Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

PRESTON, Billy

(b 2 September 1946, Houston TX; d 6 June 2006, Scottsdale AZ of malignant hypertension) Singer, keyboardist. Raised in L.A.; played organ for gospel queen Mahalia Jackson before playing W. C. Handy as a boy in St Louis Blues '58 (Nat Cole played him as a grownup). Touring Europe with Little Richard and Sam Cooke (recorded for Cooke's SAR label, among others), he first met the Beatles; spotted as a backing musician on UK TV's Shindig by Ray Charles entourage, he toured USA/Europe with Charles as his catchy organ instrumentals ('Billy's Bag', etc) attracted attention. George Harrison bought out his recording contract and produced LPs That's The Way God Planned It '69 (title track no. 11 UK hit) and Encouraging Words '70 on Apple. Preston played as a sideman on Beatles' 'Get Back' and 'Let It Be'. He bailed out of Apple and had hits on A&M '72-8 including US top 40s '72-4 'Outa-Space' (no. 2), 'Will It Go Round In Circles' (no. 1), 'Space Race' (no. 4), 'Nothing From Nothing' (no. 1) and 'Struttin'' (no. 22), the first, third and fifth instrumentals.

He continued as a star sessioneer: he appeared at the Bangladesh concert '71, backed Harrison '74, Rolling Stones '75; came back '79 with no. 4 duet with Syreeta Wright 'With You I'm Born Again' from film Fastbreak. On probation '92 after pleading guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and possession of cocaine; sent to prison November '97 after testing positive for cocaine. He was still working and recording, with Neil Diamond and otehrs, when he suffered a 'medical insult' on November 21 2005 from which he never recovered. With a cheery, engaging sound, like Nicky Hopkins, Rick Grech etc he was a superstar '70s sideman; unlike some of the others he had his own hits as well.