Billy Joel

Billy Joel
A close-up of Joel smiling
Joel in 2009
Born
William Martin Joel

(1949-05-09) May 9, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, U.S.
Other namesThe Piano Man
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • pianist
Years active1964–present
Spouses
  • Elizabeth Weber Small
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1973; div. 1982)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1985; div. 1994)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2004; div. 2009)​
  • Alexis Roderick
    ​
    (m. 2015)​
Children3, including Alexa Ray
Relatives
Musical career
OriginHicksville, New York, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • harmonica
Labels
Member ofBilly Joel Band
Formerly of
Websitebillyjoel.com
Signature

William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his signature 1973 song of the same name,[4][5] Joel has had a successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s. From 1971 to 1993, he released 12 studio albums spanning the genres of pop and rock, and in 2001 released a one-off studio album of classical compositions. Joel is one of the world's best-selling music artists[6] and the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States,[7] with over 160 million records sold worldwide. His 1985 compilation album, Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II, is one of the best-selling albums in the United States.[8]

Joel was born in the Bronx in New York City and grew up on Long Island, where he began taking piano lessons at his mother's insistence. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, Joel took part in two short-lived bands, The Hassles and Attila, before signing a record deal with Family Productions and embarking on a solo career with his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971). In 1972, Joel caught the attention of Columbia Records after a live radio performance of "Captain Jack" became popular in Philadelphia, prompting him to sign a new record deal with the company, through which he released his second album, Piano Man (1973). After Streetlife Serenade (1974) and Turnstiles (1976), Joel achieved his critical and commercial breakthrough with The Stranger (1977). It became Columbia's best-selling release, selling over 10 million copies and spawning the hit singles "Just the Way You Are", "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Only the Good Die Young", and "She's Always a Woman", as well as the concert staples "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna".

52nd Street (1978) was Joel's first album to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Glass Houses (1980) was an attempt to further establish himself as a rock artist; it featured "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (Joel's first single to top the Billboard Hot 100), "You May Be Right", "Don't Ask Me Why", and "Sometimes a Fantasy". The Nylon Curtain (1982) stemmed from a desire to create more lyrically and melodically ambitious music. An Innocent Man (1983) served as an homage to genres of music that Joel had grown up with in the 1950s, such as rhythm and blues and doo-wop; it featured "Tell Her About It", "Uptown Girl", and "The Longest Time", three of his best-known songs. After River of Dreams (1993), he largely retired from producing studio material, although he went on to release Fantasies & Delusions (2001), featuring classical compositions composed by him and performed by British-Korean pianist Richard Hyung-ki Joo. Joel provided voiceover work in 1988 for the Disney animated film Oliver & Company, performing the song "Why Should I Worry?", and contributed to the soundtracks to several films, including Easy Money (1983), Ruthless People (1986), and Honeymoon in Vegas (1992). Joel returned to composing new music with the 2024 single “Turn the Lights Back On”.

Joel has had a successful touring career, holding live performances across the globe. In 1987, he became one of the first artists to hold a rock tour in the Soviet Union following the country's alleviation of its ban on rock music. Joel has produced 33 self-written Top 40 hits in the U.S.,[9] three of which ("It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", "Tell Her About It", and "We Didn't Start the Fire") topped the Billboard Hot 100. Joel has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards, winning 6, including Album of the Year for 52nd Street. Joel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999[10] and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He received the 2001 Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame[11] and was recognized at the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference bio-allmusic1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "Billy Joel's Concert History". Concert Archives. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Johnstone, Andrew (February 6, 2015). "A General Guide to Soft Rock". Rip It Up. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Kreps, Daniel (December 18, 2022). "Billy Joel Postpones Madison Square Garden Show Due to Viral Infection and Vocal Rest". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Fortier, Marc (December 8, 2022). "Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks to Play Gillette Stadium in 2023. Here's How to Get Tickets". NBC Boston. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (September 12, 2013). "Billy Joel named Kennedy Center honoree". Newsday. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  7. ^ "Top Selling Artists". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  8. ^ "Top Selling Albums". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "Thirty-Three-Hit Wonder". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "Billy Joel". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  11. ^ "Billy Joel: Johnny Mercer Award". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  12. ^ "Billy Joel". The Kennedy Center.