DON'T SHOOT ME...Billy Preston
Preston was born in 1946 in Houston, Texas, but was raised in Los Angeles, where show business crept into his life early on. His mother, who played Sapphire in an Amos ’n’ Andy road show, owned an upright piano, which Preston began to play at the age of three. By the time he was ten, he had played with famed gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and was preparing to act the role of young W.C. Handy in the movie Birth of the Blues. Before the age of fifteen, he was playing organ and piano and leading his own church choir.
Preston first went on the road as accompanist to Rev. James Cleveland, the king of the male gospel singers. After two years with Cleveland, Preston joined Little Richard’s act, playing his first rock and roll in such hinterland towns as Liverpool, England, where he met and befriended the then pre-legendary Beatles.
Eventually, Preston recorded three gospel albums for Vee-Jay Records (now out of print) and settled down to a relatively anonymous gig with a drummer in a Los Angeles club. He was heard there by some people from the Shindig television program, who signed him up to play with the show’s house band, the Shindogs. Preston’s exciting performances soon earned him a regular solo spot on the show, and opened the door to another job—backing up the great Ray Charles.
Charles, who used to live around the corner from Preston’s family in Los Angeles, recognized Preston’s talent for the organ from the start. By giving him at least one featured song at each concert and personally managing Billy’s business affairs, Charles gave Preston a boost toward his ultimate success.
The Beatles, who remembered Preston’s English performances, added him to Apple Records’ stable of musicians in the late Sixties. This further propelled him into the spotlight.
Probably more than any other young keyboardist, Billy Preston has succeeded in transplanting elements of the church music he played in his youth into a popular rock context.
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