Billy Joel is quite simply a pure American Twat!
Re the style of MCormack and others of his era. I'm not sure Tenor is an acurate description of those voices. More a case of, as well illustrated in the recent BBC4 series on song, the methods of recording then were so fragile in comparison to later decades, that singers simply HAD to use a more operatic style and volume to be heard and understood. If the likes of Billy joel (heaven forbid!) had used the machines of McCormack's day he just wouldn't be heard (a bonus) By the same oken modern recording systems have become so advanced and sensitive that operatic over dramatised styles have all but died out except for proper classical music of course