Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It (2024)
With his signature gospel sound on the Hammond B3, Billy Preston doublehandedly elevated the greatest artists of his time – from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, from Aretha Franklin to Eric Clapton, from Ray Charles to Barbra Streisand to Sly and the Family Stone. In our film, we explore Billy's career and influence on generations of musicians, as he scored several number one hits of his own and became one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. He did all of this as a soul divided -- by his deep roots in the church, in constant conflict with his identity as a gay Black man, searching for a family of his own that would accept him for who he was.
Cast and Crew:
Director(s):
Writer(s):
Paris Barclay, Cheo Hodari Coker
Starring:
Billy Preston, Billy Porter, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Gloria Jones, Olivia Harrison, Suzanne De Passe, Merry Clayton, Robert Ellis Silberstein, Thomas Vicari, Sam Moore, Glyn Johns, Tony Jones, Bruce Fisher, Sandra Crouch, Bill Maxwell, Manuel Kellough, Robert Margouleff, Cory Henry, Don Mizell, Bobby Watson, Sondra Williams, Joyce Moore, Valerie Ervin, Keni Burke
Producer(s):
Wesley Adams, Stephanie Allain, Paris Barclay, Lizzie Brown, Brad Buss, Debbie Buss, Jonathan Clyde, Steven H. Cohen, Cheo Hodari Coker, Ian Darling, Sophia Dilley, Geralyn White Dreyfous, John Driscoll, Lauren Driscoll, Ryan Everitt, Nicholas Ferrall, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Paula M. Froehle, Meadow Fund, Meghan Geier, Jody Gerson, Marie Therese Guirgis, Lauren Haber, Olivia Harrison, Cassidy Hartmann, Charles Hopkins, Brendan Kaplan, John Keller, Michelle Keller, Dave Knott, Kelsey Koenig, Jeffrey Lurie, K. Nicole Mills, Ben J. Murphy, Brittany Nisco, Julia Palermo, Scott Pascucci, David Peck, Patty Quillin, Jenny Raskin, Bruce Resnikoff, G. Marq Roswell, Patrick Mark Ryan, Regina K. Scully, Daniel Shaw, Nigel Sinclair, Jane Solomon, Michael Tamburrino, Andrew Trapani, Bobby Valentine, Erikka Yancy
Release Info:
Release Date: February 20, 2026 (USA) | Length: 105 min | Genre: Biography, History, Music | MPAA Rating: Unknown | Note(s): Was to premiere at SXSW on March 8, 2024 pending a lawsuit.
Media:
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