Billy Preston's Clavinet and Gospel Swagger on 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile on Main St.'

Most people know Billy Preston as the “Fifth Stone” who played on their early ’70s classics, but his specific contributions on Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. are what gave those records their loose, churchy lift. On “Brown Sugar,” it’s not just a random clavinet part—it’s the main riff. Preston’s stabbing, syncopated Hohner Clavinet D6 drives the entire groove, turning a straightforward rock song into something funkier and nastier than anything the Stones had done before. He essentially handed them a hit riff on a silver platter.

Then on Exile on Main St., his gospel background really takes over. Listen to “Rip This Joint”: that rapid-fire, almost frantic Hammond organ that barrels through the chaos is pure Preston. He learned that rolling, rhythmic organ style from playing in gospel churches and touring with Little Richard. He wasn’t just comping along—he was pushing the tempo and adding a joyful, sanctified frenzy to the song’s punk- before-punk energy. Preston’s gospel touch made the Stones’ dirtiest, most ragged album feel somehow transcendent.