'He was just waiting for a cue from me,' Joel recalled. According to Joel, Charles was very easy to work with. Originally Joel sang the song in his thick Hicksville accent, and Charles did the same. 'It was one of those rare songs, like ' New York State of Mind', that seem to come all at once - it seemed almost as though I had heard it before.' When writing the song, Joel tried to compose it in the style of Charles' hit, ' Georgia on My Mind', while also giving it a blues sound. 'As big of a pianist or as big of a star I could ever become, I could never be Ray Charles.' According to Joel, when Charles heard that Joel named his daughter, Alexa Ray, after him, Charles contacted him saying that he'd love to do a song with Joel, as long as he had the 'right song' in mind. 'Ray Charles was my hero when I was growing up,' Joel recalled. Joel considered Ray Charles one of his idols. Production of the song began in early 1986.

The music video features Joel and Charles recording the vocal tracks together. The song was positively received by critics. Joel originally sang the song in his thick New York accent, but decided to do a Charles impression instead when he noticed Charles was trying to imitate his style.

Charles then suggested they create a song together. The two originally got together when Joel contacted Charles about the naming of his daughter, Alexa Ray, after Charles. A duet with Joel and Ray Charles, the song is a ballad dedicated to the baby grand piano, and the relationship it can share with its players. ' Baby Grand' is the fourth and final single released off Billy Joel's album The Bridge.

1986 single by Billy Joel and Ray Charles 'Baby Grand'

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