''It's My Pleasure'' is the tenth studio album by

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richa ...

, released in June 1975 (July in the UK) on

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. The album shows the modernisation of Preston's music, placing a heavier emphasis on synthesizers. It was also his first collaboration with the singer

Syreeta Wright Syreeta Wright (born Rita Wright, February 28, 1946 – July 6, 2004), known mononymously as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs ...

who sings on one track. The album is notable for featuring harmonica by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

on two tracks.

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

(credited as "Hari Georgeson") also appears, playing guitar on "That's Life". "Song of Joy" would later be covered by Preston's A&M label mates

Captain & Tennille Captain & Tennille were an American recording duo whose primary success occurred in the 1970s. The husband-and-wife team were "Captain" Daryl Dragon (1942–2019) and Toni Tennille (born 1940). They have five albums certified gold or platinum a ...

for their album of the same name.

Track listing

All songs by Billy Preston, except where noted. Side one − ''Program'' # "Fancy Lady" (Preston,

) – 5:40 # "Found the Love" – 3:58 # "That's Life" – 3:36 # "Do It While You Can" (Preston,

Bruce Fisher Bruce Fisher (born January 8, 1954) is an American songwriter, record producer, and playwright best known for his collaborations with Billy Preston. Fisher's best-known songs include "You Are So Beautiful", " Will It Go Round In Circles", and " ...

) – 6:42 Side two − ''Intermission'' #

"It's My Pleasure" – 3:51 # "Song of Joy" – 3:22 # "I Can't Stand It" – 6:23 # "All of My Life" (Preston, Russ Rasputin) – 5:52

Personnel

*Billy Preston – vocals, keyboards, piano *

– guitar (3, credited as "Hari Georgeson") *Tony Maiden – guitar (8) *

Shuggie Otis Johnny Shuggie Otis (born Johnny Alexander Veliotes Jr.; November 30, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, and multi-instrumentalist. Otis's composition " Strawberry Letter 23" as recorded by The Brothers Johnson topped ...

– guitar (2, 4, 7) * Kenny Burke – bass guitar (8), guitar (5, 8) * Reggie McBride – bass guitar (2, 4, 7) *

– harmonica (4, 5) *

– vocals (1) *

Ollie E. Brown Ollie E. Brown (born April 20, 1953) is an American drummer, percussionist, record producer, and high school basketball coach. A prolific session musician, Brown has performed on over a hundred albums in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Brown was also ...

– drums, percussion (1-5, 7, 8) *

Rocky Dijon Kwasi "Rocky" Dzidzornu, also known as Rocky Dijon, was a Ghanaian-born percussionist known for his 1960s and 1970s work with rock and R&B artists. Biography Dzidzornu was born in the British Gold Coast colony (later Ghana), on 28 February 1932 ...

– congas (1) *Lorna Maxine Waters – backing vocals *Julia Waters – backing vocals *Luther Waters – backing vocals *

Oren Waters Oren Waters is an American vocalist best known for his work with the backup singing group The Waters, his siblings: Luther, Maxine and Julia. As an ensemble, Waters has been a part of 260 gold and over 100 platinum albums with artists including ...

– backing vocals *

Malcolm Cecil Malcolm Cecil (9 January 1937 – 28 March 2021) was a British jazz bassist, record producer, engineer, electronic musician and teacher. He was a founding member of a leading UK jazz quintet of the late 1950s, the Jazz Couriers,Robert Margouleff Robert Margouleff is an American record producer, recording engineer, electronic music pioneer, audio expert, and film producer. Career The Birth of TONTO Margouleff was an early customer, friend and collaborator of fellow New Yorker and music ins ...

(

TONTO Tonto is a fictional character; he is the Native Americans in the United States, Native American (either Tonto Apache, Comanche, or Potawatomi) Friendship, companion of the Lone Ranger, a popular American Western (genre), Western character crea ...

: The Original New Timbral Orchestra) – synthesizers

Technical

*Junie Osaki - art direction *Benno Friedman - photography

References

{{Authority control Billy Preston albums 1975 albums A&M Records albums Albums produced by Billy Preston Albums produced by Malcolm Cecil Albums produced by Robert Margouleff