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BBAM! Gallery is proud to presentThe Montreal Film Premiere
Billy Preston: That's The Way God Planned It
Thurs. April 16, 2026
DOORS: 7pm
FILM: 7:30pm
Limited to 40 people
Upon purchase of ticket, your name will be at the door and a seat will be pre-assigned for you.
YES! you can ask to have friends sit together.
THERE IS NO DIGITAL OR PHYSICAL TICKET.
Tickets available via this ticket link; interac transfer ([email protected], please note the film in your message), or by phone with credit card (1-514-952-6190)
Giant 12ftx9ft screen.
Warm intimate vibe.
Cold beverages & coffee will be available.
We are an art gallery/record store and you are welcome to browse and hang out before and after the screening;
meet new friends and enjoy the ambience.
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TRAILER:
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Billy Preston was 5 years old when he backed gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Over the following six-decade career, Billy contributed his signature sound to the greatest artists of his
time, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Rufus, Eric Clapton, and others, while establishing himself as a GRAMMY-winning solo artist.
Despite his success, Billy struggled to reconcile his deep relationship with the Black church with his sexuality, setting off a lifelong quest to find love and acceptance.
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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.
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Event Venue
808 Rue Atwater, Montreal, QC, Canada, Quebec H4C 2G9, 808 Avenue Atwater, Montréal, QC H4C 2G9, Canada, Westmount
Tickets
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