Billy Joel's influences and Similar Artists

Joel produces a diverse range of musical styles yet he has a trademark folk-inspired, harmonica sound that derived from other musicians and, in turn, inspired his successors. His profound lyrics that explore human diversity and society and his simple bass lines over piano music create a distinct sound that ties in many areas in general popular music. Some similar musicians are...

Bob Dylan

Paul Simon

Ray Charles

The Beatles

Elton John

Although all of the above artists may have pioneered or been synonymous with the music from older generations they still resonate today as their music is still downloaded, their songs are being covered by more contemporary artists (Avril Lavigne covered Dylan's "Knocking on heaven's door, The Hot Rats recently released a cover of The Beatles' hit "Baby You Can Drive My Car") and also sampled in various genres (Kanye West sampled the bass line of Ray Charles' hit, "I got a Woman" in his song "Goldigger" whilst up-and-coming UK urban artists Dj Ironik featuring rapper Chipmunk remixed the Elton John's song "Tiny Dancer" for their own version. Moreover these artists create the cannon of music that continues to influence current acts on the music scene. These are all the reasons why an artist like Billy Joel is just as relevent today as he would've been 40 years ago.