Yes, ladies and germs–you have found your way to Jitterbuggingforjesus.com’s music page, featuring the JFJ theme song, complete with a video. The song is “That’s The Way God Planned It” by the late, great singer and organist Billy Preston.
The video features him at the famous “Concert for Bangladesh” that Beatle George Harrison hosted back in the early 70s.
Billy Preston is often remembered as “the fifth Beatle” because of his close personal and musical association with the greatest rock band of all time. Billy met the Beatles quite a long time before they were famous, in Hamburg, Germany, where the Beatles famously perfected their music at the Cavern Club. Billy Preston met them through Little Richard, who tagged the Beatles as an opening act in his European tour.
Billy Preston recorded with, and toured with, both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones many times after those two giants of rock music reached their elite rock status. George and John liked Preston so much that they raised the idea of having him become a Beatle, but Paul wouldn’t stand for it. “It’s hard enough being four Beatles,” McCartney said. Still, the band gave the ultimate Beatle honor when, on the Let it Be album, they credited him on the “Let it Be” LP thusly: “The Beatles, featuring Billy Preston.”
Billy became especially close to George.
But Billy Preston, in addition to having a limited but successful solo career with his own No. 1 hits, played and tour with everyone imaginable. He was a mere child when he played with Mahalia Jackson and became the choir director of a 150-member church choir.
Ray Charles, Neal Diamond, the Stones, Aretha Franklin–name a major musicmaker, Billy Preston either did studio playing or toured with all the best.
And so, with no further ado, enjoy this video of Billy Preston’s amazing performance at the Bangladesh show, where you’ll see jump up in the last minute and go totally Pentecostal on this song, which is our theme song because it combines honor to God with great rock and roll.
And jitterbuggingforjesus.com is all about rock-and-roll theology.
Take it away, Billy.
