2. Billy Joel

His hair may be shorter and grayer—and his girth a wee bit wider—but Long Island’s favorite “Piano Man” still has the chops to hit all the high notes that generations of fans have come to know and love. Billy Joel has long been an icon in the pop music scene, and his followers are legion, so it came as no surprise that scalpers were brazenly charging $1,000 a ticket to his charity concert at The Paramount in Huntington last October to benefit Long Island Cares—The Harry Chapin Food Bank. But that’s the way of his music world because the tickets sold out almost the minute his rare LI gig was announced. Whether he’s appearing at one of his much-ballyhooed monthly Madison Square Garden stands or at the New Orleans Jazzfest, The Piano Man is a huge draw wherever he goes. And he’s also full of surprises—and blessedly not too full of himself. Earlier this spring, on a lark, the principal of Glen Cove’s Deasy Elementary School invited the singer to attend a concert featuring students performing 15 of his songs. As the show was about to begin, Joel roared up on his motorcycle from his home 10 minutes away and took a seat in the back of the auditorium so as not to upstage the kids. He’s a class act and Long Island is lucky to have him just the way he is.