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Artist
Billy Preston
12+ albums
soulfunk70srockrhythm and blues
about
Billy Preston (2 September 1946 - 6 June 2006) was an American soul and rock singer, famously known as a child prodigy pianist before releasing several rnb hits (including #1 smashes "Will It Go 'Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing") and working with classic artists such as Aretha Franklin and The Beatles. He notably performed with Mahalia Jackson at the age of 16 and appeared as a young W.C. Handy in a 1958 biopic. His first solo record was a gospel album called '16 Year Old Soul'. Preston first came to widespread attention of a U.S. mainstream audience as the organist (and sometimes vocalist) in the house band on the television show 'Shindig,' popular during 1964-66. On tour backing stars Little Richard and Sam Cooke, he met the Beatles (early in their career) in Hamburg, Germany in 1962. He was later invited by George Harrison to join The Beatles in the studio for the filming/recording of 'Let It Be' (1970). Preston's most memorable performance with the Beatles is on the track "Get Back". The apparent reason for the collaboration was that the project was being done live— without overdubs— and the Beatles wanted a second keyboardist. Preston's soulful style was to compliment the rhythm and blues approach the Beatles had for this album. His was a genre they'd grown up listening to and were reaching back to as well as paying tribute to. Another apparent reason for Preston's involvement was to buffer the growing tensions between the members of the band (that had st
top songs
albums
The Kids & Me
Ultimate Collection: Billy Preston
Ultimate Collection
I Wrote a Simple Song
Music Is My Life
Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds
That's The Way God Planned It
Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds Motion Picture Soundtrack
Encouraging Words (Expanded Edition / Remastered 2010)
Billy's Bag
Billy Preston & Syreeta (Expanded Edition)
Encouraging Words