Preston drank on stage....Coke in a coctail glass. He would stop periodically and invite everyone to have a drink with him. It made the cash register ring and that's what he was all about. He got a percentage of sales in addition to an exorbitant (for this area)
salary. In the mid-60's, he was making $1000.00 a week plus a 10% override (10% of bar sales over $1000.00 during the 4 hours he worked), room, meals, drinks, entertainment allowance and laundry. I was making $300.00 and lucky to get it.

He worked the room...knowing just how many drinks one table would buy waiting to get up on stage before they left. Just before the table reached that point he would invite the "performer" at that table to "come on up".

Preston was just marginally better than the awful guests musically, but that was the point. He created a party every night. Many people were there 3-4 nights per week.

Sadly, in 1994, Preston developed tongue cancer (wasn't a smoker...probably the years in a smokey lounge) and had to have 1/2 his tongue removed, along with skin from his left forearm to repair the damage. The operation took 23 1/2 hours, and he was given a 25% chance of surviving 5 years. He is still alive, living on disability and gambling. He has a feeding tube and is impossible to understand. Never could play much guitar, but left arm damage makes any playing impossible. Eating, singing and entertaining was what this guy's life was all about and now he can't do any of it.

He was a unique performer...not my style, but it worked


Russ