Billy Joel

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  • Year:
    1999
  • Inducted by:
    Ray Charles
  • Category:
    Performers
billy_joel

Introduction

Billy Joel gives irrefutable proof that piano is a rock and roll instrument.

After a stint as a lounge pianist, Billy Joel broke into the mainstream with his signature ballads followed up by anthems about everything from a disenchanting music industry to the contentious political climate.

Hall of Fame Essay

1999

Parke Puterbaugh

Billy Joel comes off as such a determinedly average guy that it’s tempting to undervalue his extraordinary gifts.

A straight-shooting product of suburban Long Island, he’s studiously resisted cultivating a rock-star persona or anything that smacks of showbiz artifice. Instead, he’s hewed to his calling as a songwriter, keyboardist and singer with as straightforward a disposition as someone who’s sold nearly a hundred million records can muster.

As an artist, Joel has exhibited stylistic daring and impeccable musicianship while assembling one of the great catalogs of popular songs in this century.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 1999
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Quote_BillyJoel
JOEL GIVES IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT PIANO IS A ROCK & ROLL INSTRUMENT
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Gallery

Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage