Billy Joel bio
For over 20 years, Billy Joel has been a major force in popular music and his accomplishments as a songwriter, singer and piano man are unmatched. He was born on May 9, 1949 in Bronx, New York, USA. Although he scored well on tests, he dropped out of high school just before graduation to pursue a career in music.
His earliest influences include Beethoven, Chopin, Copeland, Debussy, Ellington and Gershwin. Billy Joel has also been influenced by performers such as Dave Brubeck, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.
He has played with bands like The Echoes, The Hassles and Atilla and has worked as a lounge pianist and a jingle composer. It was as a solo artist that he made his first significant recording. This recording was on the Paramount label and was named Cold Spring Harbor.
Billy Joel bio – short biography
Joel recorded the ever popular Piano Man in 1973 on the Columbia Records label and both the song and the album went gold shortly after they were released. The impact that he made as a recording artist in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s is phenomenal.Out of fourteen albums, eleven went either platinum, multi-platinum or a combination of the two.
Over 40 single hits on the charts, including songs like Piano Man, Uptown Girl, Just The Way You Are, Only The Good Die Young, We Didn’t Start The Fire and It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me. You have to admit that this songwriter, singer and piano man is a true genius! Joel has been nominated for 18 Grammy awards and has captured five of them.
His incredible songwriting talent is clearly demonstrated in the fact that he has written songs for some of the most famous artists of all time. His songs have been recorded and performed by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Phil Woods, Frank Sinatra, Ronnie Spector, Mose Allison, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Diane Schuur, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton, Barry White and Garth Brooks. This fact speaks for itself.
Joel’s albums continue to sell in thousands and he is the third best selling solo artist in US recording history; Garth Brooks and Elton John being the top two. In 1997 he announced that he would stop writing pop songs and would be concentrating on classical scores.
Billy Joel is one of the greatest songwriters to have ever walked on planet earth!