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Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It – Film Review
Billy Preston may be best known for working with both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, yet there is so much more to the man than meets the keys — including his complicated life away from the stage and studio. Twenty years after his passing, he finally gets his story told through various points of view in Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It. Director and writer Paris Barclay’s documentary sifts through all of Preston’s glories and crashing falls in an extensive tell-all that’s bound to astound at every turn.
The opening with Preston’s happy dance at the Concert For Bangla Desh exemplifies his musical accomplishments — from starting out as church organist when he was 5, serenading Nat King Cole at 11, going on the road with Little Richard at 15, working with Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, recording with The Beatles, going solo, touring with The Rolling Stones, writing the Grammy Hall of Fame hit for Joe Cocker, “You Are So Beautiful” and beyond.
Barclay was able to secure key footage from the Beatles’ Get Back documentary that captures the moment Preston walks in on the Fab Four’s recording session. And we watch as the group comes to life the minute the keyboardist sits behind the electric piano he’s directed to by John Lennon. They fall right into “Don’t Let Me Down” and off it goes from there. Ringo Starr points out that “Billy had a better idea for the riff,” adding he “never put his hands in the wrong place.” For all the success Preston experienced before and after, his time with The Beatles was likely the most satisfying. And, according to Olivia Harrison, one of the film’s executive producers, her husband and Preston were especially close, as evidenced by the recording and touring they did together. That comes full circle later.
Preston’s upbringing without a father resulted in, as we learn, his mother Robbie taking the reins, relocating herself and her family to Los Angeles, where they became active in the local Baptist church. It was at church where Billy Preston blossomed into a musician. From the young age of 5, he began his ascent. Gloria Jones and Blinky Williams, singers with the Cogics, a popular gospel group a young Preston briefly with, speak fondly about him throughout the documentary. Jones styles herself as an older sister of his.
At 11, he played a young W.C. Handy (aka the Father of the Blues) in the 1958 movie St. Louis Blues starring Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Pearl Bailey. There’s one delightful clip from a television show we see from around the same time period when Preston plays his own song “Billy’s Boogie” for Nat King Cole. By the looks, he was already on his way to connecting with music’s biggest legends.
Then there was the dark side.
Friend and writer David Ritz, who’s penned biographies about Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, says he attempted to get personal with Preston for a book they talked about writing. The musician shied away. Preston’s personal struggles, which he mostly kept to himself, were on full display after the accolades stopped.
We get the dirty details in full — the drug abuse, his arrest and conviction (house arrest and 90-days probation) in the early 90s for sexual assault, along with drug and weapons charges, followed by a spell in prison in 1997 for cocaine. As if that wasn’t enough, Preston was charged for fraud while in prison. His friend Tony Jones says in the film that Preston never wanted to talk about any of his troubles, speculating “one thing or another thing haunted him.”
Speculation and wonder — from Preston being sexually assaulted when he was a teenager on the road with Little Richard, to statements like “Billy was attracted to women, but didn’t really date them or men; he was lonely,” to his love for Courvoisier and cocaine — is heavy in this documentary, with little input from Preston himself. From what one can conclude, he battled demons, some of it around his sexuality, which he struggled to keep private in showbiz circles, choosing instead to align his passion for music with his strong faith and spiritual beliefs. “I believe my talent was a God-given gift,” Preston remarks at one point.
To truly to get a sense of how much music kept Preston going, all you have to do is watch him in action as he takes over the lead vocal from Eric Clapton on “Isn’t It A Pity” at the Concert for George in 2002. This led to more opportunities including a tour with Clapton and winning a Grammy for his final recording of “You Are So Beautiful” with Sam Moore. A relapse and other health issues resulted in his unfortunate passing at 59 in 2006.
Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned equitably sums up a life filled with incredible highs and catastrophic lows. Watching this film, you can’t but recognize just how much Billy Preston, despite his very human flaws, gave to music, the people he worked with, the songs he played on, the songs he wrote, the tours, the influence he had others. For that alone, he deserves a standing ovation.
~ Shawn Perry
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