Billy Preston
William Everett Preston entered the world on the 2nd of September 1946, in Houston. He moved to Los Angeles as a child with his mother Robbie Lee Williams. This young boy possessed an extraordinary gift that required no formal instruction. By age ten, he stood onstage backing gospel singers like Mahalia Jackson. At eleven years old, he appeared on Nat King Cole's NBC TV show singing Blueberry Hill. The performance featured Cole himself and showcased Preston's precocious talent. He later played W.C. Handy at a younger age in the 1958 biopic St. Louis Blues. In 1960, he became a pianist for Andraé Crouch with the Church of God in Christ Singers. That group recorded the smash gospel hit The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power. His early life established a foundation in African-American gospel tradition.
Preston befriended the Beatles in 1962 while performing in Hamburg. He joined the Get Back sessions in January 1969 at their request. John Lennon once proposed having him join the band permanently. Paul McCartney countered that it was difficult enough reaching agreements with four members. Preston played organ and electric piano during several of these sessions. Footage of their collaboration appeared in the film Let It Be. The rooftop concert served as the group's final public appearance. In April 1969, their single Get Back received credit as The Beatles with Billy Preston. This marked the only time an artist was credited as a co-performer after the band started recording as independent artists. His electric piano remained prominent throughout the track. He also contributed organ to tracks I Want You She's So Heavy and Something on the 1969 Abbey Road album. Later, he appeared as Sgt. Pepper in Robert Stigwood's 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
In 1971, Preston left Apple Records and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. That year, Stephen Stills used his phrase if you can't be with the one you love, Love the One You're With for a song on his self-titled debut solo album. The following year, his instrumental track Outa-Space reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It topped Billboard's R&B chart before winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. The song sold over 1 million copies in America. The Recording Industry Association of America awarded it a gold disc in June 1972. Over the next two years, he followed up with US chart-topping singles Will It Go Round in Circles and Nothing from Nothing. These three singles each sold in excess of one million copies. American Bandstand host Dick Clark used Space Race for the mid-show break for virtually its entire run. His work further popularized the sound of the clavinet in funk music during this period.
From 1970, Preston played keyboards for the Rolling Stones on albums like Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. He served as their primary touring keyboardist from 1973 to 1977. A Munich performance from this tour appeared on his Live European Tour 1973 album. In 1974, Bruce Fisher helped him compose You Are So Beautiful for Joe Cocker. On the 11th of October 1975, he became the first musical guest on Saturday Night Lives series premiere episode. The band parted ways with him in 1977 due to a disagreement over money. He continued playing on solo records by Mick Jagger and made appearances on Tattoo You and Bridges to Babylon. After seven years with A&M, he signed with Motown. In 1979, he duetted with Syreeta Wright on With You I'm Born Again. This ballad reached number 4 on the charts in the US. He also toured with Eric Clapton and recorded with Gary Walker throughout the decades.
In an interview for a 2010 BBC Radio 4 documentary, manager Joyce Moore revealed lifelong trauma from childhood sexual abuse. Preston told her that at about age nine, he was repeatedly abused by the touring company's pianist after moving to Los Angeles. His mother did not believe him or protect him during that summer. A traumatic incident occurred in the early 1970s when musician Sly Stone slept with his fiancée Kathy Silva. This event triggered his use of cocaine and sex with men as coping mechanisms. Although friends like Keith Richards knew details, he did not publicly come out until just before death. In 1991, he checked into a drug rehabilitation program to treat addictions. While on probation for drunk driving, he was arrested for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old Mexican boy. He tested positive for cocaine and entered no-contest pleas to assault charges. The court sentenced him to nine months at a drug rehabilitation center and three months of house arrest. In 1997, he served time in California prison for cocaine possession.
Preston suffered kidney disease brought on by hypertension in his later years. He received a kidney transplant in 2002 but health continued to deteriorate. On the 21st of November 2005, he entered a coma due to respiratory failure from pericarditis. He died on the 6th of June 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona. His funeral took place on the 21st of June 2006, lasting almost three hours. Joe Cocker sang and Little Richard spoke during the service. A brass band played Amazing Grace while mourners heard letters from Paul McCartney and others. He was buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Before his death, he performed as a jazz organist on Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company album. In March 2005, he appeared on the American Idol fourth-season finale playing piano with Vonzell Solomon. His final recorded contributions included gospel-tinged organ on Neil Diamond's 12 Songs album. He also contributed keyboard work to The Road to Escondido by Eric Clapton and J.J. Cale.
Miles Davis honored him with a track called Billy Preston on his 1974 album Get Up with It. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond organ players of all time during rehearsals for the Concert for George. Rick Wakeman stated that every keyboard player knows his unique spiritual touch. In 2021, White Horse Pictures announced a documentary directed by Paris Barclay. Jon Batiste plays Preston in the 2024 film Saturday Night. Neil McCormick ranked him as the fourth greatest keyboard player of all time in 2024. He won two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Outa-Space. He received Album of the Year for his participation in The Concert For Bangla Desh. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him into its Class of 2021 with the Musical Excellence Award. His influence remains evident across R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel genres.
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Common questions
When and where was Billy Preston born?
William Everett Preston entered the world on the 2nd of September 1946, in Houston. He moved to Los Angeles as a child with his mother Robbie Lee Williams.
What role did Billy Preston play during The Beatles Get Back sessions?
Billy Preston befriended the Beatles in 1962 while performing in Hamburg and joined their Get Back sessions in January 1969 at their request. He played organ and electric piano during several of these sessions and appeared in the film Let It Be.
Which songs by Billy Preston reached number one on the US charts?
His instrumental track Outa-Space reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 before topping Billboard's R&B chart. He followed up with US chart-topping singles Will It Go Round in Circles and Nothing from Nothing that each sold in excess of one million copies.
Why did Billy Preston die and when did he pass away?
On the 21st of November 2005, he entered a coma due to respiratory failure from pericarditis after suffering kidney disease brought on by hypertension. He died on the 6th of June 2006, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
How was Billy Preston honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him into its Class of 2021 with the Musical Excellence Award. He also won two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Performance for Outa-Space and received Album of the Year for his participation in The Concert For Bangla Desh.