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Billy Preston R.I.P.

Aggie87

By Aggie87
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Aggie87

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Singer Billy Preston dead at 59

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles, including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.

Preston's longtime manager, Joyce Moore, said Preston had been in a coma since November in a care facility and was taken to a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, Saturday after his condition deteriorated.

"He had a very, very beautiful last few hours and a really beautiful passing," Moore said by telephone from Germany. "He went home good."

Preston had battled chronic kidney failure, and he received a kidney transplant in 2002. But the kidney failed and he has been on dialysis ever since, Moore said earlier this year.

Known for his big smile and towering Afro, Preston was a teen prodigy on the piano and organ, and lent his gospel-tinged touch to classics such as the Beatles' "Get Back" and the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"

He broke out as a solo artist in the 1970s, winning a best instrumental Grammy in 1973 for "Outta Space," and scoring other hits with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," "Nothing From Nothing" and "With You I'm Born Again," a duet with Syreeta Wright.

He also wrote Joe Cocker's weeper, "You Are So Beautiful," and co-wrote with Quincy Jones the score for 1970 movie "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs." Other achievements included being a musical guest on the 1975 debut of "Saturday Night Live," and having a song named after him by Miles Davis. Among his film credits: "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Preston's partnership with the Beatles began in early 1969 when friend George Harrison recruited him to play on "Let It Be," a back-to-basics film and record project that nearly broke down because of feuding among band members. Harrison himself quit at one point, walking out on camera after arguing with Paul McCartney.

Preston not only inspired the Beatles to get along -- Harrison likened his effect to a feuding family staying on its best behavior in front of a guest -- but contributed a light, bluesy solo to "Get Back," performing the song with the band on its legendary "roof top" concert, the last time the Beatles played live. He was one of many sometimes labeled "The Fifth Beatle."

Preston remained close to Harrison and performed at Harrison's all-star charity event, "The Concert for Bangladesh" and at the "Concert for George," a tribute to Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001. He played on solo records by Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

Preston also toured and recorded extensively with the Rolling Stones, playing on such classic albums as "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street." In the mid-'70s, he parted from the Stones, reportedly unhappy over not getting proper credit for "Melody" and other songs. He reunited with the band in 1997 on its "Bridges to Babylon" record.

His sessions credits included Aretha Franklin's "Young, Gifted and Black," Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Sly and Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On," three of the most acclaimed albums of the past 35 years.

The Houston native earned his performance chops at age 10 playing the keyboard for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and at 12 portraying a young W. C. Handy in the 1958 biopic "St. Louis Blues."

He toured with mentors and fellow piano greats Ray Charles and Little Richard in the early 1960s, first encountering the Beatles while on the road in Germany.

Preston had numerous personal troubles in recent years. In 1992, he was given a suspended jail sentence, but ordered incarcerated for nine months at a drug rehabilitation center for his no-contest pleas to cocaine and assault charges.

Five years later, he was sentenced to three years in prison for violating probation. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and agreed to testify against other defendants in an alleged scam that netted about $1 million.

edited for more complete article at cnn.com

Edited by Aggie87
paul secor Newbie

paul secor

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First saw him on Shindig, many years ago. Last saw him on a George Harrison tribute concert. The Harrison songs he sang that night came off better than anyone else's. Sounds like he had a hard end. I Hope that he's found some peace.

HolyStitt Newbie

HolyStitt

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Sad news. :(

I only had the chance to see him in concert once and it was at a Eric Clapton show in 2004. My mom is a huge Clapton fan, so I went her to the concert and I was shocked that he was in the band. He was featured on I wanna little girl.

Christiern Newbie

Christiern

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I first met Billy around 1964. I was conducting a fund-raising marathon at KPFA in Hollywood and had been on the air 12 hours straight. I was on the air with Ricardo Montalban, Elsa Lanchester, and a young Catholic priest who that week was on the cover of a lot of magazines because he had defied the Cardinal re some union issue.

A young lady from the station came into the studio and handed me a Vee-Jay album to which was taped a note: "He is outside, let me know when you want him to come in." The artist was a very young, slim Billy Preston with a pomp hairdo, wearing a tapered, shiny suit with thin, thin lapels. I signaled for him to come into the studio and, looking at the album, introduced him as "a young man who has the most exciting organ ever!"

Elsa let out a shriek, Montalban smiled, and the priest looked embarrassed. Well, it had been a 12-hour grind.

Very sorry to see him go so soon and in such a way.

BTW, the album title was "The Most Exciting Organ Ever," it just didn't come out right.

Edited by Christiern

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