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| Birth Name(s) : William Martin Joel |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Singer-songwriter, Pianist, Guitarist |
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Full Billy Joel Biography
William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist, songwriter, composer and musician. He released his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973. According to the RIAA, he is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States.
Later in 1965, the Echoes changed their name twice -- once to the Emeralds and finally to the Lost Souls. For two years, he played sessions and performed with the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left the band to join the Hassles, a local Long Island rock & roll band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records. Over the next year and a half, the Hassles released two albums and four singles, all of which failed commercially. The Hassles released two albums (The Hassles in 1967 and Hour of the Wolf, 1968) on the United Artists record label. Following The Hassles' demise in 1969, he formed the keyboard-and-drums based heavy metal duo Attila with Hassles drummer Jon Small. Attila released their eponymous debut album in July 1970 and disbanded the following October.
His experiences in Los Angeles connected him with record company executives, who bought out his contract with Ripp with the condition that the "Family Productions" logo be displayed alongside the Columbia logo for the next five albums. Also in the contract was the agreement that Family Productions would receive a 25 cent royalty for every album Joel sold, which would come back to haunt him when he hit it big. His brief tenure in Los Angeles also inspired his signature song "Piano Man." The album Piano Man was released in late 1973 and was certified Gold. To this day it has sold over four million copies. However, due to the large sums of money involved in the legal tangles of the contract buyout, Joel netted less than $7,000 in profit from his certified Gold record. Although this album is best known for its title track, several other future gems include "Captain Jack," "The Ballad of Billy the Kid" and "You're My Home" (the b-side of the "Piano Man" single, which would later be covered by Helen Reddy, who would release it as the flipside of her single "Keep On Singing"), all of which would become staples of Joel's live shows.
The Stranger netted Joel Grammy nominations, for Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, for "Just the Way You Are," which was written as a gift to his wife Elizabeth. He won for the latter two.
His next release, Songs in the Attic, was composed of live performances of less well-known songs from the beginning of his career. Songs in the Attic was recorded during arena and club shows in June and July of 1980. This release introduced many fans, who just discovered Joel when The Stranger became a smash in 1977, to many of his earlier compositions. The album reached # 8 on the Billboard chart and produced two hit singles: "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" (# 17), and "She's Got a Way" (# 23). It sold in excess of 3 million copies. Though not as successful as some of his previous albums, the album was still considered a success by Joel.The track "Los Angelenos" was recorded live at Toads Place in New Haven, CT in July of 1980.
Once The Nylon Curtain was finished, Joel embarked on a brief tour in support of the album, during which his first video special, Live from Long Island, was recorded at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on December 30, 1982.
Greatest Hits was highly successful, selling over 20 million copies worldwide and becoming the top-selling double album of all time by a solo artist (and second overall after The Wall by Pink Floyd). It has since been certified diamond by the RIAA for over 20 million albums sold. To date it is the 6th best selling album in American music history according to the RIAA.
In a Playboy interview, Joel indicated that "Rosalinda's Eyes" was penned for his mother, Rosalind, as the song his father should have written for her.
Despite having never graduated from high school due to a missed exam, Joel has been presented with multiple honorary doctorates:Billy Joel receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Syracuse University, May 14, 2006
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Fairfield University (1991)
- Doctor from Berklee College of Music (1993)
- Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University (1997)
- Doctor of Music from Southampton College (2000)
- Doctor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University (2006)
- High School Diploma awarded 25 years after he left by the School Board
Joel married Christie Brinkley on March 23, 1985. Their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, was born January 1, 1986. Alexa was given the middle name of Ray after Ray Charles, one of Joel's musical idols. Joel and Brinkley's marriage ended in divorce on August 25, 1994, although the couple remains quite friendly.
Joel also appeared on Saturday Night Live several times:
- 1978: sang "Only the Good Die Young" and "Just the Way You Are"
- 1981: sang "Miami 2017" and "She's Got a Way"
- 1989: sang "We Didn't Start the Fire" and "The Downeaster 'Alexa"
- 1993: sang "The River of Dreams" and "All About Soul" |
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