Preston’s impression

We were in the studio recording a movie theme with a singer who was No. 1 on the charts but couldn’t sing more than two notes in a row without going flat. At 3 o’clock in the morning, we called Billy Preston (obituary, June 7), who nailed our whole song, brilliantly, in one take. It was called “I’m Never Gonna Say Goodbye.” He lived what he sang. Bye, Billy. Thanks for being you.

MOLLY-ANN LEIKIN

Santa Barbara

Leikin is a composer and songwriter.