BILLY PRESTON THAT'S THE WAY GOD PLANNED IT — live event
An exhilarating documentary about the legendary GRAMMY-winning musician whose signature sound shaped the work of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, and countless others. Directed by: Paris Barclay Written by: Paris Barclay & Cheo Hodari Coker Produced by Stephanie Allain, p.g.a. Jeanne Elfant Festa, p.g.a. Nigel Sinclair, p.g.a. and Cheo Hodari Coker Edited by: Scott D. Hanson ACE Executive Produced by Paris Barclay, Daniel Shaw, G. Marq Roswell, Olivia Harrison, Jonathan Clyde Nicholas Ferrall and Cassidy Hartmann Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, studio outtakes, and rare photos, Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It is an exhilarating documentary about the legendary GRAMMY winning musician whose signature sound shaped the work of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Sly Stone, Aretha Franklin, and countless others. Billy Preston was perhaps the most unsung musical hero of his time. Born in Houston, Texas, in 1946, he arrived in Los Angeles with his family three years later. At just 5 years old, he was backing gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. By age 10, he was appearing with Ray Charles on film, and by age 15, he was touring with Little Richard in Hamburg, Germany, where he met Richard’s opening act — The Beatles. He would later perform and record with the biggest names in music, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and countless others. He generated his own unforgettable No. 1 hits, including “Outa-Space,” “Will It Go Round in Circles,” “Nothing from Nothing,” and “You Are So Beautiful” — and his first hit single in 1969, on The Beatles’ Apple Records, “That’s The Way God Planned It,” produced by his lifelong friend, George Harrison. But Billy had quietly held secrets about his sexuality and early sexual abuse, known to very few in his life, which tormented him his entire life, affecting not only his well-being and relationships but also influencing his career choices. It is the interweaving of these complicated aspects of this wonderful musician’s life with his extraordinary musical career that Emmy-winning director Paris Barclay has so thoughtfully crafted in Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It. Special Guests: The LATE SHOW'S GOSPEL CHOIR The Late Show's Gospel Choir was formed in October '95, when Jill Leiderman, a Production Assistant on CBS TV'S popular "LATE SHOW," called Lady Peachena asking her to form a choir for a video for the show within 24 hours. The newly-assembled choir sounded so great in the studio that Paul Shaffer, the Music Director for "THE LATE SHOW," asked them to perform live on the show. It was an awesome extravaganza! Since then this fantastic choir has performed on "THE LATE SHOW," more than 13 times. They have been featured in several comedy skits and they've backed such celebrities as Martin Shore, Steve Martin, Gloria Estefan, Darlene Love, Julio Iglesias, and Canada's new pop sensation, Shawn Mendes. + Rockit Academy VENUE DETAILS The Cutting Room is New York's legendary dinner theater and event space. All shows have a $25 food and/or beverage minimum per person (unless otherwise indicated on your ticket.) Please note the ticket price goes mostly to the performers and production staff. The club sells food and beverages to continue to bring live music to NYC. (https://thecuttingroomnyc.com/eat-and-drink/) We do not take reservations and seating is first come, first seated. Thank you for your understanding.
Starts: 2026-05-19T19:00:00Z
Ends: 2026-05-20T12:00:00Z
Where: 44 East 32nd Street, New York, New York 10016, United States
Price: $30.0