George Harrison's Wife Olivia Explains the Magical Connection Between Him and 'Fifth Beatle' Billy Preston
Olivia Harrison talks about the close friendship her late husband had with Preston in the documentary 'Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It'
Singer-songwriter-keyboardist Billy Preston rubbed shoulders with musical royalty during his many decades as a working musician, including the Beatles on their final two albums as a group, 1969's Abbey Road and 1970's Let It Be.
It was love at first note when Preston started playing the electric piano during the 1969 Let It Be sessions, which led John Lennon to deem him "like a fifth Beatle." But Preston had an especially close bond with the quiet Beatle that continued long after the group disbanded in 1970.
Preston's relationship with George Harrison is discussed by one of the people who knew Harrison best — his widow Olivia Harrison — in the new documentary Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It, premiering Nov. 17 at the DOC NYC festival. The film is directed by Paris Barclay, whose credits include Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and produced by Stephanie Allain, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Nigel Sinclair and Cheo Hodari Coker.
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Olivia Harrison, along with former Beatle Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Sam and Dave's Sam Moore are all featured in the documentary, sharing memories of the man they called a colleague and friend.
“I think George and Billy connected in a way the others didn’t," Olivia, 76, says in the film. "He was certain of Billy the moment he laid eyes on him. He saw him, and I think Billy saw George, and somehow, they recognized each other, and they really saw who they were. And I think that’s what kept them together.”
Preston played the Hammond organ on "Something," the No. 1 single from the Abbey Road album that was written and sung by Harrison. In return, Harrison produced Preston's 1969 single "That's the Way God Planned It," which gives the documentary its title.
"That song came about after we had cut 'Let It Be,' " Preston recalls in an audio clip while discussing the making of the single from the album of the same name, his first of two LPs released on the Beatles' Apple Records. "It was inspired by 'Let It Be.' I was down in the studio and started playing, and the song came to me."
"I played it to George — he loved it, and he said, 'Oh, I'll just invite some friends over to play on it," Preston continues. "So in comes Eric Clapton. Keith Richards played bass on it. Ginger Baker played drums. Man, we just had a ball in that studio. It was just great."
After the break-up of the Beatles in 1970, Preston and Harrison maintained a close working relationship. Preston appeared on Harrison's landmark 1970 solo album All Things Must Pass and his 1971 The Concert for Bangladesh live album.
Related: George Harrison's Star-Studded 'Concert for Bangladesh' Live Album Available for Streaming at Last
Meanwhile Harrison co-produced Preston's 1970 album Encouraging Words, which featured a track the pair wrote together ("Sing One for the Lord") and the first released version of Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," which became a solo No. 1 hit for the ex-Beatle several months later.
Preston died in 2006 at age 59, five years after Harrison died in 2001 at age 58.
“Billy Preston’s legacy is simply that, despite his personal struggles, he sat in and made everyone around him better — the Beatles, the Stones, Aretha, Elton, Eric Clapton and Barbra Streisand, just to name a few," director Barclay tells PEOPLE, "and made his own Top 10 hits while he was at it.”
Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It will premiere at DOC NYC — the largest documentary film festival in the U.S. — on Nov. 17. Tickets to attend the in-person event, or to stream Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It online (from Nov. 21 until Dec. 1) are available here.