Billy Joel

USA, 1964–now

American singer and pianist from Long Island, drawing on Tin Pan Alley song form, doo-wop and rhythm and blues on 'Just the Way You Are', 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant' and 'Uptown Girl'.

MusicRoots documents 3 artists who influenced Billy Joel and 1 artist Billy Joel influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Billy Joel?

• Ray Charles — Joel called Ray Charles the holy grail of singers and his greatest influence — Charles's gospel-soul phrasing is at the heart of his piano songwriting.
• The Beatles — Seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan set Joel on his path — their melodic pop craft runs through all his writing.
• Sam Cooke — Sam Cooke was among the soul voices in Joel's early influences, feeding the R&B side of his pop.

Which artists did Billy Joel influence?

• Kygo — The piano is where Kygo starts every track, and Billy Joel is the piano writer he names — the songwriting behind a producer usually filed under EDM.