Yahoo: Billy Preston's 'Will It Go Round in Circles' Became a 70s Dance Classic
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Billy Preston
William Everett Preston was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Reverend James Cleveland, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. He gained attention as a solo artist with hit singles "That's the Way God Planned…
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entertainment · American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter (1946–2006) · singer · singer-songwriter · composer · pianist · actor · keyboardist · film actor · recording artist · songwriter · musician · also Billy Preston, William Everett Preston, William E. Preston, William Preston, Preston
Born 2 September 1946 · Died 6 June 2006 · Q311450
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2026· 6 entries
Variety: Paris Barclay’s ‘Billy Preston’ Doc Is First Film in Academy Screening Room for Oscar Season (EXCLUSIVE)
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Public attention spiked: 7,087 Wikipedia readers in one day, 4.2× the usual 1,705, with 0 article edits.
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Yahoo: Billy Preston’s life was a gospel of joy — and a blues of survival
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WSHU news: New documentary explores the life and career of 'the fifth Beatle' Billy Preston
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San Francisco Examiner: 'Billy Preston' review: A unique and tortured talent
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2025· 1 entry
Forbes: ‘The White Lotus’ Helps Billy Preston Earn A Posthumous Top 10 Smash
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2024· 2 entries
Variety: ‘Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It’ Review: Eye-Opening Look at the Organ Prodigy Who Fused with the Beatles and Helped to Forge Funk
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Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph ranked Preston as the fourth greatest keyboard player of all time, calling him "the ultimate RnB keyboard player"
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2021· 2 entries
Awarded Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2021).
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White Horse Pictures and Homegrown Pictures announced that they were making a documentary on Preston, to be directed by Paris Barclay
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2011· 2 entries
Released album “Shotgun”.
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Released album “The Gold Standard Series Pop Classics: Billy Preston”.
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2010· 1 entry
Released album “Live In New York”.
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2009· 1 entry
Released album “Billy Preston (Re-Recorded Version)”.
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2007· 3 entries
Released album “The Complete VeeJay Recordings”.
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Released album “You and I (New 2007 Edition)”.
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Released album “The Collection”.
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2006· 2 entries
Died 2006-06-06.
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Released album “Drown in My Own Tears”.
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2005· 1 entry
Released album “I Believe to My Soul”.
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2004· 4 entries
Released ep “Billy Preston's Beatles Salute”.
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Released album “The Wildest Organ in Town / Club Meeting”.
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Preston performed as a jazz organist on Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company, an album of duets, on the song "Here We Go Again" with Charles and Norah Jones
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Preston toured with the Funk Brothers and Steve Winwood in Europe, and then with Clapton in Europe and North America
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2003· 1 entry
Released album “Soul Derby - Complete Vee Jay Recordings 1964/1965”.
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2002· 3 entries
Released album “20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billy Preston”.
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Preston appeared on the Johnny Cash album American IV: The Man Comes Around, playing piano on "Personal Jesus" and "Tear-Stained Letter"
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Called Preston one of the greatest Hammond organ players of all time
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2001· 3 entries
While touring and fighting his own health problems, Preston received the news that George Harrison had died, after a long illness
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Released album “Music From My Heart”.
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Released album “Billys Bag - His Most Hammond Groovin 'Soul Movin' Sides 1963-1966”.
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2000· 2 entries
Released album “Retrospective”.
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Released album “Ultimate Collection”.
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1999· 1 entry
Released album “Soul Meetin’”.
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1998· 2 entries
Preston was indicted for a $1 million insurance fraud scheme after setting fire to his own house in Los Angeles
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Preston played organ during the choir numbers on the UPN comedy show Good News
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1997· 2 entries
Released album “You And I”.
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Preston recorded the album You and I, in Italy, with Italian band Novecento
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1995· 1 entry
Released album “Billy's Back!”.
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1991· 1 entry
After the death of piano player Stan Szelest
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1988· 1 entry
Released album “The Best”.
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1987· 1 entry
Released album “Billy's Bag”.
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1986· 1 entry
Released album “You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down”.
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1985· 1 entry
Released album “Ministry Of Music”.
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1984· 2 entries
And focused on session work, contributing to works by artists such as Luther Vandross (his organ solos were included on Vandross's 1985 hit "Til My Baby Comes Home"), Whitney Houston and Patti LaBelle, among others
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Released album “On The Air”.
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1982· 2 entries
Released album “Bob Marley / Billy Preston (La grande storia del rock)”.
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Released album “Pressin' On”.
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1981· 3 entries
Released ep “Just for You (Put the Boogie in Your Body) / Gigolette”.
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Released album “The Way I Am”.
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Released album “Billy Preston & Syreeta”.
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1980· 1 entry
Released album “Universal Love”.
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1979· 2 entries
Released album “Late at Night”.
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Duetted with Syreeta Wright on the ballad "With You I'm Born Again", which reached number 4 on the charts in the US
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1978· 1 entry
Released album “Behold!”.
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1977· 1 entry
Released album “A Whole New Thing”.
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1976· 1 entry
Released album “Billy Preston”.
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1975· 2 entries
Was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live's series premiere episode
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Released album “It’s My Pleasure”.
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1974· 3 entries
Released album “Live European Tour”.
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Released album “The Kids & Me”.
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Along with Bruce Fisher, one of his regular songwriting collaborators in the 1970s, he composed one of Joe Cocker's biggest hits, "You Are So Beautiful"
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1973· 1 entry
Released album “Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music”.
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1972· 1 entry
Released album “Music Is My Life”.
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1971· 2 entries
Released album “I Wrote a Simple Song”.
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Preston left Apple and signed with Herb Alpert's A&M Records
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1970· 2 entries
Released album “Encouraging Words”.
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Released album “Organ Transplant”.
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1969· 2 entries
Released album “That’s the Way God Planned It”.
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Preston released the album That's the Way God Planned It, produced by George Harrison, the title song from which was a hit single in Britain
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1966· 3 entries
Released album “Club Meetin'”.
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Released album “Hymns Speak From the Organ”.
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Released album “Wildest Organ In Town!”.
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1965· 2 entries
Released album “Early Hits Of 1965”.
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Released the album The Most Exciting Organ Ever and performed on the rock and roll show Shindig
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1964· 1 entry
Released album “The Most Exciting Organ Ever”.
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1963· 1 entry
Played the organ on Sam Cooke's Night Beat album and released his debut album, 16 Yr
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1962· 4 entries
Preston joined the Get Back sessions in January 1969
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Released album “This Sunday-In Person”.
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Preston joined Little Richard's band as organist, and while performing in Hamburg he met the Beatles
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Released album “16 Yr. Old Soul”.
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1960· 1 entry
Became a pianist for Andraé Crouch with the Church of God in Christ Singers, which first recorded the smash gospel hit "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power"
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1946· 1 entry
Born 1946-09-02.
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