Nothing From Nothing
A Song By Billy PrestonA PowerPoint By Lance Bird
Billy Preston
• Born on September 9, 1946 in Houston, TX• Played with Beatles and The Rolling Stones• Two Number-One hits– "Will It Go Round in Circles“ 1973– "Nothing from Nothing“ 1974
• 1975 – Guest Performer on first episode of SNL• Kidney Transplant Surgery in 2002• Died on June 6, 2006 in Scottsdale, AZ
Nothing From Nothing
• Featured in his 1974 album ‘Kids and Me’• Wrote it in a dressing room of an Atlanta
nightclub• Based it off the idiom• Based on Preston’s gospel influence
Intro 1
• Horn section playing riff with piano• Accented by drum hits• “Ow!” at the end of the Intro 1
Intro 2
• Piano plays chords from verse • Solo over top of chords• Drum, guitar, and bass hits periodically
Verse 1
• Piano playing straight chords• Guitar comping with piano• Bass line underneath other parts• Bass with lots of chromaticism• Piano solo line near end of Verse 1• Horn hit marks end of Verse1
Verse 2
• Guitar, piano and bass parts remain the same• Horn line with pedal tones• Singer sings same melody but different notes.• Horn line near of Verse 2• High Trumpet note marks end of Verse 2• Banjo in background
Verse 3
• Piano, bass, and guitar parts remain the same• Horn and banjo still in background• Higher horn line throughout the verse
Interlude
• Piano solo• Another piano comps chords like in previous
verses• Guitar and Bass still the same• Horn pedal notes and riff from verse 2
towards the end• Banjo still in background
Verse 4
• Similar to verse 3• Singer continues vocal line overtop horn line
at end of verse
Outro
• Similar to end of the other verses• Horn lines dovetails into each other• Piano similar to intro• Gradual fade
The End