Who sings with Billy Joel on the duet Baby Grand?

Ray Charles sings with Billy Joel on the duet “Baby Grand.”

The song appeared on Joel’s 1986 album The Bridge and was released as its fourth and final single in March 1987. It is a blues- and soft-rock ballad devoted to the emotional bond between a pianist and a baby grand piano, making the collaboration especially fitting for two celebrated keyboard players.

Joel admired Charles and named his daughter Alexa Ray after him. According to the song’s background, Charles later suggested that they work together if Joel had the right song. Joel wrote “Baby Grand” in a single night, shaping it partly in the style of Charles’s signature “Georgia on My Mind.”

The recording also contains a charming performance detail: Joel initially sang in his own New York accent, but changed his approach after noticing Charles imitating him. The two ultimately recorded their vocals—and appeared together at dual pianos in the video. The song reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Adult Contemporary.