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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, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, Sammy Davis Jr., Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. He played the electric piano on the Get Back Sessions in 1969 and is one of several people sometimes credited as the "Fifth Beatle". He is, in fact, the only person to receive label performance credit on any Beatles record.
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.
"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:
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 break up of The Beatles; he was the first artist to record "My Sweet Lord", in his album Encouraging Words (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 70's solo albums. Preston also made notable and energetic contributions to The Concert for Bangladesh, a Harrison-organised charity concert, 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 lean years for Preston. He did have a hit 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.
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. 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.
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 [1]. 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.
Death
Preston had battled kidney disease in his later years. 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 20th 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 above, the Beatles were actually Sheridan's backing band for those records, so the real honor goes to Preston alone.
- Played the clavinet for Warlocks, found on the Red Hot Chili Peppers ninth studio album Stadium Arcadium,
- 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."
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 "Outa-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"
- 1980 - #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 -Japan, 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
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
- (1970) Let It Be -- including "Get Back" (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)
- (1990) Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band (Billy plays keyboards and vocals)
- (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)
- (2000) The Harsh Light of Day (Fastball) (Billy played keyboards on "You're An Ocean")
- (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) 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)
- (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)
External links
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