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A native
of Houston Texas, Billy Preston was born with the natural gift of music
and was a child prodigy on piano and organ. By age ten he was playing keyboards
with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and two years later was featured in Hollywood's
film bio of W.C. Handy, "St. Louis Blues," as young Handy himself.
In his teens Preston played with other notable artists like Little Richard
and Ray Charles plus years later backed up the Beatles, playing keyboards
on "Let It Be," "The Beatles" (White Album) and "Abbey
Road." He also had the distinction of being in the band at their final
live performance on the London rooftop of Apple Corps headquarters on January
30, 1969. Sadly, he passed away on June 6, 2006 after suffering from chronic
kidney failure. Preston had been in a coma since November of last year.
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As
a soloist, Preston topped the record charts in the early 1970s with "Outta
Space," "Will It Go Round in Circles," and "Nothing
from Nothing." He joined the Rolling Stones on tour and backed them
up on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Heartbreaker."
He also wrote the Joe Cocker hit "You Are So Beautiful," and
collaborated with Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, and Barbra
Streisand.
He won two Grammys, including one for his involvement in the Concert for
Bangladesh, staged by ex-Beatle George Harrison in 1971. Last year, in
one of his final appearances, Preston performed in Los Angeles with former
Beatle Ringo Starr and Harrison's son, Dhani.
Starr,
a long-time friend, was deeply affected by the loss of Preston and in
a recent interview said, "I saw Billy a couple of days before he
fell down into the coma. I went to see him, spoke to him, and we were
sitting outside in the sun in L.A. Then all hell broke loose and he never
came to. But as a musician, there was no finer musician, and as a friend,
he was a good friend."
Mick Jagger has also been quoted as saying, "Billy was a fantastic
and gifted musician and also a superb singer at both recording sessions
and live. He was great fun to be with onstage when touring with us. I
will miss him a lot."
Billy Preston was 59 years old.
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After
10 years plagued by lawsuits, personal fallouts and bad vibrations, the
surf was up once again as original Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Mike Love
and Al Jardine joined Bruce Johnston and former member David Marks on
June 13 at a reunion of sorts at the Capitol Records building in Hollywood.
The gathering was in recognition of the group's 40th anniversary of the
classic "Pet Sounds" album and also to celebrate the fact that
2003's "Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys" had
reached double platinum sales status. Upon receiving his award, Jardine
joked: "It's always good to do this while we're still living."
Rumor has it that the boys may even consider putting their differences
aside and perform together again. When asked if there would be a reunion
concert, Wilson said "Yes, there's a chance of that."
Wilson and Love had been entangled in several lawsuits over the past few
years, the most recent being this past November when Love filed a suit
accusing Wilson of promoting his 2004 album, "Smile," in a manner
that "shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love's songs, likeness and
the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the `Smile' album itself."
Love also objected to a promotion in which 2.6 million copies of a Beach
Boys compilation CD were given away to readers of Britain's Daily Mail
Sunday newspaper. The lawsuit said the giveaway undercut the band's sales,
including "millions of dollars in illicit profits," and was
seeking at least $1 million for international advertising "to correct
the effects of unfair competition and infringing uses."
Love's lawyer said it was nothing personal.
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1968 - The Yardbirds finished
a U.S. tour then called it quits. Jimmy Page was
running the band and soon transformed it into Led
Zeppelin.
1984
- An Independence Day concert by The Beach Boys
in Washington, DC saw Ringo Starr sit in with the
band, just months after the drowning of Dennis Wilson.
1985
- Live Aid, which raised millions of dollars to
help the impoverished communities of Ethiopia, took
place at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and at Wembley
Stadium in London simultaneously.
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