Friday, March 27, 2026
6 pm Doors // 7 pm Screening
All Ages
$15 ($20.21 w. taxes/fees) Advance General Admission
$20 ($23 w. taxes/fees) At The Door General Admission
Ticket purchases are final and non-refundable
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The Parkway is thrilled to present a very special screening of the just-released new documentary, Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It (2026), an exhilarating film 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.
Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, studio outtakes, and rare photos, acclaimed director Paris Barclay interweaves the complicated aspects of this artist’s extraordinary life and musical career. A private man who turned to drugs to dull the pain of personal trauma, his poignant story unfolds through insights from Billy Porter, Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr, complemented by rare footage and an original score by Robert Glasper.
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.