Who Was Billy Preston?

As I was wrapping up the script for the latest Forgotten Beatles podcast episode, I added this section to my notes:

Given Billy Preston’s achievements, the high regard he is held in, and the length of his career, there is surprisingly little information about him published.

Sure, he has a Wikipedia page; it’s easy to find videos of many of his performances on YouTube, and there was an excellent BBC Radio documentary about him broadcast in 2020, entitled “Billy Preston; That’s the Way God Planned It.” You can’t stream it from the show’s BBC webpage anymore, but there is a download link, and I highly recommend doing just that. The interviews in that documentary provide some fascinating insights into Billy as a musician.

But Billy the man remains something of an enigma. I couldn’t find any mainstream biography of the man, his official website seems to be no longer active, and the recent movie documentary about him, also somewhat unimaginatively entitled “Billy Preston; That’s the Way God Planned It” is apparently held up in legal limbo regarding the inclusion of some specific interview footage. Despite its initial good reviews (an 8.5/10 rating on IMDB) it’s now doubtful that it will be released. Not even the trailer is available online.

Preston’s life was indeed a complex and at times difficult one. But for a man that John Lennon casually invited to join the group and whose simple joyous presence and incredible keyboard talent put the group back on track, as can be seen in the Get Back documentary, the lack of coverage is puzzling when you consider that people with even the most tangential connections to the Fab Four have been discussed and written about in great detail.

This may be the way that Billy Preston would have wanted it, for despite his struggles becoming increasingly public, he was seemingly was generally a private man who let his music do the speaking.

Alan

If you’re reading this and haven’t subscribed yet, remember it’s now a completely FREE way to get updates on various Before They Were Beatles projects in your email once a month. So just click on the button below to join our growing community.

The boys will also be making a return visit to The Woodlands in Widnes on 24th August, so if you are going to be around the area on that weekend, go check them out.

The new podcast FORGOTTE BEATLES episode this month on keyboard player and “5th Beatle,” Billy Preston is now available and can be found on your favorite podcast platform, or directly right HERE.

An anthology of over 70 pieces, some contemporary, some retrospective, covering the career and impact of The Beatles. At times, it’s a fascinating read, if a little too Lennon-centric on occasions, that’s a mix of biography and social history. Overal,l an engaging account of the group and their impact. As one of the essays conclude,s “When you reach the to,p there is only one way to go, down. But not for The Beatles, they will always be fab.”

Title / Issue : Laugh #166

Publisher: Archie Comics

Date : January 1965

Although they aren’t included in any of the interiors stories the Fab Four are the subject of this classic cover playing on the generational gap confusion over the Beatles’ name.

The cover art is by Harry Lucey with inks by Mario Acquaviva.

It was also reused on issue 153 of the Mexican Archi reprint series.

If you would like to listen to full versions of the songs mentioned in either the main Before They Were Beatles podcast, or the new Forgotten Beatles series you can now find them on my new YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@AlanPorterWriter

Or you can check out the Before They Were Beatles playlist on Spotify at

For more information on what else I have going on with writing, podcasting, and general slice-of-life stuff, check out my regular FREE weekly CAN’T SEE THE FOREST newsletter -

And if you enjoyed this month’s newsletter please feel free to share.

See you next time.

Alan J. Porter

The Before They Were Beatles newsletter is a production of Megrin Entertainment, a division of 4Js Group LLC.