Billy Preston › Similar Artists

Jackie Lomax - 100% match to Billy Preston

10 May 1944, Wallasey, Merseyside, England. A former vocalist with the 60s beat group the Undertakers, Lomax began a new career in America when this respected Liverpool unit disbanded. Spells with two short-lived bands, the Mersey Lads and the Lost Souls, preceded a return to England where the singer worked with his own group, the Lomax Alliance, and as a solo act. Two stron Read more

Joe Brown - 95% match to Billy Preston

Joseph Roger Brown, 13 May 1941, Swarby, Lincolnshire, England. Brown has sustained a career for over 40 years as a cheerful ‘cockney’ rock ‘n’ roll singer and guitarist. He was a popular live and television performer in the late 50s, a major UK recording star in the early 60s and is still a well-loved personality into the new millennium.

Read more

Badfinger - 79% match to Billy Preston

Originally signed to Apple Records as the Iveys, Pete Ham (27 April 1947, Swansea, Wales, d. 24 April 1975, Weybridge, Surrey, England; vocals), Mike Gibbins (b. Michael Gibbins, 12 March 1949, Swansea, Wales, d. 4 October 2005, Florida, USA; drums), Tom Evans (b. Thomas Evans, 5 June 1947, Liverpool, England, d. 19 November 1983, Surrey, England; guitar) and Ron Griffiths ( Read more

Mary Hopkin - 74% match to Billy Preston

3 May 1950, Pontardawe, Glamorganshire, Wales. Hopkin’s career began while she was still a schoolgirl. Briefly a member of a local folk rock band, she completed several Welsh-language releases before securing a slot on the televised talent show, Opportunity Knocks. Fashion model Twiggy was so impressed by Hopkin’s performance she recommended the singer to Paul McCa Read more

George Harrison - 61% match to Billy Preston

25 February 1943, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, d. 29 November 2001, Los Angeles, California, USA. As the youngest member of the Beatles, Harrison was constantly overshadowed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Although ‘Don’t Bother Me’ (With The Beatles), ‘I Need You’ (Help!) and ‘If I Needed Someone’ (Rubber Soul) revealed a considerabl Read more

Ringo Starr - 50% match to Billy Preston

Richard Henry Parkin Starkey, 7 July 1940, Dingle, Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Starkey established his reputation on the nascent Merseybeat circuit as drummer with Rory Storm And The Hurricanes. He later became acquainted with the Beatles, and having established a lively rapport with three of the group, became the natural successor to the taciturn Pete Best upon his fir Read more

Ohio Players - 48% match to Billy Preston

Formed in Dayton, Ohio, USA, this multi-talented unit originated from four members of the Ohio Untouchables, saxophonists Ralph ‘Pee Wee’ Middlebrooks and Clarence ‘Satch’ Satchell, bass player Marshall Jones and guitarist Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner. The Ohio Untouchables forged a reputation as a powerful instrumental group by providing the backing t Read more

Jeff Lynne - 44% match to Billy Preston

30 December 1947, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Lynne’s long and varied musical career began in 1966 when he joined the Nightriders, a popular beat group still reeling from the loss of their leader, Mike Sheridan, and guitarist, Roy Wood. Having completed all contractual obligations, the band took the name, Idle Race and, under Lynne’s guidance, became a leadi Read more

Jimmy McGriff - 42% match to Billy Preston

James Herrell, 3 April 1936, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Encouraged by a musical home environment (both his parents were pianists), by the time he left school, McGriff played not only piano but bass, vibes, drums and saxophone. He played with Archie Shepp, Reggie Workman, Charles Earland and Donald Bailey in his youth, but after two years as an military policeman in the Read more

Donny Hathaway - 40% match to Billy Preston

1 October 1945, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 13 January 1979, New York City, New York, USA. Originally schooled in the gospel tradition, this versatile artist was raised in St. Louis and majored in musical theory at Howard University in Washington DC. He performed in a cocktail jazz trio before gaining employment as a producer with Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records. A duet Read more

Leon Russell - 40% match to Billy Preston

Claude Russell Bridges, 2 April 1942, Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. The many talents of Russell include that of singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, entrepreneur, record company executive and multi-instrumentalist. While he tasted great honours as a solo star in the early 70s, it is his all-round contribution, much of it in the background, that has made him a vitally important f Read more

Wilson Pickett - 37% match to Billy Preston

18 March 1941, Prattville, Alabama, USA, d. 19 January 2006, Reston, Virginia, USA. The ‘wicked Pickett’ was one of the great southern soul singers to emerge during the 60s. Pickett moved to Detroit, Michigan in his early teens. He joined gospel group the Violinaires and embarked on church tours throughout North America. In his late teens he graduated to secular mu Read more

Doris Troy - 36% match to Billy Preston

Doris Higginsen, 6 January 1937, the Bronx, New York City, New York, USA, d. 16 February 2004, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The daughter of a Barbadian Pentecostal preacher, Doris Higginsen abandoned her gospel beginnings in favour of a jazz group, the Halos. She recorded as half of Jay And Dee and soon also began making her mark as a songwriter, using her grandmother’s name Read more

The Chi-Lites - 35% match to Billy Preston

Formed in Chicago in 1960 and originally called the Hi-Lites, the group featured Eugene Record (23 December 1940, Chicago, Illinois, USA, d. 22 July 2005, Chicago, Illinois, USA), Robert Lester (b. 1942, McComb, Mississippi, USA), Creadel Jones (b. 1939, St. Louis, Missouri, USA) and Marshall Thompson (b. April 1941, Chicago, Illinois, USA). Imbued with the tradition of doo- Read more

The Rutles - 34% match to Billy Preston

The product of satirists Neil Innes (9 December 1944, Danbury, Essex, England) and Eric Idle (b. 29 March 1943, South Shields, Tyne And Wear, England), formerly of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and the comedy team Monty Python’s Flying Circus respectively, the Rutles was an affectionate and perceptive parody of the Beatles’ career. The project is now rightly regarded, Read more