Billy Preston
| Billy Preston | |
|---|---|
 Billy Preston visiting the White House in 1974 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Everett Preston |
| Born | September 2, 1946 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Died | June 6, 2006 (aged 59) Scottsdale, Arizona, United States |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues, rock, soul, funk, gospel |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter, bandleader, actor |
| Instruments | Keyboards, organ, piano, electric piano, vocals, harpsichord, accordion, drums |
| Years active | 1956–2005 |
| Labels | Derby, Vee-Jay, Apple Records, Capitol, Buddah, A&M, Motown |
| Associated acts | Sam Cooke, The Beatles, Sly & the Family Stone, King Curtis, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton |
| Website | Billy Preston.net |
| Notable instruments | |
| Hammond B3 organ Baldwin Piano Fender Rhodes Electric Piano |
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Billy Preston (born September 2, 1946 in Houston, Texas; died June 5, 2006), is an American R&B musician. He is best known for his piano and organ playing.
Preston began playing piano when he was three years old. He worked with many other musicians including Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Quincy Jones, Eric Clapton, the Jackson 5 and the Rolling Stones.
He worked on The Beatles's last album, Let It Be, in 1969, including the song "Get Back". Many people thought that Preston would join the group, but the Beatles broke up shortly afterwards. He later worked with George Harrison, who had been a Beatle.
Billy Preston's biggest success also came from working with another musician. He did a duet with Syreeta Garrett on "With You I'm Born Again" in 1979. It sold over a million copies and reached Number 2 in the United Kingdom singles chart.
