
Billy Joel
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Year:
1999
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Inducted by:
Ray Charles
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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
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"What'd I Say"00:05:24
Hall of Fame Essay
1999
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.


JOEL GIVES IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT PIANO IS A ROCK & ROLL INSTRUMENT
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Gallery
Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage