American guitarist (not to be confused with Don Preston of the Mothers of Invention).
Born in Denver, Colorado, Preston moved to Whittier, California, when he was 8 years old, joining the Sewart-Barber Boys Choir as its youngest member. By age 11, he had been studying and playing the guitar for 3 years and began performing with the Cactus Kids playing all over Southern California.
Don’s musical style was taking root in country music as well as in the blues and rock 'n' roll as he became immersed in the diverse and vibrant pop culture of Southern California during the 1950s. At age 15, he first heard B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, and other emerging blues artists on late-night AM radio broadcasts.
Preston played guitar for many of the leading bands of the 1950s, including the Penguins, the Coasters, the Olympics and the Jaguars. He went on to work with many artists, including Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ritchie Valens, the Righteous Brothers, Gene Vincent and Rick Nelson. Influences from those years can be heard in Preston's Sacre Blues album, which blends the blues with elements of country and rockabilly.
The 1960s opened the door to a new musical era as Don and the Deacons regularly played the popular Cinnamon Cinder club, owned by Bob Eubanks, in North Hollywood. That exposure led to Preston joining the Shindogs, along with Chuck Blackwell and Delaney Bramlett.
By the 1970s, he was part of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Later work included a trio of recordings with blues guitarist Freddie King. He also contributed vocals and guitar work to Leon Russell's Shelter People and appeared at George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh. Later, he fronted his own southern blues-rock band and was recruited by Rick Nelson to tour with his Stone Canyon Band.
Since then, Preston has played numerous sessions, concerts and gigs as a featured, side and solo artist throughout the US, Europe and Asia. He showcased his versatility performing in the Tony Award-winning musical It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues. He also toured with the classic band Canned Heat, as well as legendary songwriter J.J. Cale and reunited with Leon Russell for several US concerts.