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I don't understand his appeal

He was even bigger in the northeast than in the rest of the country. His marketing strategy early on was to be a non-effeminate, American Elton John. He had the advantage of not having to change his name to have two first names.

He plays the piano well, and isn't shy about featuring it in some of his releases. He writes tunes that are instantly memorable, and despite his complaints in "The Entertainer" about the record execs chopping two minutes off of "Piano Man", can write radio friendly 3 minutes tunes.

His voice features only modest range and is not beautiful, but it is strong and distinctive.

He has more overall talent than most performers and didn't get sucked into fas throughout his career ... one of the few who didn't have a disco period.