Billy Joel Wanted to Make a Group With John Mayer, Sting and More

Billy Joel recently revealed his fantasy lineup for a dream supergroup during an interview with Howard Stern. The discussion sparked when Stern pondered what it would have been like if George Harrison and Tom Petty had invited Joel to join The Travelling Wilburys.

Instead of dwelling on missed opportunities, Joel revealed his dream team, which included himself alongside Don Henley, Sting and possibly John Mayer on guitar. When probed about why this ensemble never materialized, Joel simply shrugged it off with a typical musician's lament: "Well, everybody’s busy."

Despite acknowledging that he would rely on musicians he shares good chemistry with, such as Sting and even Paul McCartney, Joel drew the line at inviting McCartney to join his band. His reasoning? McCartney's illustrious tenure with the Beatles, the "super-est group of all-time," left Joel feeling too intimidated to extend the invitation.

However, Stern, ever the provocateur, suggested that Joel reach out to McCartney to explore the possibility of collaborating on songwriting. Joel seemed receptive to the idea, even going so far as to suggest McCartney's former bandmate Ringo Starr as a potential drummer for their hypothetical supergroup.

Also Read: Billy Joel Says he Took 17 Years to Release New Music Because “It Wasn’t Fun Anymore”

In addition to Henley, Sting and Mayer, Joel tossed around the names of Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page as potential additions to his dream lineup. Whether this musical daydream will ever become a reality remains uncertain, but Joel fans can take solace in the fact that he'll be hitting the road with Sting for select shows in North America later this year, with performances scheduled for late February, April and September.