The Way I Am (Billy Preston album)
Encyclopedia
The Way I Am is the fourteenth studio album by Billy Preston
, released in 1981.
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, released in 1981.
Track listing
- "Hope" (Bob Esty, Paul Jabara) – 3:19
- "Good Life Boogie" (Preston) – 4:17
- "Keep On Truckin" (Frank Wilson, Leonard Caston, Jr.Leonard Caston, Jr.Leonard Caston, Jr. is an American rhythm and blues songwriter, record producer, pianist and singer. He recorded for both the Chess and Motown labels in the 1960s and 1970s, and co-wrote or co-produced several major hit records, including Mitty Collier's "I Had A Talk With My Man" , The Supremes'...
, Anita Poree) – 4:25 - "A Change Is Gonna ComeA Change Is Gonna Come (song)"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
" (Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
) – 3:57 - "Lay Your Feelings On Me" (Kay & Helen Lewis) – 4:20
- "I Won't Mistreat Your Love" (Preston, Bruce FisherBruce FisherBruce Fisher is an American songwriter, record producer, playwright and guitarist best known for his collaborations with Billy Preston.-Career:Born January 8, 1951, in Washington D.C., Fisher was raised in Chicago, Illinois, by his grandmother...
) – 3:57 - "Baby I'm Yours" (Van McCoyVan McCoyVan Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...
) – 3:18 - "Until Then" (Preston, Jesse Kirkland, Joe Greene) – 3:34
- "The Way I Am" (David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
) – 4:55
Personnel
- Billy Preston: Piano, keyboards, Hammond organ, vocals.
- Bobby KimballBobby KimballRobert Troy "Bobby" Kimball is an American singer, best known as the longtime frontman of the rock band Toto.- Early life:...
: Backing vocals. - Steve LukatherSteve LukatherSteve "Luke" Lukather is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer best known for his work with the rock band Toto. Lukather has played with many artists, released several solo albums, and worked as a composer, arranger, and session guitarist on more than 1,500 albums...
: Guitars. - David PaichDavid PaichDavid Frank Paich is a session musician, keyboard player, recording producer, arranger, vocalist and main composer of the Los Angeles-based rock/pop band Toto. David is the son of the late jazz composer, musician, and arranger Marty Paich...
: Keyboard, piano. - David HungateDavid HungateDavid Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
: Bass guitar. - Steve PorcaroSteve PorcaroSteven Maxwell "Steve" Porcaro is an American keyboardist and composer, who was an original member of the rock/pop band Toto....
: Keyboards. - Jeff PorcaroJeff PorcaroJeffrey Thomas "Jeff" Porcaro was an American session drummer and a founding member of the Grammy Award winning band Toto. Porcaro was one of the most recorded drummers in history, working on hundreds of albums and thousands of sessions...
: Drums. - Ollie BrownOllie E. BrownOllie E. Brown is an American drummer, percussionist and record producer. A prolific session musician, Brown has performed on over a hundred albums in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Brown was also half of the American dance-pop duo Ollie & Jerry, which had a Top 10 hit with "Breakin'.....
: Drums - William Bryant: Keyboards
- Dave Budimir: Synthesizer
- Reginald Burke: Keyboards
- Nathan EastNathan EastNathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
: Bass - Charles Fearing: Guitar
- James GadsonJames GadsonJames Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B music....
: Drums - Marlo Henderson: Guitar
- Paul Jackson, Jr.Paul Jackson, Jr.Paul Jackson, Jr. is a fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musician...
: Guitar - Abraham LaborielAbraham LaborielAbraham Laboriel, Sr. is a Mexican bassist of Garifuna descent who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and...
: Bass - Mike Lang: Keyboards
- Reggie McBride: Bass
- Greg Poree: Guitar
- Melvin "Wah Wah" Ragin: Guitar
- Red RhodesRed RhodesRhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop and rock albums with The Monkees, James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters and many other groups. He is most often remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's first solo albums in the early 1970s...
: Guitar - Herman RileyHerman RileyHerman Riley was a tenor saxophone jazz performer. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was noted for his performances with, among others, Count Basie, Etta James and Jimmy Smith.-As Sideman:With Bobby Hutcherson...
: Saxophone - David ShireDavid ShireDavid Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. The soundtrack to the movie The Taking of Pelham 123 and parts of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack such as Night on Disco Mountain, an adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald...
: Keyboards - Rick ShlosserRick ShlosserRick Shlosser is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music, has been a member ofVan Morrison's band and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He's also been a varied sessions drummer.-Discography:* Andy Pratt - Records Are Like Life...
: Drums - Syreeta WrightSyreeta WrightSyreeta Wright , who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter most notably known for her work with Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston.-Early life and career:...
: Backing Vocals - Trevor VeitchTrevor VeitchTrevor Veitch is a Canadian musician/record producer who has worked behind the scenes on many pop trends from the 1960s to the present. He is mostly known for his involvement in the popular 60s folk rock group, 3's a Crowd...
: Guitar - David T. WalkerDavid T. WalkerDavid T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
: Guitar - Freddie "Ready Freddie" WashingtonFreddie Washington (bassist)"Ready" Freddie Washington is an American session bassist who has played with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson, Al Jarreau, Aaron Neville, Lionel Richie, Anita Baker, B.B...
: Bass - Eddie Watkins: Bass
- Nathan WattsNathan WattsNathan Lamar Watts, born 1954 in Detroit, Michigan is an American session bass guitar player, best known for his work with Stevie Wonder from the 1970s to the present...
: Bass - Arthur Wright: Guitar
- Oma Drake: Backing vocals.
- Mona Lisa Young: Backing vocals.
- Terry Young: Backing vocals.
- Michael Reed: Backing vocals.
- Joe Greene: Backing vocals.
- Jesse Kirkland: Backing vocals.
- Stephanie Sprull: Backing vocals.
- Julia Waters Tillman: Backing vocals.
- Maxine Waters Wiliiard: Backing vocals.
- Oren Waters: Backing vocals.