Kingfish's wife Sapphire Stevens on the "Amos 'n' Andy" radio and TV shows. This unfounded rumor surfaces from time to time.
• His song "Outa-Space" was in the 1978 playlist of the game Driver: Parallel Lines.
• He was possibly the inspiration for the name of Alex Winter's character, Bill S. Preston, Esq., in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
• His song "Outa-Space" was used in the hit TV series of My Name Is Earl in the season 2 episode "Sticks and Stones".
• His song "Nothing from Nothing" was used in a season 2 South Park episode, "The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka".
• "Nothing from Nothing" was also used in the trailer for Be Kind Rewind, a film directed by Michel Gondry.
• He can be seen in the 1978 film "The Wiz" (starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson) playing a long grand piano during the dance number in the Emerald City.

Selected discography

Billboard Pop Singles Chart (US)

• 1969 - #62 "That's the Way God Planned It"
• 1972 - #77 "I Wrote a Simple Song"
• 1972 - #2 "Outta Space" (Grammy Award winner)
• 1972 - #50 "Slaughter"
• 1972 - #62 "That's the Way God Planned It" {re-release}
• 1973 - #1 "Will It Go Round in Circles"
• 1973 - #4 "Space Race"
• 1974 - #1 "Nothing from Nothing"
• 1974 - #48 "You're So Unique"
• 1975 - #71 "Fancy Lady"
• 1975 - #22 "Struttin'"
• 1978 - #86 "Get Back"
• 1980 - #4 "With You I'm Born Again" (duet with Syreeta Wright)
• 1980 - #52 "One More Time For Love"
• 1982 - #88 "I'm Never Gonna Say Goodbye"
• 1986 - #41 "Great Gosh A'Mighty (Been A Long Time Comin')" (co-written with Little Richard - from the hit motion picture 'Down And Out in Beverly Hills'. Little Richard - vocal.)

Solo albums

• (1965) The Most Exciting Organ Ever
• (1965) Early Hits of'65
• (1966) The Wildest Organ In Town
• (1967) Club Meeting
• (1969) That's The Way God Planned It
• (1970) Encouraging Words
• (1971) I Wrote A Simple Song
• (1972) Music Is My life
• (1973) Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music
• (1974) Live European Tour 1973 featuring Mick Taylor on guitar (CD release A&M, 2002)
• (1974) The Kids and Me
• (1975) It's My Pleasure
• (1976) Billy Preston
• (1977) A Whole New Thing
• (1979) Late At Night
• (1981) The Way I Am
• (1982) Pressin' On
• (1984) On the Air
• (1986) You Can't Keep A Good Man Down
• (1995) Billy's Back
• (1997) "YOU AND I" featuring the Italian band "Novecento" http://www.nicolosiproductions.com/

Gospel albums

• (1962) Sixteen Years Old Soul
• (1965) Hymns Speak from the Organ
• (1973) Gospel In My Soul (Re-edition of Hymns Speak from the organ)
• (1978) Behold!
• (1980) Universal Love
• (1994) Ministry of Music
• (1995) Minister of Music
• (1996) Words and Music
• (2001) Music From My Heart

As a guest/session performer

• (1963) Sam Cooke's Night Beat (Sam Cooke)
• (1969) Get Back and Don't Let Me Down (The Beatles)
• (1970) All Things Must Pass (George Harrison)
• (1970) John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, piano on "God" (John Lennon)
• (1971) Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones)
• (1971) The Concert for Bangla Desh (George Harrison And Friends)
• (1971) There's a Riot Goin' On (Sly & the Family Stone)
• (1971) Live at Fillmore West (King Curtis)
• (1972) Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones)
• (1972) Wind of Change, Billy plays piano, keyboards, harpsichord, accordion & harmonica (Peter Frampton)
• (1973) Ringo, organ on "I'm The Greatest"
• (1973) Goats Head Soup (Rolling Stones)
• (1974) Goodnight Vienna, clavinet on the title track, electric piano on "Only You (And You Alone)"
• (1974) It's Only Rock'n Roll (Rolling Stones)
• (1975) "You Are So Beautiful" (Joe Cocker's biggest hit)
• (1976) Thirty Three & 1/3 (George Harrison)
• (1976) Black and Blue (Rolling Stones)
• (1978) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (also acted the part "Sgt. Pepper" in the film)
• (1981) Tattoo You (Rolling Stones)
• (1990) Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (Billy plays keyboards and vocals)
• (1990) Giovani Jovanotti (Jovanotti) (Billy plays keyboards & Fender Rhodes)
• (1996) "Voyage of Dreams" - Jephté Guillaume and the Tet Kale Orkestra (Billy plays Organ, Strings on Al Di Yo, Go Tell Them, Kanpe, Get Up)
• (1997) Bridges to Babylon (Rolling Stones)
• (2000) The Harsh Light of Day (Fastball) (Billy played keyboards on "You're An Ocean")
• (2001) Songs From The West Coast - Elton John ("Electric organ" on "I Want Love", "The Wasteland"; "Love Her Like Me")
• (2001) Reptile (Eric Clapton)
• (2001) One More Car, One More Rider (Eric Clapton, live) --DVD includes live performance of Will It Go Round in Circles
• (2003) The Colored Section (Donnie) (Billy plays Hammond B3 on the last track: "The Colored Section")
• (2003) Concert for George -- including Isn't It a Pity and My Sweet Lord
• (2003) Get Born (Jet)
• (2004) Me and Mr. Johnson (Eric Clapton) (also appears in the DVD companion Sessions for Robert J)
• (2004) Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival (Eric Clapton)
• (2005) 12 Songs (Neil Diamond)
• (2005) Back Home (Eric Clapton)
• (2005) Choose Love (Ringo Starr)
• (2005) The Concert for Bangladesh (George Harrison and Friends) (Re-mastered version & video)
• (2006) Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (on "Warlocks")
• (2006) The Road to Escondido (J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton)

References