William Everett Preston (2 September 1946-6 June 2006) was a soul musician from Houston, Texas. Along with Tony Sheridan, he was one of just two non-members to receive top billing on a Beatles record.
Billy Preston first met The Beatles while touring with Little Richard’s band in 1962. At the time The Beatles were the opening act, and were yet to find fame beyond their home city.
They met again in 1969, during the sessions for the Let It Be album and film. George Harrison had recently gone to a Ray Charles concert in London, where he saw Preston playing the organ.
When I went with Eric Clapton to see Ray Charles play at the Festival Hall, before Ray came on there was a guy on stage playing the organ, dancing about and singing ‘Double-O Soul’. I thought, That guy looks familiar,’ but he seemed bigger than I remembered. After a while Ray came on and the band played for a few songs and then he reintroduced… Billy Preston! Ray said, ‘Since I heard Billy play I don’t play the organ any more – I leave it to him.’ I thought, ‘It’s Billy!’ Since we had last seen him in Hamburg in 1962, when he was just a little lad, he had grown to be six foot tall.
Anthology
Harrison invited brought Preston into the studio, where his enthusiasm and easy-going personality helped ease the tensions. At the time Preston was in London to film some BBC television appearances.
John Lennon was in favour of making Preston a full member of the band; Paul McCartney disagreed, saying there was little point as the band was close to splitting. Nevertheless, he worked with The Beatles from 22-31 January 1969, playing Fender Rhodes electric piano and a Lowrey DSO Heritage organ.
Preston performed with The Beatles during their 42-minute performance on the rooftop of Apple, on 30 January 1969, which was the band’s final public performance.
In April 1969 the ‘Get Back’ single was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston”, as was its b-side, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’.
Billy Preston also played on The Beatles’ Abbey Road album. He performed on the songs ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ and ‘Something’, though was not credited.
Beyond The Beatles
Preston was signed to Apple in 1969, and released the album That’s The Way God Planned It. The title track, produced by George Harrison, was released as a single.
The pair had a strong relationship after The Beatles split. Preston was the first to record ‘My Sweet Lord’, for his 1970 album Encouraging Words, and he appeared on several subsequent albums by Harrison. He also appeared at the Concert for Bangladesh.
Preston also worked with John Lennon and Ringo Starr, and performed and recorded with The Rolling Stones from 1971 until 1977.
The 1980s were more troubled, and he battled alcohol and cocaine addictions. He was arrested in 1991 for assault and cocaine possession, and was sentenced to rehab and three months’ house arrest. He did, though, turn his fortunes around enough during the 1990s to tour with Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and The Band.
Billy Preston performed at Concert For George, the 2002 tribute concert for Harrison at the Royal Albert Hall, where he sang ‘My Sweet Lord’ and ‘Isn’t It A Pity’.
In 2003 he was heard on Let It Be… Naked, the de-Spectored version of the 1969 Let It Be sessions.
His final public appearance was at a 2005 press junket in Los Angeles, for the re-release of the Concert for Bangladesh film. Afterwards he performed ‘Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’, ‘My Sweet Lord’, and ‘Isn’t It A Pity’ with Ringo Starr and George’s son Dhani.
Preston had been battling kidney disease for some years, brought on by his drink and drug abuse, and towards the end of his life he was addicted to crack cocaine. He fell into a coma on 21 November 2005, and died on 6 June 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
According to his friend and manager Joyce Moore, Preston’s homosexuality was a secret which he found difficult to publicly admit. He was outed by Keith Richards in his 2010 autobiography Life, for which Preston was interviewed, although the book was published after his death.
He voluntarily put himself into rehab. He had called me on the Thursday, and he was furious. He was just screaming, he was so angry. He was going: ‘I hope you’re satisfied and I hope you’re happy now’, and I’m going, ‘What? What are you talking about? Would you calm down and tell me what’s going on?’ He said: ‘Are you happy now I told him? I told him I’m gay, all right?’ And I said: ‘It’s more than all right, ’cause now I know that you’re going to be safe and I know you’re cured.’ And that was his demon; it had always been his demon, and I knew then that he’d beat it, he was going to be fine because he was finally able to confront who he was and deal with it, and all the reason that he’d get high and he’d go on these binges and stuff was all tied to it. And I knew at that point he was safe and he was saved, and four days later he was in a coma and he never came back.
Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It, BBC
According to both Moore and Preston’s half-sister Lettie, sexual abuse that Preston also experienced as a child also reportedly affected him deeply as an adult, and his unresolved problems contributed to his drug abuse.
The demons from childhood abuse never left him, and he suffered nightmares and tears from the memories. Drugs helped him to escape.
Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It, BBC
In the years preceding his death Preston had worked on a collection of Beatles cover versions, which remains unreleased.
“Along with Tony Sheridan, he was one of just two non-members to receive a performance credit on a Beatles record”
What about Eric Clapton? I think you left him out
Clapton was uncredited on the White Album, so it wouldn’t have been appropriate to mention him.
Also Andy White who played drums in some of there earlier studio recordings. Producer George Martin preferred Andy White over Ringo on a few tracks and had Ringo playing the tambourines and kettle drum on a few songs.
what tracks? I thought he had only played on the single version of Love Me Do?
It was producer Ron Richard’s who brought White in to play on “Love Me Do” and “PS I Love You”. Ringo played tambourine on the former, maracas on the latter. There was no tympani.
Let’s not forget Alan Civil, who gets a performance credit on ‘For No One’
And Brian Jones played sax on You Know My Name Look Up The Number.
Your ending is misleading. I believe Billy’s problems were rooted in the childhood abuse he suffered, not in his homosexuality per se. Also, noting almost in passing that Billy “appeared at the Concert for Bangladesh” is a rather extreme understatement. He bloody damn well nearly stole the show! I was there. Check out the YouTube clip if you’ve not seen it.
His homosexuality and the sexual abuse he suffered were both causes of his depression as an adult, according to his manager in a recent BBC documentary. If you have any first-hand evidence to the contrary (did you know Billy?) please let me know.
I was Billy’s band leader. He had NO problem being gay; he took boyfriends on the road with him; including the Stones tour. He said he knew he was gay at the age of ten when he was on tour with Mahalia Jackson. He never spoke of his abuse, except to say that the black church is full of it, and that Gospel choirs are the original “Gay /Straight Allliance”…lol
Believe it: Will Porter is a great American bandleader!
I have to say that as much as I like this site and appreciate all your work, I agree that that passage is poorly-phrased in such a way that it’s offensive, even if inadvertently. If Billy Preston was conflicted about being gay, and there seems to be some dispute about whether he even was, it still wouldn’t be accurate to say his problems were caused by his homosexuality per se, but rather by that conflict. Just the fact of being gay never made anyone abuse drugs or alcohol or caused depression; the resulting self-hatred or inability to accept it certainly has, as has having to endure rejection and hostility. I haven’t seen the documentary, but if that’s a direct quote from his manager saying something that asinine, perhaps it could be placed in quotation marks, because in its present form it sounds like something I’m sure you don’t mean.
Thank you, that’s fair feedback, and I’ve reworded the ending to (hopefully) make it better. I meant no offence. I’ve also added quotations from his sister and former manager from the BBC documentary.
> I meant no offence.
I know you didn’t. Thanks so much, both for the change and for maintaining this wonderful resource.
I was also there and Preston hardly “stole the show”.
Billy Preston was a genius on the piano and organ, he probably would have been a great addition to the beatles. Maybe someday when they are all together again, Billy may have his chance……
Sorry, but Billy played a Lowrey DSO Heritage, not a Hammond at Twickenham and Apple. It is clearly visible in the film…look for its distinctive music rack.
Thanks for the info Paul. I’ve updated the article.
I have only recently discovered Billy Preston, about 12 yrs. of age playing the part of a young W. C. HANDY, known as ”The Father Of The Blues ” in the 1958 movie ”St Louis Blues.” He appears in the first 10 mins. of the movie when his role is then taken over by Nat ‘King’ Cole as an adult. He was mixing it at an early age with other cast members, Pearl Bailey, Ertha Kitt, Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald & Mahalia Jackson. About 4 years later he FIRST met the Beatles on tour with Little Richard.
Billy also guested on the Nat King Cole television show.
Alan Civil is credited on ‘Revolver,’ I believe.
On Revolver, the tabla player ( anyone please look up the name) is also credited.
Their names are noted as session players. Get Back was credited as “The Beatles with Billy Preston.” He’s credited as an equal, not merely a session player.
Billy was a great guy. Famous as any musician. Just a great person. People should stop talking about him, certainly if you don’t know him. He was great as a person and great as an musician. I can only say “Will he go round in circles?” YES!
Love and Miss You Billy. Rock and Roll Heaven has one Hell of a Piano Player!
Singer Billy Preston, who wrote the hit ballad “You Are So Beautiful” and played keyboards with the Beatles, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy at his home in Malibu, authorities said.
Preston, 45, was arrested for investigation of sexual battery, showing pornographic material to a minor, possessing cocaine and being under the influence of a controlled substance, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Rafael Estrada.
He was booked at the sheriff’s station in Malibu and released after posting $10,000 bail, Estrada said.
The 16-year-old boy told deputies that Preston had picked him up Sunday morning at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Trancas Canyon Road, a gathering point for day laborers, Estrada said.
The boy, whose name was withheld because of his age, said the singer began smoking cocaine and showing him pornographic pictures shortly after he entered the car.
Preston then allegedly drove to his Malibu home and took the youth to a barn behind his house, Estrada said. There, the boy told deputies, Preston pushed him to the ground and grabbed him around the chest, Estrada said.
“The juvenile was able to push Preston off, and ran to a neighbor’s house,” Estrada said.
Deputies went to Preston’s home to arrest him at 9:30 a.m., Estrada said, but the performer was not there. They returned a half an hour later and found Preston in the barn with a 19-year-old man, Estrada said. Preston was taken into custody, the deputy said. The 19-year-old was not arrested.
date of arrest:8-19-91
I remember that story from 1991. That was the first time I heard he was gay; long before Keith Richards’ book.
I treated myself & friends to a couple of Billy Preston concerts here in Chicago way back to the 70’s. How this man worked his band, the stage and the people who came to bear witness, was phenomenal! He poured goodness & greatness into what we expected to experience. A total professional and star-man delivery.
The rest of it be irrelevant.
Right?
No, not when you are arrested for sexual assault on a minor , as well as possession of illegal drugs. He wasn’t a model citizen.
The charges of sexual assault and showing pornographic materials to a minor were dismissed and Billy got sentenced to three months of house arrest and nine months in a drug rehabilitation clinic.
He was thankfully exonerated of very, very serious crimes like child molestation – it’s a very serious crime, as it can actually harm a child in more ways than one. Had he been found guilty of that crime, he could well have spent the rest of his life in prison.
Billy Preston was a great musician.As a fan of The Beatles,solo Beatles and The Rolling Stones , I have a lot of Preston’s contributions in my collection. He was also a real character and on the film “Let It Be” it is great seeing him play along side the boys. Most famously of course on the song “Get Back”. He particularly worked a lot with John and George on their solo work, but not I don’t think with Paul. He sits along side the likes of Nicky Hopkins, Jim Keltner and Klaus Voorman,(to name just a few), who made such great contributions to Lennon and Harrison’s solo works. In the case of he and Hopkins, The Stones work as well. It was fitting that he was involved in the”Concert for George”, as obviously they were close. My personal highlight of his many great contributions would be his wonderful piano work on John Lennon’s brilliant “God” off the “Plastic Ono Band” album.In a DVD I have on the making of this album, Lennon told Preston to play it Gospel-style, the way Billy would have remembered it in the churches he attended in the South when he was growing up.It of course worked brilliantly.
So “death-warmed-over-looking” Keith Richards inadvertently drops a dime about Billy’s sexual life? Go figure. We all need emotional healing and the need to love and be loved.
The Man we must seek is Jesus!
@Believe… speak for yourself.
Billy also did a terrific version of Get Back in the mostly horrible film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band staring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees.
Any chance Billy played the electric piano on Come Together?
Nope, that’s Paul, definitely.
No, he only played organ on “Something” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and there is some controversy and confusion as to whether it was John or Paul who played the Fender Rhodes on “Come Together”.
Why wasn’t Billy credited on the Abbey Road album? I know Eric wasn’t on the White Album because he was on another label and it would have been a contract violation.
That’s a good question. I used to think that the only Beatles album to have Billy playing keyboards was “Let it Be”, but until I was 12 years old, I was unaware that he had played on “Abbey Road” as well, even if it was in a limited capacity.
Thanks for the interesting stuff on Billy. What songs did George play on of Billy’s besides Otta Space?
Billy’s second and final Apple album “Encouraging Words” is finally being reissued on 180g vinyl by Universal Music and it’s about time I say. The only other Apple album that Billy did was “That’s the Way God Planned It” and I hope that gets reissued on 180g vinyl by UME as well.
He became a highly successful solo artist in his own right once he signed to A&M Records and here is some more trivia about him: a) he was a committed Christian, b) he also played on The Rolling Stones’ “Sticky Fingers”, “Exile on Main St.”, “Goats Head Soup”, “It’s Only Rock and Roll” and “Black and Blue” plus he even toured with them and c) Miles Davis named a track after him.
Ray Charles was not playing in London in January 1969 when George Harrison walked out on the Beatles. Please delete the false story. Billy Preston was in London to record a segment for the BBC on the 19th January, which is likely when he reconnected with George and then joined the Beatles sessions on the 22nd.
The Ray Charles connection was discussed by George Harrison in Anthology. I’ve added the relevant quote to the page.