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Written by ALANA GRELYAK
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Wednesday, 07 June 2006 |
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It’s amazing how sometimes very talented people can slip under the radar. For me, one of these stealths is Billy Preston, accomplished keyboardist and song writer. Maybe I should have paid more attention because it was only after I found out that Preston died yesterday, June 6, 2006, of complications after a kidney transplant, that I learned what great things he had accomplished during his lifetime.
Preston was born in 1946. He began playing piano at age 3, an early age for even the most talented of pianists, and by age 10 he was playing keyboard for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. In 1975, he was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live along with singer-songwriter Janis Ian. Preston often worked with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, touring with the former, and being the first to get label credit on any Beatles single for their rooftop performance of “Get Back,” which led to Preston sometimes being referred to as “the Fifth Beatle.”
Preston’s song writing skills were just as prolific as his performances. He put out 18 solo albums between the years of 1965 and 1995, and also wrote the extremely popular “You Are So Beautiful,” famously performed by Joe Cocker. Jazz legend Miles Davis even paid tribute to Preston by titling a song “Billy Preston” in his honor.
Preston’s session credits are even more numerous than his solo albums. His work can be heard on The Rolling Stone’s “Sticky Fingers,” Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks,” The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (for which he also acted the part of Sgt. Pepper in the film), and numerous other works for The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Beatles’ (both collectively and individually) and many others.
There was also a dark side to Preston’s musically prodigious nature. He was addicted to alcohol and cocaine, and sentenced to many months in a rehabilitation facility to rid himself of his vices. In the 1980s, he was arrested for insurance fraud for setting fire to his own house.
In 2002, Preston received a kidney transplant, necessary because of the kidney disease that caused his health to fail. Even in the most serious phase of his illness, Preston insisted on playing, reportedly jumping out of bed to record his clavinet part on the song “Warlocks” for Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 2006 album “Stadium Arcadium.” It was one of the last things that he did before succumbing to his illness today.
His music, as well as his vices, will often be remembered and referenced. Everybody is flawed as a human, and though no exception to this rule, Billy Preston’s musical accomplishments and contributions are expansive and impressive enough to keep his name on record for years to come. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
