Best Pianist In Rock and Roll?

[Diemen]

Chris Martin doesn't belong on the list. It's all basic chords. Same with Edge. Basic stuff - but good sounding basic stuff.

I'll just make mine a top 5 (in no particular order):

Tori Amos
Ben Folds
Elton John
Billy Joel
Fiona Apple

 

[PopFly]

Billy Preston

 

[WinnieThePoo]

Jon Carin
Tony Banks

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I'll agree with the mentions of Ray Manzarek, Jools Holland, Tori Amos ("Spark"...man, she just massacres her piano on that song...), Bruce Hornsby, Elton John, and Billy Joel .

How about Jerry Lee Lewis? My parents refer to him as the "Jimi Hendrix of piano" .

Little Richard was a pretty mean piano player, too.

Angela

 

[AcrobatMan]

if you extend definition of piano ...

then that guy from THE DOORS..he is really good...

I like Chris Martin as well....

Thom Yorke on piano..which song ??

 

[annabelle]

Mike Garson - plays like an

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Steve Winwood

 

[GibsonGirl]

Freddie Mercury.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

stevie wonder, ray charles, jerry lee lewis, elton john are all great... i'd say manzarek but he technicaly didn't play the piano

but i'm gonna have to go with billy joel... summer highland falls, prelude/angry young man, etc. etc. might not have been the best technical player of all time, but the quality and quantity of his work on the piano has to put him at the top, for me at least.

as far as the current crop... chris martin, thom yorke... all fine... but i'll have to go with alicia keys as far as pure talent goes.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

My votes:

Bruce Hornsby
Elton John
Billy Joel
Tori Amos
Thom Yorke
Chris Martin


yeah Alicia Keys is also very good.

 

[impy13]

Matt Bellamy is a good choice too. If you heard "Butterflies & Hurricanes" you'd be hard pressed to disagree.

 

[JOFO]

Chris Martin doesn't belong on the list. It's all basic chords.

fair enough, but like it or not there's been a resurrgence in piano based rock since "clocks" and "the scientist" were huge hits.
I don't think there had been any for a long time before that.

 

[bsp77]

Thom Yorke on piano..which song ??

Karma Police
Everything in its Right Place
Pyramid Song
You and Whose Army
Sit Down Stand Up
Sail to the Moon
We Suck Young Blood
Like Spinning Plates (live)

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

*listening to Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"

The interesting thing is that Joel has quite a few songs with little or no piano, but when he does play.... damn.

1. Billy Joel
2. Ray Charles
3. Jerry Lee Lewis
4. Elton John
5. Tori Amos

honorable mention: my homeboy Ben Folds

 

[Bono's Doll]

Elton John--I have seen him twice--once in the 70's and then about 5 years ago--he is the greatest! & don't laugh--Yanni. I went with my mother as a gift last year--that man is smokin' on the piano. His show was so much more than I expected (I was the youngest person there too.) He's pretty easy on the eyes.

 

[JOFO]

Yanni. He's pretty easy on the eyes.

*pages zoomerang96 to the floor immediately*


I need a comment on this one.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Anybody who can play this...

Best of the 90s...

 

[financeguy]

I nominate the keyboardist in the UK 80's band Talk Talk. Don't know his name though.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

tommy lee...

 

[SkeeK]

I nominate the keyboardist in the UK 80's band Talk Talk. Don't know his name though.

Talk Talk is one of the best bands ever. Have you heard the truly beautiful music they created after they decided not to be synthpop? holy crikey!

 

[TheBrazilianFly]

1. ROY BITTAN
2. Ray Charles
3. Billy Preston
4. Elton John
5. Jerry Lee Lewis

 

[Numb1075]

I like Tori AMos and Billy Joel

PS....(Does best Butthead impression) "you said pianist"

 

[phanan]

Roy Bittan from the E Street Band.

Someone else mentioned Vangelis.

Rick Wakeman from Yes.

And Moby anyone?

Alicia Keys is unbelievable although she is R&B and not rock.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

PS....(Does best Butthead impression) "you said pianist"

LOL .

Angela

 

[learn2kneel]

Ben Folds is my current favorite piano player. I don't think Chris Martin or many other current artists can come anywhere close to doing what Folds can do technically on the piano. "Ascent of Stan" and "Zak and Sara" are good examples.

 

[EmilyBono]

Yay for people mentioning Roy Bittan - Backstreets and NYC Serenade are
I'm also glad people recognize the great piano playing of Tori, even if they're not huge fans of her music in general.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Ben Folds is my current favorite piano player. I don't think Chris Martin or many other current artists can come anywhere close to doing what Folds can do technically on the piano. "Ascent of Stan" and "Zak and Sara" are good examples.

Even go back to some of the Ben Folds Five stuff

"Magic," "Army," "Narcolepsy," "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," "Philosophy".... all amazing songs.

 

[sniggirb]

LARRY MULLEN JR.

seriouly Elton John.

 

[Needle_Chill]

Roy Bittan is awesome. Ray Charles and Elton John are also up there in my opinion, and Chris Martin's songs are simple, but he's helping to reintroduce piano to rock, so I gotta give him props (and I'm a big Coldplay fan, so sue me... ).

 

[joyfulgirl]

Tori Amos.