Will It Go Round in Circles

Billy Preston

Hey Zoo Freaks, it's the Zoo Crew riding the air currents at THE ZOO, dropping that funky groove of "Will It Go Round in Circles" by Billy Preston straight from his soul-stirring 1972 album Music Is My Life. Man, this gem was Billy's first number one smash on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over a million copies and spinning like a whirlwind through the airwaves, co-written with his partner in rhyme Bruce Fisher who helped craft that infectious hook wondering if it'll fly high like a bird up in the sky. Fans still circle back to it on the social winds, with Eric Clapton sharing a clip from their 2001 Reptile Tour finale at the Staples Center where Billy poured pure joy into every note, a brotherly jam that lit up the stage like a harvest moon gathering.

Oh, the whispers from the old tapes tell of Billy's easygoing studio magic, where he'd layer those clavinet licks with a smile, drawing from gospel roots to make the circle feel both endless and full of promise— one devotee on the X trails reminiscing how it captured that '70s uplift, a tune that danced through tough times like sunlight breaking through clouds. In fan lore from the ether, it's tied to Billy's boundless spirit, even as he navigated the highs and shadows of fame, with quotes from sessions revealing his quip that music's circle always comes back around if you keep the faith alive, a mantra that echoes in every spin we share with you cosmic wanderers.

Let's meander back to the dawn of this keyboard king. Born in Houston in '46 but blooming in Los Angeles after his folks parted ways young, Billy's fingers found the piano keys at just three years old, guided by his mother's gospel glow that filled their home like morning light. By ten, he was backing legends like Mahalia Jackson on stage, and at twelve, he stole scenes as young W.C. Handy in the film St. Louis Blues, his prodigy fire already blazing. At sixteen, Little Richard scooped him up for a European tour in '62, where he first crossed paths with the Beatles in Hamburg's haze, trading licks in smoky clubs that sparked a lifelong trail—no red carpets at first, just raw talent and relentless rhythm carrying him from church choirs to rock 'n' roll horizons, always chasing that divine groove.

To keep Billy's joyful circles turning in your realm, drift to the official echoes on Facebook at OfficialBillyPreston, or the authorized haven at facebook.com/billyprestonspage. No grand website lights the path these days, and Instagram trails are scattered like stardust, but the true tribe gathers in Facebook groups like the Billy Preston Appreciation Society, swapping tales and tunes that spin eternal, binding us in that unbreakable musical mandala.