The Preacher is a jazz composition by Horace Silver. The original version was recorded by Silver's quintet on February 6, 1955 for the album Horace Silver Quintet, Vol. 2, and was released that year as a single with Doodlin'. The tune, a hard bop piece with gospel-inflected melodies, features Silver on piano with Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Doug Watkins, and Art Blakey. It is said to be based on the chords of Show Me the Way to Go Home, and was written by Silver in the Arlington Hotel in New York City. The Preacher helped spark interest in hard bop, became a jazz standard, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Jimmy Smith and Kai Winding, with Babs Gonzales adding lyrics; by 2014 more than 220 versions had been recorded.
