William Everett "Billy" Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American rhythm and blues musician from Houston, Texas raised mostly in Los Angeles, California.[1] In addition to his successful, Grammy Award-winning career as a solo artist, Preston collaborated with some of the greatest names in the music industry.

Preston began playing piano while sitting on his mother's lap at age three, and he was considered something of a child prodigy on piano and organ. By the age of 10 he was performing in the bands of gospel singers Mahalia Jackson, James Cleveland, and Nat King Cole. At age 12 he began a side career acting, and appeared in the 1958 Paramount Pictures film St. Louis Blues, portraying blues composer W.C. Handy as a young man. In the 1960s he performed with Little Richard and Ray Charles. He also began a recording career as a solo artist with the 1965 album The Most Exciting Organ Ever. He was also a regular on the mid-1960s ABC-TV musical variety series Shindig! as a member of the show's house band.

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing this group perform. Their show is like Spoken Word meets Rock & Roll. It was pretty dope. Below is their bio, video of a performance and a link to download their album.

Hip Hop knows the number three well. It has manifest itself numerous times over the years in the form of legends such as Run DMC, A Tribe Called Quest and The Fugees, to name a few. This time the stars aligned over Chicago, sparking once again the reincarnation of three, with a combination of chemistry, charisma and charm never seen before. Labeled, “The Most Necessary Element in Hip Hop,” by H.A.S. magazine, H2O Soul is a cool, refreshing drink that promises to keep the game from dehydrating anytime soon. The trio has rocked the stage with the likes of Kanye West, Jaguar Wright, The Legendary Roots Crew, and Zion I- along with other notable Chicago artists such as Kidz in the Hall, Iomos Marad, Que Billah and J Kwest. Their vocal texture and smooth delivery caught the attention of DJ Slim Kid Tre of the Pharcyde, who counseled the group on staying focused and keeping their bond tight. Thrust into a changing music industry, H2O Soul’s definitive voice speaks loud enough to be heard and bold enough to be different. Whether being backed by DJ or their live band, they posses a showmanship that is longed for in live performances. Not satisfied with mere local notoriety, H2O Soul is ready to show the world their rain has just begun.

Click here to download Class is In by H2O Soul

Raydio was a funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977, by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.

The group scored their first big hit in 1978 with "Jack and Jill", which was taken from their debut, self-titled album. The song peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart, earning a gold record in the process. Their successful follow-up hit, "You Can't Change That" was released in 1979, and lifted from their Rock On album. The single made it up to #9 on the Billboard chart that year.

The Lead singer Ray Parker Jr. is the vocals behind the Ghostbusters theme song

Lykke has become increasingly popular with indie music fans and took her particular flavor of music more mainstream with an appearance on Last Call with Carson Daly on February 18, 2009. She has received a great deal of notoriety for her cover of "Knocked Up", originally recorded by Kings of Leon who had approached Lykke to cover a song of her choice, and "Gifted" in which she performs with Kanye West. Going further mainstream, Lykke performed at the 2009 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 19, as well as the 2009 Lollapalooza Music Festival on August 8. Lykke has recently wrapped up her Youth Novels tour. The song "I'm good, I'm gone" was featured in the film Sorority Row.

This is a guy that I came across on youtube,
he make pretty dope beats from samples. Check him out!

Born with music in their veins, both Jack Davey and Brook D'Leau were products of the growing music video age that allowed consumers to visualize what they were listening to. By way of St. Louis, MO, Jack Davey was exposed to Classic Jazz and hints of Late 70's Jazz Fusion before being introduced to 80's R&B and the new sound of Hip Hop Music. By the time she relocated to Los Angeles at the tender age of 8, her musical tastes and dreams of performing landed her in an all-girl singing group that was signed to MCA records in the early 90's. Although this group never released any new material, the studio and songwriting experience prepared Jack for what was to come. Los Angeles born partner Brook D'leau was surrounded by the New Wave& Pop Rock sound by way of Prince, Talking Heads, and The Police. The youngster began to bang out interestingly melodic instrumental tracks in his father's home studio after school and simply for fun, but never thought of taking a career in music seriously. Through their youth it was evident that music would change their futures, and once introduced by a mutual friend in high school the two young musical masterminds decided to put plans for a partnership into motion.

Check out this track below

Ben Kelly is a singer-songwriter/pianist on YouTube performing
acoustic piano renditions of various popular songs.

Introducing is the debut album from London-born soul singer--and Amy Winehouse's goddaughter--Dionne Bromfield's debut album, and it seems Dionne shares the same soulful voice and fondness for vintage soul music and '60s girls groups as her godmother. Tracks include the Motown anthem "Aint No Mountain High Enough" and the single "Mama Said", originally a hit for The Shirelles in 1963.

Stevie Wonder has had a unique career as a singer, composer, instrumentalist and performer. After his early years with Motown, who signed him up as 'Little Stevie Wonder' when he was only 12 years old, he gradually released a striking array of innovative music that would influence the world of contemporary music as we know it today.

He had his first US number 1 hit at the age of 13, still the youngest person to have achieved that feat. In the early 1970's Stevie pioneered the use of synthesizers, a venture that hugely influenced the face of popular music. In 1973 he was the first black person to win a Grammy for the best album of the year, a feat that was repeated for 3 consecutive albums.

The results of his amalgamation of electronic and acoustic music with unique rhythms and melodies overlaid with poignant lyrics spanning every conceivable life situation has made him an absolutely pivotal figure in modern music.

The longevity of his music is evident in so many facets of our life's, where his melodies and lyrics are frequently sampled/covered on records and movies and has gained him the respect of his peers in the entertainment industry..

However behind the music scene, he is committed to many humanitarian activities such as Dr King Jnr.'s National Holiday, fight against Apartheid in South Africa, fundraising for AIDS research and numerous Children's charities.

Stevie Wonder is without question one of the great personalities in music history. His powerfully expressive vocal presence, coupled with his musical elegance, forms part of the broad, personal spectrum of irresistible music and compelling emotion which is his personal hallmark.

Steph Jones also known as Mr. Ordinary and The Mo City Alien is a singer, songwriter, and model.

Mr. Ordinary

Look What You've Done

Four years after the release of their critically acclaimed debut "Connected", The Foreign Exchange returns with their sophomore set, "Leave It All Behind".

Consisting of singer/songwriter Phonte and producer Nicolay, The Foreign Exchange came together via the online hip-hop community Okayplayer.com in 2002. After trading files through Instant Messenger for over a year, Nicolay (living in his native Holland at the time) and Phonte (a Raleigh, NC resident) completed their debut album before they ever met each other in person. The album, "Connected," was released in 2004 to positive reviews, and was praised by legendary DJ's such as Jazzy Jeff, King Britt, and DJ Spinna for its inventive mix of hip-hop, R&B, and electronica.

"Leave It All Behind" finds The Foreign Exchange much closer in geography (Nicolay has since become a resident of Wilmington, NC), but located much further from their hip-hop origins. The duo's second full-length is a dark, multilayered affair that features Phonte showcasing his abilities as an exceptional lead and harmony vocalist, while Nicolay extends his musical palette to include sprinklings of jazz, downtempo, and house. The lush, Darien Brockington-assisted "Take Off the Blues" picks up where Connected's sleeper hit "Come Around" left off, while the complex polyrhythms and dreamy synthesizers of "Sweeter Than You" are described by Phonte as "swing jazz for the next century." Marc Mac (of legendary UK production team 4hero), also contributes a string arrangement to the duo's glorious cover of Stevie Wonder's oft-forgotten 1991 gem, "If She Breaks Your Heart."

David has been playing piano since he was 10 years old and was inspired from The Lion King movie soundtrack. He was given his first keyboard that Christmas from his Grandmother and tried to recreate the movie scores every night by locking myself in his bedroom. He primarily play by ear and have not been traditionally trained. He graduated college with a Bachelors Degree in Music Theory from The University of California Riverside. He enjoy listening to Classical, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, Rock, Jazz, and Gospel music.

Currently, his music is known as recreated Hip-Hop, Pop, and R&B songs arranged for the piano. he enjoy playing the piano and it brings him great joy to see how many people across the world hear his music.

Jenny Wilson is a Swedish singer/songwriter, born on October 20, 1975 in Blekinge, Sweden. She founded the band First Floor Power in 1997 and released two albums, There Is Hope and Nerves, before leaving the band to go solo in about 2004. She studied graphic design at Konstfack for one year. Her music has a distinct, electro influenced style.

Bluey Robinson