Billy Joel has shared his list of musicians that he thought of forming a supergroup with.
Speaking to Howard Stern on February 14, the host asked Joel: “Wouldn’t it have been great if George Harrison and Tom Petty had asked you to be in The Travelling Wilburys?” Instead, Billy Joel shared that he had thought of “putting together” his own band.
“Me, Don Henley and Sting. And maybe John Mayer on guitar,” Joel revealed. When asked why the band never came to be, the musician replied, “Well, everybody’s busy.” He continued by saying he would rely on musicians he has a good relationship with, like Sting and mentioned Paul McCartney.
However, McCartney isn’t someone Billy Joel would call for his band. When asked why not, Joel said: “He was in the super-est group of all-time. I don’t have the nerve to do that.”
Howard Stern egged him on, saying he could call McCartney and float around the idea of the two musicians writing together. Joel then said that McCartney’s former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr would make a good drummer for the supergroup. Other names Billy Joel floated for his hypothetical supergroup were Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page.
While there’s no word on whether Joel’s visioned supergroup will come to fruition, he will be spending some time on the road with Sting this year. Sting will join Joel’s North American tour for select shows in late February, April and September. See the tour dates below and buy tickets here.
FEBRUARY
09 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
24 – Tampa, FL – Raymond James Stadium %
MARCH
09 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium ^
28 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
APRIL
13 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park %
26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
MAY
09 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
24 – Seattle, WA – T-Mobile Park
JUNE
08 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
21 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field ^
JULY
12 – Denver, CO – Coors Field
25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUGUST
09 – Cardiff, UK – Cardiff Principality Stadium
SEPTEMBER
27 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium %
% = w/ Sting
^ = w/ Stevie Nicks