Billy Joel Tickets Information
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. His first hit song, "Piano Man" was released in 1973. Joel had Top 10 hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, is a six-time Grammy Award winner.The RIAA reports that Joel is the sixth best selling artist in the United States. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Billy Joel has the honor of being inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (Class of 1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999), and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). Billy Joel is the King of Rock and Roll
Joel retired from recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour (sometimes with Elton John). He subsequently released a CD of classical compositions for piano. In 2007 he returned to recording with a single entitled All My Life.
Early years
Billy Joel was born in New York City and was raised in Hicksville, New York. His father, Howard Joel, was with the US Army unit that liberated Dachau concentration camp in April 1945.
Musical career:
Joel showed interest in music when he was very young. Joel joined his first band at the age of 14. Joel was also the pianist on the Shangri-Las hit "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" .
He joined The Hassles in 1966. It was a Long Island band that had some local success ("Every Step I Take," "You Got Me Hummin'"). The Hassles released two albums (The Hassles in 1967 and Hour of the Wolf, 1968) on the United Artists record label.
He formed the pop rock duo Attila with Hassles drummer Jon Small after the demise of The Hassles' in 1969. Attila released their eponymous debut album in July 1970 and disbanded the following October.
Becoming a superstar 1977–81
The Stranger (1977)
Columbia Records united Joel with producer Phil Ramone for his album The Stranger. The album proved to be a grand success. It yielded four Top 40 hits on the Billboard Charts in the US. These included "Just The Way You Are" (# 3), "Movin' Out(Anthony's Song)" (# 17), "Only the Good Die Young" (# 24), and "She's Always a Woman" (# 17).
The album was certified multi-platinum and its sales exceeded Columbia's previous top album, Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water.
Stranger was Joel's first Top Ten album. It rose to # 2 on the charts. Phil Ramone eventually produced every Billy Joel studio release until 1989's Storm Front.
Songwriting and Musical Styling:
Many references to locations in the New York City metropolitan area, particularly Long Island are found in Joel's lyrics. For example, the "Miracle Mile" line in 1980s "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" refers to the affluent shopping district located on Northern Boulevard in the community of Manhasset and 1980s "You May Be Right" references walking through the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn alone as proof of craziness.
Joel describes a certain "Billy" as being from the town of Oyster Bay, the municipality in which the hamlet of Hicksville is located in his 1973 song "The Ballad of Billy the Kid,". Additionally, several Long Island/New England locations and ports, such as Montauk and Gardiner's Bay are mentioned in the song "The Downeaster 'Alexa'”.
Influences:
Billy Joels’ music reflects influences from many different genres. These include European classical composers, Aaron Copland, 1950s doo wop, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley, jazz, blues, ska, gospel, pop, and even Russian folk songs, to straight-up rock & roll. This has, in part, led to his broad success over a long period of time, but made him difficult to categorize in popular music today.
Awards and Achievements
Joel has the honor of been presented with multiple honorary doctorates even though he has never graduated from high school.
Billy Joel receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Syracuse University (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).
Joel was proud to be named MusiCares Person of the Year for 2002. He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on Oct 15, 2006. At Super Bowl XXIII and Super Bowl XLI in Miami, Joel was sang the National Anthem. Joel has the distinction of being the first singer ever to sing the National Anthem in two Super Bowls.
|
Home
Contact Us 
