The Beatles are famously known as The Fab Four.
But every once in a while, an icon so legendary comes along -- their contributions so essential -- they can’t be ignored and are ultimately branded The Fifth Beatle.
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Rising to fame in the ’60s, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison partnered with and took inspiration from so many artists along the way, giving credit to those who helped turn the decade into Beatlemania-swept chaos.
A few of those names are drummer Pete Best, record producer George Martin, and manager Brian Epstein, along with wives Linda McCartney and Yoko Ono. That said, according to Rock Cellar magazine, there is a definitive Fifth Beatle who turns up the volume on greatness.
The Best Fifth Beatle of All Time
Bill Preston, a keyboard prodigy whose sound encompasses soul, R&B, rock, funk, and gospel, is the outlet’s No. 1 pick for Fifth Beatle.
View this post on InstagramBorn in Houston, Texas, Preston met the Englishmen from Liverpool in Hamburg, Germany, in 1962. Just 16 at the time, he was playing the organ in Little Richard’s band for a concert The Beatles were opening. Impressed by his talent, the guys sparked up a friendship with the teen.
Preston can be seen collaborating throughout the years on Beatles projects. He appears in archived footage, shot by Michael Lindsay-Hogg in 1969 at Apple Studio in London, rocking out with the guys on Let It Be. For those sessions, Preston contributed sound on the organ, electric piano, and with his own vocals.
“That swirling keyboard on ‘Get Back’? That’s Billy. His magic lifts ‘Don’t Let Me Down,’ ‘Something,’ and ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ into another dimension. His funky Rhodes and gospel feel brought a new groove to the Beatles’ sound. Billy Preston didn’t just sit in. He became part of the band—if only for a little while,” Abbey Road Tribute shared on Facebook.
Preston also played the piano during the very last performance of the original core four at Apple Corps. on Jan. 30, 1969, Rock Cellar shared.
Need further convincing? When the Beatles released Get Back, the label read: The Beatles With Billy Preston, with the prodigy serving as “the only musician to be rewarded by the band with a co-credit on the label,” The Guardian reported.
If it were up to Lennon, he'd give the Grammy-winning soul musician the holy title. In fact, he did so during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions, saying, “He’s the only person who could play with us and not get in the way.”
In 1978, Preston portrayed the titular character in the movie musicalSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and he appeared in the 2021 miniseriesThe Beatles: Get Backdirected by The Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson. That same year, Preston was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Ringo Starr.
“Billy Preston is an essential part of the fabric of rock & roll,” Rock Hall wrote. “He blazed a path with the smoking sounds of his B3 organ, the funky rhythms of his clavinet, and the exciting tones of his gospel-inspired vocals and piano.”
In 2024, Preston was the subject of his own spotlight documentary, Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It, which Rolling Stone called “a portrait about a gifted musician who deserves to be remembered.”
Tragically, Preston died in 2006 at the young age of 59 from kidney failure after battling chronic health issues and spending eight months in a coma. The New York Times wrote that his music was “pure joy” and his life ended too soon.
Fifth Beatle Honorable Mentions
Neil Aspinall and Derek Taylor, trusted associates of The Beatles, came in second on the publication’s list, with Jullian Lennon and Dhani Harrison, the sons of John and George, taking the third spot. The wives and George Martin rounded out the top five.
Related: 1967 Track Named ‘Best Song’ From ‘The Ultimate Rock Star’
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