Billy Preston passed away yesterday, from kidney failure. He was 59.
If by some chance you don’t know, Billy was the man who added his keyboard wares to the Beatles’ Let It Be sessions (performing on songs like Get Back) and was credited with easing the tension of those sessions in some way.
He also recorded with and toured with the Rolling Stones. He was also a significant soul voice in his own right, and co-wrote “You Are So Beautiful To Me”, that awesome over-the-top ballad.
He is perhaps the world’s most known rock keyboard/organ player, defining it for generations. I’m assuming you know the Beatles stuff, so I’ve included Can’t You Hear Me Knocking? by the Stones in all it’s glory, and one of Billy’s earlier recordings, keyboards for Sam Cooke.
WIKI: Billy Preston
SITE: Beatles, Stones Sideman Billy Preston Dies – Billboard
MP3: The Rolling Stones – Can’t You Hear Me Knocking
– from the album Sticky Fingers (Virgin, 1971)
MP3: Sam Cooke – Little Red Rooster
– from the album Night Beat (RCA, 1963)
Billy Preston: RIP
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