Billy Joel

Year:
1999
Inducted by:
Ray Charles
Category:
Performers

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.

"Runaway"

Billy Joel and Bonnie Raitt perform tribute to Del Shannon "Runaway" at the 1999 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

"Runaway"

00:02:27
"What'd I Say"

00:05:24

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.