Born in Houston, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles, Preston began playing the piano at age 3 and by age 10 he was accompanying gospel greats Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland on the organ. During one such performance, a movie producer was in the crowd and was struck by Preston's talent. He recruited the boy to play the young role of gospel legend W.C. Handy in the movie 1958 movie St. Louis Blues, alongside Nat King Cole playing Handy as an adult.
He was just 16 years old when he toured with Little Richard in 1962 and met the Beatles for the first time in Hamburg, Germany. In 1969, the group was reaching their breaking point, and George Harrison invited Preston to join recording sessions for Let It Be and Abbey Road to ease the tension between the brawling band members. As a result, the hit "Get Back" is credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston," making Preston the only artist to share credit on a Beatles single. He also joined the group for their famous 1969 rooftop concert.
Shortly after the rooftop gig, Preston signed with Apple Records and released two albums through the label before moving on to a more successful stint at A&M Records. Throughout the '70s, he released a handful of Top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including "Outa-Space," "Will It Go Round In Circles," "Space Race," "Nothing From Nothing," and "With You I'm Born Again" - a duet with Syreeta Wright.
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