Tag Archives: Billy Preston

Ringo Starr: Ringo

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On November 2, 1973, “Apple” label released “Ringo”, the third Ringo Starr studio album. It was recorded March – July 1973, at “Apple” and “EMI” in London, “Sunset Sound”, “A&M”, “Burbank”, “Sound Lab”, “Producers Workshop” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Richard Perry.

Personnel:

  • Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, percussion
  • George Harrison – acoustic and electric guitar, backing vocals
  • Vini Poncia – acoustic and electric guitar, percussion, backing vocals
  • Jimmy Calvert – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Steve Cropper – electric guitar
  • Robbie Robertson – electric guitar
  • Marc Bolan – guitar
  • Levon Helm – mandolin
  • David Bromberg – banjo, fiddle
  • James Booker – piano
  • Nicky Hopkins – piano
  • Tom Hensley – piano
  • Paul McCartney – “kazoo” vocal solo, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals, flute and strings arrangements
  • John Lennon – piano, backing vocals
  • Billy Preston – organ, piano
  • Garth Hudson – accordion
  • Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
  • Rick Danko – fiddle
  • Jim Keltner – drums
  • Milt Holland – percussion, marimba
  • Lon & Derrek Van Eaton – percussion
  • Tom Scott – horns, arrangements
  • Chuck Findley – horns
  • Bobby Keys – saxophone
  • Linda McCartney – backing vocals
  • Harry Nilsson – backing vocals
  • Martha Reeves – backing vocals
  • Merry Clayton – backing vocals
  • Richard Perry – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. I’m the Greatest – John Lennon
  2. Have You Seen My Baby – Randy Newman
  3. Photograph – Richard Starkey, George Harrison
  4. Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond) – George Harrison
  5. You’re Sixteen – Bob Sherman, Dick Sherman
  6. Oh My My – Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
  7. Step Lightly – Graham Starkey
  8. Six O’Clock – Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney
  9. Devil Woman – Graham Starkey, Vini Poncia
  10. You and Me (Babe) – George Harrison, Mal Evans

Sam Cooke: Night Beat

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In August 1963, “RCA Victor” label released “Night Beat”, the tenth Sam Cooke studio album. It was recorded in February 1963, at “RCA Studios” in Hollywood, and was produced by Hugo & Luigi.

Personnel:

  • Sam Cooke – vocals, arrangements
  • René Hall – guitar, conducting
  • Clifton White, Barney Kessel – guitar
  • Ray Johnson – piano
  • Billy Preston – organ
  • Cliff Hils – bass guitar
  • Sharky Hall – drums, tambourin
  • Hal Blaine – drums
  • Dave Hassinger – recording

Track listing:

  1. Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen – traditional
  2. Lost and Lookin’ – James W. Alexander, Lowell Jordan
  3. Mean Old World – Sam Cooke
  4. Please Don’t Drive Me Away – Charles Brown, Jesse Ervin
  5. I Lost Everything – Ella Tate
  6. Get Yourself Another Fool – Ernest Monroe Tucker, Frank A. Haywood
  7. Little Red Rooster – Willie Dixon
  8. Laughin’ and Clownin’ – Sam Cooke
  9. Trouble Blues – Charles Brown
  10. You Gotta Move – traditional
  11. Fool’s Paradise – Johnny Fuller, Robert Geddins, David Avid
  12. Shake, Rattle and Roll – Charles Calhoun

Aretha Franklin: Live At Fillmore West

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On May 19, 1971, “Atlantic” label released “Aretha Live at Fillmore West”, the third Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded in March 1971, at “Filmore West Concert Hall”, in San Francsico, and was produced by Jerry Wexler.

Personnel:

  • Aretha Franklin – vocals, Fender Rhodes
  • Cornell Dupree – guitar
  • Truman Thomas – piano
  • Ray Charles – piano
  • Billy Preston – organ
  • Jerry Jemmott – bass
  • Bernard Purdie – drums
  • Pancho Morales – congas
  • King Curtis – saxophone, orchestra leader
  • Memphis Horns – horns
  • Brenda Bryant, Margaret Branch, Pat Smith – backing vocals
  • Arif Mardin – horn arrangements
  • Larry Wilcox – horn arrangements
  • Tom Dowd – horn arrangements

Track listing:

  1. Respect – Otis Redding
  2. Love the One Youy’re With – Stephen Stills
  3. Bridge Over Troubled Water – Paul Simon
  4. Eleanor Rigby – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  5. Make It with You – David Gates
  6. Don’t Play That Song – Ahmet Ertegun, Betty Nelson
  7. Dr. Feelgood – Aretha Franklin
  8. Spirit in the Dark – Aretha Franklin
  9. Spirit in the Dark (reprise with Ray Charles) – Aretha Franklin
  10. Reach Out and Touch – Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson

Billy Preston: Encouraging Words

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On September 11, 1970, “Apple” label released “Encouraging Words”, the fifth Billy Preston studio album. It was recorded February – December 1969 – April 1970, at “trident Studios” and “Olympic Sound Studios” in London, and was produced by George Harrison and Billy Preston.

Personnel:

  • Billy Preston – lead and backing vocals, organ, piano, electric piano, harmonica, backing vocals
  • George Harrison – electric guitar, Moog synthesizer, backing vocals
  • Eric Clapton – electric guitar
  • Delaney Bramlett – electric guitar, backing vocals
  • Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
  • Carl Radle – bass guitar
  • Jim Gordon – drums
  • Ringo Starr – drums
  • Bobby Keys – saxophones
  • Jim Price – trumpet, trombone, horn arrangements
  • The Edwin Hawkins Singers – backing vocals
  • Members of the Temptations’ tour band – electric guitar, bass guitar, drums
  • Members of Sam & Dave’s tour band – bass guitar, drums
  • Richard Polak – photography

Track listing:                                                                                                            

All tracks by Billy Preston, except where noted.

  1. Right Now
  2. Little Girl
  3. Use What You Got
  4. My Sweet Lord – George Harrison
  5. Let the Music Play – Billy Preston, Joe Greene, Jesse Kirkland
  6. The Same Thing Again – Billy Preston, James Herndon
  7. I’ve Got a Feeling – John Lennon and Paul McCartney
  8. Sing One for the Lord – George Harrison, Billy Preston
  9. When You Are Mine
  10. I Don’t Want You to Pretend
  11. Encouraging Words
  12. All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
  13. You’ve Been Acting Strange – Ronnie Lee Williams

Donny Hathaway: Extension Of A Man

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On June 18, 1973, “Atco” label released “Extension of a Man”, the fourth and final Donny Hathaway studio album. It was recorded October – November 1972, at “A&R”, “Bell Sound”, “Regent Sound” and “Atlantic” in New York City, “Universal” in Chicago, and was produced by Arif Mardin.

Personnel:

  • Donny Hathaway – lead vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, all pianos, Hammond organ, keyboards, bass, arrangements
  • Cornell Dupree – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Hugh McCracken – banjo, guitar
  • Willie Weeks, Russ Savakus, Stanley Clarke, Gordon Edwards – bass
  •  Grady Tate, Fred White, Rick Marotta, Ray Lucas – drums
  • Ralph MacDonald – percussion
  • Emanuel Green, Harry Lookofsky, Julien Barber, Noel DaCosta, Sanford Allen, Theodore Israel – violin
  • Charles McCracken, George Ricci, Kermit Moore – cello
  • Gloria Agostini – harp 
  • David Newman – saxophone
  • Marvin Stamm, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal – trumpet
  • Dominick Gravine, Garnett Brown, Paul Faulise, Wayne Andre, Tony Studd, Garnett Brown – trombone
  • Hubert Laws – flute
  • Don Butterfield – tuba
  • Phil Bodner – clarinet, alto saxophone
  • Seldon Powell – clarinet, reeds, tenor saxophone
  • Vincent Abato – clarinet
  • Romeo Penque, William Slapin – reeds
  • Jim Buffington, Julius Watkins, Tony Miranda – French horn
  • Henry Schuman – oboe
  • Myrna Summers & The Interdenominational Singers – choir 
  • Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell, Jimmy Douglass, Mario “Big M” Medious, Richard Wells, William “Mac” McCollum – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Donny Hathaway, except where noted.

  1. I Love the Lord; He Heard My Cry (Parts I & II)
  2. Someday We’ll All Be Free – Donny Hathaway, Edward Howard
  3. Flying Easy
  4. Valdez in the Country
  5. I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know – Al Kooper
  6. Come Little Children
  7. Love, Love, Love – J.R. Bailey, Ken Williams
  8. The Slums
  9. Magdalena – Danny O’Keefe
  10. I Know It’s You – Leon Ware
  11. Lord Help Me – Joe Greene, Billy Preston

Ray Charles: Sweet & Sour Tears

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In March 1964, “ABC” label released “Sweet & Sour Tears”, the 20th Ray Charles album. It was recorded in 1964, and was produced by Sid Feller and Ray Charles.

Personnel:

  • Ray Charles – vocals, keyboards
  • Billy Preston – electric organ
  • Gene Lowell Singers – backing vocals
  • Calvin Jackson, Sid Feller – arrangements
  • Bill Putnam, Phil Macy – engineer
  • Joe Lebow – design
  • Howard Morehead – photography

Track listing:

  1. Cry – Churchill Kohlman
  2. Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry – Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne
  3. A Tear Fell – Eugene Randolph, Dorian Burton
  4. No One to Cry To – Sid Robin, Foy Glenn Willing
  5. You’ve Got Me Crying Again – Isham Jones, Charles Newman
  6. After My Laughter Came Tears – Charles Tobias, Roy Turk
  7. Teardrops from My Eyes – Rudolph Toombs
  8. Don’t Cry Baby – Saul Bernie, James P. Johnson, Stella Unger
  9. Cry Me a River – Arthur Hamilton
  10. Baby, Don’t You Cry – Buddy Johnson, Ned Washington
  11. Willow, Weep for Me – Ann Ronell
  12. I Cried for You – Arthur Freed, Abe Lyman, Gus Arnheim

Ringo Starr: Goodnight Vienna

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On November 15, 1974, “Apple” label released “Goodnight Vienna”, the fourth Ringo Starr studio album. It was recorded in August 1974, at “Sunset Sound” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Richard Perry.

Personnel:

  • Ringo Starr – lead vocals, drums, percussion
  • John Lennon – piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Vini Poncia – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Richard Bennett – electric guitar
  • Dennis Coffey – guitars
  • Steve Cropper – electric guitar
  • Jesse Ed Davis – electric guitar
  • Robbie Robertson – guitars
  • Alvin Robinson – guitar
  • Lon Van Eaton – guitars
  • Dr. John – piano, backing vocals
  • Elton John – piano
  • David Foster – piano
  • Tom Hensley – electric piano
  • Nicky Hopkins – electric piano
  • Lincoln Mayorga – piano
  • Billy Preston – electric piano, clavinet
  • James Newton Howard – synthesizer
  • Gary Wright – keyboards
  • Carl Fortina – accordion
  • Klaus Voormann – bass guitar
  • Richard Perry – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Jim Keltner – drums
  • Chuck Findley – horns
  • Bobby Keys – horns
  • Trevor Lawrence – horns
  • Lew McCreary – horns
  • Steve Madaio – trumpet
  • Madeline Bell – backing vocals
  • Lesley Duncan – backing vocals
  • Jean Gilbert – backing vocals
  • Jimmy Gilstrap – backing vocals
  • Joe Greene – backing vocals
  • Ira Hawkins – backing vocals
  • Clydie King – backing vocals
  • Linda Lawrence – backing vocals
  • Harry Nilsson – backing vocals
  • May Pang – backing vocals
  • Masst Alberts – backing vocals
  • Derrek Van Eaton – backing vocals
  • Cynthia Webb – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. (It’s All Down to) Goodnight Vienna – John Lennon
  2. Occapella – Allen Toussaint
  3. Oo-Wee – Vini Poncia, Richard Starkey
  4. Husbands and Wives – Roger Miller
  5. Snookeroo – Elton John, Bernie Taupin
  6. All by Myself – Vini Poncia, Richard Starkey
  7. Call Me – Richard Starkey
  8. No No Song – Hoyt Axton, David Jackson
  9. Only You – Buck Ram
  10. Easy for Me – Harry Nilsson
  11. Goodnight Vienna (reprise) – John Lennon

George Harrison

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On November 29, 2001, George Harrison died aged 58. He was musician (guitar), singer, songwriter, and music and movie producer, lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Beatles. His interest in folk music and especially in Indian music had serious influence on the band’s Hindu-aligned spirituality in the later years. Some of his songs composed for the band include “Here Comes the Sun”, “Something”, “Taxman”, “Within You Without You”, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. After The Beatles broke-up in 1970, Harrison released the album “All Things Must Pass” which included the track “My Sweet Lord”, his most successful single, and the first solo single by any member of The Beatles that sold over million copies. In 1971, together with Ravi Shankar he organized “Concert for Bangladesh”, the first big benefit concert in the music history. In 1974, Harrison founded the music label “Dark Horse Records”, and co-founded movie label “Hand Made Films” in 1978. In 1988, with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, he co-founded the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys. As a guitarist he recorded for Badfinger, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, Randy Newman, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, and Tom Petty. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Harrison at number 11 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. In 1988, as a member of The Beatles he was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2004, posthumously for his solo career. As leader, Harrison released twelve studio and two live albums.

Billy Preston: I Wrote a Simple Song

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On November 8, 1971, “A&M” label released “I Wrote a Simple Song”, the sixth Billy Preston studio album. It was recorded February, August and September 1971, at “A&M Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Billy Preston.

Personnel:

  • Billy Preston – vocals, piano, Hammond organ, keyboards
  • David T. Walker – electric guitar
  • George Harrison – guitar, dobro
  • Manuel Kellough – drums
  • King Errisson – congas, percussion
  • Rocky Peoples – tenor saxophone
  • Carlos Garnette – trumpet
  • Quincy Jones – string and horn arrangements
  • Clydie King, Douglas Gibbs, Duane Rogers, Eugene Bryant, Jesse Kirkland, Merry Clayton, Myrna Matthews, Patrice Holloway, Sherrell Atwood, Venetta Fields – backing vocals,
  • Tommy Vicari – engineer
  • Roland Young – art direction
  • Jim McCrary – photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Billy Preston and Joe Green, except where noted.

  1. Should Have Known Better
  2. I Wrote a Simple Song
  3. John Henry – Billy Preston, Robert Sam
  4. Without a Song – William Rose, Edward Eliscu, Vincent Youmans
  5. The Bus
  6. Outa-Space
  7. The Looner Tune – Billy Preston, Joe Greene, Jesse Kirkland
  8. You Done Got Older – Billy Preston, Bruce Fisher
  9. Swing Down Chariot – traditional; arranged by Billy Preston, Joe Greene
  10. God Is Great
  11. My Country, ‘Tis of Thee – traditional

Ike Turner: A Black Man’s Soul

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In May 1969, “Pompeii Records” released “A Black Man’s Soul”, the third Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm album. It was recorded in 1969,  and was produced by Ike Turner and Tina Turner.

Personnel:

  • Ike Turner – guitar, piano
  • Tina Turner – vocals
  • Jesse Knight – guitar
  • Fred Sample, Billy Preston – piano
  • Mack Johnson – drums
  • Tommy “Teasky” Tribble – percussion
  • Washee – saxophone
  • Jesse Heron – trombone
  • Loring Eutemey – design

Track listing:

All tracks by Ike Turner; except where noted.

  1. Thinking Black
  2. Black Beauty
  3. Ghetto Funk
  4. Blacks’ Alley – Oliver Sain
  5. Black Angel – Oliver Sain
  6. Getting Nasty
  7. Funky Mule – Marvin Holmes
  8. Philly Dog – Rufus Thomas
  9. Scotty Souling
  10. Up Hard – Art Miller
  11. Nuttin’ Up
  12. Freedom Sound