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It's advantageous to get an early start on your chosen career, but Billy Preston took the concept to extremes. By age ten, he was playing keyboards with gospel diva Mahalia Jackson, and two years later, in 1958, he was featured in Hollywood's film bio of W. C. Handy, St. Louis Blues, as young Handy himself. Preston was a prodigy on organ and piano, recording during the early 60s for Vee-Jay and touring with Little Richard. He was a loose-limbed regular on the mid-60s ABC-TV "Shindig" series, proving his talent as both vocalist and pianist, and he built an enviable reputation as a session musician, even backing the Beatles on their Get Back and Let It Be albums. That impressive Beatles connection led to Preston's big break as a solo artist with his own Apple album, but it was his early-70s soul smashes "Outa-Space" and the high-flying vocal "Will It Go Round in Circles" for A&M that put Preston on the permanent musical map. Sporting a humongous Afro and an omnipresent gap-toothed grin, Preston showed that his enduring gospel roots were never far removed from his joyous approach, less so now than ever.
The crystalline ballad, "With You I'm Born Again" by Billy Preston & Syreeta was
included on the soundtrack of the 1979 movie "Fast Break" starring comedian
Gabriel Kaplan of the hit ABC-TV sitcom, "Welcome Back Kotter". The single was
a radical departure for Preston who had hits with funky keyboard-based
million-selling Billboard-charting rockers as "Outa Space", #1 R&B, #2 Pop,
spring 1972, "Will It Go Round In Circles", #10 R&B, #1 Pop for two weeks,
spring 1973, "Space Race", #1 R&B, #4 Pop, fall 1973 and "Nothing From Nothing",
#8 R&B, #1 Pop for summer 1974.
Born Rita Wright in Pittsburgh, PA, Syreeta started working at Motown as a secretary and background vocalist in the mid 60s. Staff producers/songwriters Ashford and Simpson produced her first single, 1967's "I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You", a UK Northern Soul favorite. Motown artist Stevie Wonder who encouraged her budding songwriting skills. She co-wrote Wonder's hit, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered(I'm Yours)", #1 R&B for six weeks, #3 Pop, summer 1970. They were married on September 14, 1970. Wonder produced her Motown LPs "Syreeta" [MoWest, 1972], "Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta" [1974], "Harm Our Love" [1975] The latter yielded two singles, "Your Kiss Is Sweet", a UK hit and "Harmour Love", #75 R&B, summer 1975. It wasn't until "With You I'm Born Again", a duet with singer/keyboardist Billy Preston, that the singer enjoyed her first big hit, #4 Pop, #86 R&B, early 1980.
The duo charted again with "One More Time For Love", #72 R&B, #52 Pop, summer 1980.Syreeta recorded several Motown albums: "One to One" (Tamla, 1977), "Rich Love Poor Love" (1977), "Syreeta" [1980], "Set My Love in Motion" (1981), "Billy Preston & Syreeta" (1981), none approached the success of "With You I'm Born Again". After a hiatus, Syreeta began recording with British producer Ian Levine (Barbara Pennington) on his Motor City label in the latter part of the 80s, which included duet sessions with Billy Preston.
After much-publicized drug problems, Preston had a recurring role on the late 90s UPN-TV series, "Good News" (along with another singer/ keyboardist D.J. Rogers, "Say You Love Me"), which was similar to the 80s NBC-TV series, "Amen" with Clifton Davis and Sherman Hemsley ("The Jeffersons"). Motown released "The Best of Syreeta" in 1981.With You I'm Born Again" is included on the compilations, "Back On My Feet" Again" (Loud Records, 1998).
