Billy Preston has died

Sigh... this makes me think about how we're heading into the time when more and more of these guys are going to be passing away... so sad.

 

He was arrested on a morals charge in 1991, for cocaine possession in 1997, and insurance fraud in 1998. I don't know that he served time for any of them.

 

He truly was one of the 5th beatles.
At 16, he played on Sam Cooke's Little Red Rooster.....and his part is amazing.

 

My God, another one has gone. Sad news. I wish the best for his family.

I would be happy to believe that he and George could now be jamming somewhere... But I just can't.

 

In our prayers, R.I.P.

 

If you have tha album Everybody Likes Some Kind Of Music or the 45 of "Space Race", a good song to remember him by would be "How Long Has That Train Been Gone?"

 

RIP..a good soul.

 

Sad. The first LP I ever bought with my own money was Everybody Loves Some Kid of Music.

 

Very sad to hear his passing...

If anyone wants to hear one of his last recordings, he performed on the song Warlocks on Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium. He plays clavinet on the left channel, it is a treat to hear him and Frusciante's guitar (right channel) play off each other. He still brought the funk, even when suffering from declining health.

 

Very sad news. RIP Billy.

 

His brief tenure with The Beatles was a small part of his entire career in music, but for Beatles fans who don't know his music, he should always be remembered as the person, whom by his very presense, during the "Get Back" sessions at Apple lightened the spirits of the group and helped them get through that rough time, as well as making valuable musical contributions to their songs. Even if he had never developed into a talented solo artist and songwriter, his contribution to The Beatles was invaluable.

 

He'd lost a ton of weight compared to Concert For George. He actually seemed a bit bloated on CFG and this could have been water retention due to his kidney disease.

 

When Billy was just a young'un, he appeared on the Nat King Cole show, playing organ. I think Nat introduced him as little Billy Preston, and the two of them also played a duet.

 

RIP, Billy. Thanks for all the great music.

 

I like a lot of Billy's stuff. The man was undeniably talented. He very much picked up the Beatle mood in early '69, and had he not been there, there might not have been an Abbey Road.

He loved George and it showed every time he thought of him, sang about him, or had his picture taken with him.

I know a lot of the biggest musicians on the planet are thinking about him now.

God bless you, Billy.

 

This is a great loss. I also had the pleasure of meeting Billy in 2005 at the Beatlefest and what a wonderful gentleman he was. In addition to speaking with him for a short time, he also graciously signed my Let It Be album jacket in the centerfold. Many thanks to Billy for all the great music.

 

I thought I read where he played on the Red Hot Chili Peppers song "Warlocks" from their latest album Stadium Archadium-very sad

 

damn.. damn.. damn..

I consider Billy Preston a huge part of the Beatles legacy later in their career. Without his participation in the Let It Be/Get Back sessions we most likely would not have had Abbey Road. His joyful playing brought a fresh perspective to a tired band and helped them find the fortitude to go in the studio one last time for their final masterwork.

There is also a bit of personal loss here as his duet with Syreeta "I'm Born Again" was our wedding song 20 years ago. Whenever we heard Billy Preston singing, we would think back to that day. Sad to hear about his passing....

 

Billy Preston was by far the most deserving of the numerous individuals who've been called "fifth Beatle." As noted, he contributed mightily to the greatest rock band that ever walked the Earth. With characteristic humility, though, "fifth Beatle" was a title Preston never claimed for himself.

RIP, Billy. May God bless you and keep you.

 

Sad news. In addition to the many other highlights of his career, I'm glad Billy got to do the Concert for George. That was a fine performance and he seemed like he was really enjoying himself.

 

The news has finally hit the more reputable wire services:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060606/ap_en_mu/obit_preston

Singer-songwriter Billy Preston dead at 59

PHOENIX - Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles, including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.

Preston's longtime manager, Joyce Moore, said Preston had been in a coma since November in a care facility and was taken to a hospital in Scottsdale Saturday after his condition deteriorated.

"He had a very, very beautiful last few hours and a really beautiful passing," Moore said by telephone from Germany. "He went home good."

Preston, who had battled chronic kidney failure, had undergone a kidney transplant in 2002, but the kidney failed and he has been on dialysis treatments ever since, Moore said earlier this year.

Known for his big smile and towering afro, Preston was a teen prodigy on the piano and organ, and lent his gospel-tinged touch to classics such as the Beatles' "Get Back" and the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"

He broke out as a solo artist in the 1970s, winning a best instrumental Grammy in 1973 for "Outta Space," and scoring other hits with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," "Nothing From Nothing" and "With You I'm Born Again," a duet with Syreeta Wright.

 

Which is a marked contrast from a certain drummer named Purdie . . .

 

His two Apple albums are great. I finally got them a few years ago and they never stay away from the CD player for long.

I remember reading a review of his version of "I've Got A Feeling", which said that it was so good it made the fabs' rendition sound like a demo. And it's true...