George Harrison's Wife Olivia Explains the Magical Connection Between Him and 'Fifth Beatle' Billy Preston

Mar. 15, 2025

Left: Billy Preston in 1972; Right: George Harrison in 1963.Photo:Getty(2)

Getty(2)

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’sAbbey Roadand 1970’sLet It Be.

It was love at first note when Preston started playing the electric piano during the 1969Let It Besessions, 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.

Olivia Harrison, along with former BeatleRingo Starr,Eric Claptonand Sam and Dave’s Sam Moore are all featured in the documentary, sharing memories of the man they called a colleague and friend.

George Harrison and Olivia Harrison in 1981.AP Photo

“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.”

Billy Preston (left) and George Harrison in 1974.David Hume Kennerly/Getty

David Hume Kennerly/Getty

“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 albumAll Things Must Passand his 1971The Concert for Bangladeshlive album.

Meanwhile Harrison co-produced Preston’s 1970 albumEncouraging 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 Itwill 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 streamBilly Preston: That’s the Way God Planned Itonline (from Nov. 21 until Dec. 1) are availablehere.

source: people.com