Elton John and Leon Russell: Dueling Pianos

Oct. 19, 2010 — -- Even your idols have idols. Rock legend Elton John has always admired singer-songwriter Leon Russell.

"He was my biggest influence as a piano player, a singer and a song writer," John said.

After more than 250 million albums sold worldwide, John returns to his musical inspiration.

"It's this time of my life. It was so great to go back ... and make a record with someone I wanted to be like," John said of Russell, "even though I don't have the range of piano technique or the voice."

"GMA's" Robin Roberts sat down with John and Russell to discuss their new album, "The Union," which marks the first time the two have worked together in nearly 40 years.

Watch Elton John and Leon Russell's live performance at the Beacon Theater "GMA" Wednesday, and click here to find out how to be part of the "Good Morning America" audience.

Their partnership came about in 2009, when John was on safari and listening to a Leon Russell album. The music brought him to tears.

"I'm in Africa listening to his greatest hits, and I get overwhelmed with emotion. Takes me back to the -- one of the happiest times of my life when I'm breaking America. He was my idol in the late '60s, early '70s. And I just got very emotional ... and it was 'Back to the Island,' a song called, 'Back to the Island.' I was sobbing."

The music inspired John to track down Russell, whom he hadn't spoken to in nearly four decades.

"So I called Leon and I said, 'Leon, hello, it's me. I haven't spoken to you in 38 years. But I just wanted to tell you this story.' I said, 'Can we ... do you want to do an album?' He said, 'Well, hell, yeah. Let's do an album.'"

Russell never stopped recording, but he had fallen from the spotlight. In the 1970s, when John was just a young up and comer, Russell had already worked with almost every major musician, including music legends such as B.B. King, Barbara Streisand, Ike and Tina Turner, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra.