The Jazz Organ Scene

USA

Billy Preston When Billy (born 1946 in Houston/TX) was three, the family moved to Los Angeles, where Preston began playing piano. Noted as a child prodigy, Preston was entirely self-taught and never had a music lesson. By the age of ten, Preston was playing organ onstage backing several gospel singers. In 1962, Billy joined Little Richard's band as an organist, and it was while performing in Hamburg that he met The Beatles. In 1963, he played the organ on Sam Cooke's Night Beat album. That year, he also released his own debut album. In 1967, he joined Ray Charles' band. Following this exposure, several musicians began asking Billy to contribute to their sessions.   Signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label, in 1969, Billy released the album That's the Way God Planned It, produced by Harrison. He appeared on several of Harrison's 1970s solo albums. In 1971, Preston left Apple and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records. Following the release of I Wrote a Simple Song on A&M, Preston's solo career peaked at this time. The song reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped Billboard??'?s R&B chart, before going on to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. "Outa-Space" sold over 1 million copies in America, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in June 1972. Over the next two years, Preston followed up with hits like "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Nothing From Nothing", and "Space Race".   From 1970, Billy played keyboards (including piano, organ, clavinet and various synthesizers) for the Rolling Stones. As the band's primary touring keyboardist from 1973 to 1977, he also performed as a support act with his own band on their 1973 European Tour. A München performance was documented in the live album Live European Tour 1973. In 1974, along with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits, "You Are So Beautiful".   Preston's solo career began to decline after 1976. After five years with A&M, he signed with Motown Records. In 1980, he duetted with Syreeta Wright on the ballad "With You I'm Born Again", which reached number 4 on the charts in the US. Failing thereafter to match its success, Preston left Motown in 1984 and focused on session work. He served as musical director for Nightlife, a late-night talk show hosted by David Brenner that lasted one season from 1986 – 1987.   In 1997, Billy Preston recorded the album You and I, in Italy, with Italian band Novecento. The album was produced by Vaughn De Spenza and Novecento members Lino and Pino Nicolosi. While touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that on November 29, 2001, George Harrison had died. Billy, among many of Harrison's longtime friends, performed in the 2002 Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Ringo Starr called him one of the greatest Hammond players of all time.   In 2004, Preston toured with the Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe, and then with his friend Eric Clapton in Europe and North America. After he finished touring with Clapton, Preston went to France. Preston's final recorded contributions were the gospel-tinged organ on the Neil Diamond album 12 Songs (2005), and his keyboard work on The Road to Escondido (2006) by Eric Clapton and J. J. Cale. In late 2005, Billy made his last public performance, in Los Angeles, to support the re-release of the Concert for Bangla Desh (1972) movie.   Billy had battled kidney disease in his later years. He received a kidney transplant in 2002, but his health continued to deteriorate. He died on 06 June 2006, in Scottsdale/AZ.   from Wikipedia

contact:
homepage:	www.billypreston.net
	www.myspace.com/billyispreston

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