Encouraging Words
1970 studio album by Billy Preston
Encouraging Words is the fifth studio album by American soul musician Billy Preston, released in September 1970 on Apple Records. It was the last of Preston's two albums for the Beatles' Apple label, after which he moved to A&M Records. The album was co-produced by George Harrison and Preston. Harrison's songs "All Things Must Pass" and "My Sweet Lord" were issued here for the first time, two months before his own recordings appeared on his triple album All Things Must Pass.
Released as a single, Preston's "My Sweet Lord" peaked at number 90 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1971 but the album failed to chart in Britain or America. Despite its lack of commercial success, Encouraging Words is considered by some commentators to be among the best Apple albums released by an artist other than the Beatles or one of the band members. The album was reissued in 1993 and 2010 with Preston's non-album single "All That I've Got (I'm Gonna Give It to You)" among the bonus tracks.
Background and songs
As on the previous year's That's the Way God Planned It, Billy Preston worked closely with George Harrison on the album. With the Beatles' career essentially over, after John Lennon had privately announced his departure from the band in September 1969, Harrison dedicated himself to projects by his Apple signings such as Preston, Doris Troy and devotees from the London Radha Krishna Temple. On Encouraging Words, he co-produced with Preston and contributed as a musician, backing vocalist and songwriter.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Encouraging Words” as 1970 studio album by Billy Preston. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1970 studio album by Billy Preston. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3053852. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1970, 1971, 1993 and 2010.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Encouraging Words”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Encouraging Words primary sources, Encouraging Words archive and Encouraging research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Encouraging Words”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Encouraging Words” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.