| Billy Joel | |
|---|---|
 Billy Joel live on November 7, 2006. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Joseph Martin Joel |
| Also known as | Bill Martin The Piano Man |
| Born | May 9, 1949 |
| Origin | Levittown, New York, United States |
| Genre(s) | Rock, pop, piano rock, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals Piano Keyboards Guitar Harmonica Accordion |
| Years active | 1964 - Present |
| Label(s) | Columbia |
| Associated acts | Echoes, The Hassles, Attila , The Shangri-Las, Elton John |
| Website | BillyJoel.com |
William Joseph Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Levittown, a Suburb of New York City is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Piano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a term for a style of Rock music that is based around the Piano, and sometimes around Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a Musical instrument, particularly the piano The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or The accordion is a portable box-shaped Musical instrument of the hand-held Bellows -driven free-reed aerophone family sometimes referred to as a Squeezebox In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Attila is the name of a band featuring a young Billy Joel. Billy was a member of a band called the Hassles he and the drummer Jon Small broke away from the Hassles and formed The Shangri-Las were a Girl group, an American pop group of the 1960s Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A pianist (/'piənɪst/ is a Musician who plays the Piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces play with an ensemble or Orchestra Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics He released his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973. " Piano Man " was Billy Joel 's first major hit and is considered Joel's Signature song. According to the RIAA, he is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [1]
Joel had Top 10 hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s; is a six-time Grammy Award winner, and has sold in excess of 150 million albums worldwide. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences [2] He was 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). The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization located in Lake Grove New York. Joel "retired" from recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour (sometimes with Elton John). Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer In 2001 he subsequently released Fantasies & Delusions, a CD of classical compositions for piano. Fantasies & Delusions is the first album of Billy Joel 's classical compositions released in 2001 In 2007 he returned to recording with a single entitled "All My Life," followed by an extensive "World Tour" from 2005-2008, covering many of the major world cities.
Biography
Early years
Born in the Bronx, New York, Joel was raised in Hicksville, New York. Hicksville is a hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay and Census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. His father, Howard (born Helmut), was originally from Germany, where his father (Billy Joel's grandfather) Karl Amson Joel had owned a department store, which he had been forced to sell below its market value, in order to avoid being dispossessed by the Nazis. Karl Amson Joel ( November 20 1889 &ndash November 4 1982) was a German - Jewish Textile merchant and Manufacturer The new owners turned this into a large mail order business in the 1950s (Neckermann). His mother, Rosalind Nyman, was born in England, to a Jewish family (Philip and Rebecca Nyman). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland His parents divorced in 1960, and his father moved back to Vienna, Austria. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Billy has a sister, Judith Joel, and a half-brother, Alexander Joel, who is an acclaimed classical pianist and conductor in Europe, now living in California. [3]
Joel's father was an accomplished classical pianist. Billy reluctantly began piano lessons at an early age, at his mother's insistence, including with the noted American pianist Morton Estrin[4] and musician/songwriter Timothy Ford. Morton Estrin, the noted American pianist was born in Burlington Vermont in 1923 His interest in music, rather than sports, was the source of teasing and bullying in his early years. (He has said in interviews that his piano instructor also taught ballet. This led neighborhood bullies to mistakenly think he was learning to dance. ) As a teenager, Joel took up boxing so that he would be able to defend himself. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, He boxed successfully on the amateur Golden Gloves circuit for a short time, winning twenty-two bouts, but abandoned the sport shortly after having his nose broken in his twenty-fourth boxing match. For the honor in Major League Baseball, see Gold Glove. The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for Amateur
Joel attended Hicksville High School, and was expected to graduate in 1967. However, he was one English credit short of the graduation requirement; he overslept on the day of an important exam, owing to his late-night musician's lifestyle. [5] Faced with a summer at school, in order to complete this requirement, he decided not to continue. He left high school without a diploma to begin a career in music. Despite the Vietnam War and the draft, Joel performed no military service — because he was the sole provider for his mother and sister, the selective service gave him a draft exemption. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority The Selective Service System is the means by which the United States administers military Conscription. In 1992, the English credit requirement was waived by the Hicksville School Board, and he received his diploma at Hicksville High's graduation ceremony 25 years after he had left the school. [5]
Early career
Upon seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Joel decided to pursue a full-time musical career, and set about finding a local Long Island band to join. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television Variety show that ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, Eventually he found the Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. The British Invasion was the term applied by the news media — and subsequently by consumers — to the influx of Rock and roll, beat and pop performers The Echoes became a popular New York attraction, convincing him to leave high school to become a professional musician. He began playing for the Echoes when he was 14 years old. [6]
Joel began playing recording sessions with the Echoes in 1965, when he was 16 years old. Joel played piano on several recordings produced by Shadow Morton, including (as claimed by Joel, but denied by songwriter Ellie Greenwich) the Shangri-Las' Leader of the Pack, as well as several records released through Kama Sutra Productions. George 'Shadow' Morton (b 3 September 1944 Richmond Virginia) is an American Record producer and songwriter best known for his influential work in the Eleanor Louise Greenwich known as Ellie Greenwich (born October 23, 1940, Brooklyn, New York) is an American pop The Shangri-Las were a Girl group, an American pop group of the 1960s " Leader of the Pack " is a 1964 Pop song recorded by Girl group The Shangri-Las. Kama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions a production During this time, the Echoes started to play numerous late-night shows.
Later, in 1965, the Echoes changed their name to the Emeralds and then to the Lost Souls. For two years, he played sessions and performed with the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left that band to join the Hassles, a local Long Island band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records. United Artists Records was a Record label founded by Max E Youngstein of United Artists in 1958 initially to distribute Soundtracks Over the next year and a half, they released The Hassles in 1967, Hour of the Wolf in 1968, and four singles, all of which failed commercially. Following The Hassles' demise in 1969, he formed the duo Attila with Hassles drummer Jon Small. Attila is the name of a band featuring a young Billy Joel. Billy was a member of a band called the Hassles he and the drummer Jon Small broke away from the Hassles and formed Attila released their eponymous debut album in July 1970, and disbanded the following October.
In late 1975, he played piano and organ on several tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American
Whereas most records are owned by the recording company, Billy Joel is one of a number of performers — including Paul Simon, Johnny Rivers, Pink Floyd, Queen, Genesis, and Neil Diamond — who have their own name as the copyright owner on their recordings. Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American Rock and roll Singer Pink Floyd are Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967 With approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide Genesis are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American Singer-songwriter and occasional Actor. Copyright is a legal concept enacted by Governments, giving the creator of an original work of authorship Exclusive rights to control its distribution usually for
Cold Spring Harbor (1971)
Joel signed his first solo record contract with Artie Ripp of Family Productions, and subsequently recorded his first solo album. Cold Spring Harbor was Billy Joel 's first solo album and was released in 1971. Cold Spring Harbor (a reference to the Long Island town of the same name), was released in 1971. See Cold Spring Harbor for other uses of the name Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in However, the album was mastered at the wrong speed, and the album was initially released with this error, resulting in Joel's sounding a semitone too high. The onerous terms of the Family Productions contract also guaranteed him very little money from the sales of his albums.
Hits such as "She's Got a Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now" were originally released on this album, although they did not gain much attention until released as live performances in 1981 on Songs in the Attic. Songs in the Attic is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music) Since then, they have become big concert numbers. Cold Spring Harbor gained a second chance on the charts in 1983, when Columbia reissued the album after slowing it down to the correct speed. The album reached #158 in the US and #95 in the UK nearly a year later. Cold Spring Harbor caught the attention of Merrilee Rush ("Angel of the Morning") and she recorded a femme version of "She’s Got a Way (He’s Got a Way)" for Scepter Records in 1971. Merrilee Rush is an American best known as the singer of " Angel of the Morning " a top-10 charting song which earned her a Grammy nomination for Scepter Records is a record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg.
In addition, a Philadelphia radio station, WMMR-FM, started playing a tape of a new song of Joel's, "Captain Jack", taken from a live concert. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə WMMR is a rock Radio station in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 93 " Captain Jack " is a song by Billy Joel, featured on his 1973 album Piano Man. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. It became an underground hit on the East Coast. The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern Herb Gordon, an executive of Columbia Records, heard Joel's music and made his company aware of Joel's talent. Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Joel signed a recording contract with Columbia in 1972 and moved to Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West He lived there for three years (and has since declared that those three years were a big mistake), returning to New York City in 1975. The City of New York While in California, he had a paid job in a piano bar (using the name Bill Martin), so his superhit "Piano Man" is seen as autobiographical.
Piano Man (1973)
Joel's experiences in Los Angeles connected him with record-company executives, who bought out his contract with Ripp, under the condition that the "Family Productions" logo be displayed alongside the Columbia logo for the next five albums. Piano Man is a rock album by Billy Joel, released in 1973. The title track is one of Joel's signature tracks and a seminal song in Piano Also in the contract was the agreement that Family Productions would receive a 25 cent royalty for every album Joel sold – a stipulation which would come back to haunt him when he hit it big.
Streetlife Serenade (1974)
Joel remained in Los Angeles to write Streetlife Serenade, his second album on the Columbia label. Streetlife Serenade was Billy Joel 's third album and his second with Columbia Records. References to both suburbia and the inner city pepper the album. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis The stand-out track on the album is "The Entertainer," which picks up thematically where "Piano Man" left off. " Piano Man " was Billy Joel 's first major hit and is considered Joel's Signature song. Joel was upset that "Piano Man" had been significantly edited down, in order to make it more radio-friendly, and in "The Entertainer," he refers to the edit with sarcastic lines such as "If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05", alluding to shortening of singles for radio play, as compared with the longer versions that appear on albums. " Piano Man " was Billy Joel 's first major hit and is considered Joel's Signature song. Although Streetlife Serenade is often considered one of Joel's weaker albums (Joel has confirmed his distaste for the album), it nevertheless contains some notable tracks, including the title track, with "Los Angelenos" and the instrumental "The Mexican Connection". An instrumental is a Musical composition or recording without Lyrics or any other sort of Vocal music; all of the Music is produced by It also marks the beginning of a more confident vocal style on Joel's part.
Turnstiles (1976)
Disenchanted with the L. Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. A. music scene, Joel returned to New York in 1975. There he recorded Turnstiles, for which he used his own hand-picked musicians in the studio for the first time, and also adopted a more hands-on role. Songs were initially recorded at Caribou Ranch with members of Elton John's band, and produced by famed Chicago producer James William Guercio, but Joel was dissatisfied with the results. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. James William Guercio (born in 1945 in Chicago Illinois) is an American Music producer, musician and Songwriter (occasionally credited as The songs were re-recorded in New York, and Joel took over, producing the album himself. The minor hit "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" echoed the Phil Spector sound, and was covered by Ronnie Spector. Harvey Philip Spector (born December 26 1940) is an American Record producer and Songwriter. Ronnie Spector (born Veronica Yvette Bennett on 10 August 1943 in New York New York) is an American musician and was the lead The album also featured the song, "New York State of Mind," a bluesy, jazzy epic that has become one of Joel's signature songs, and which was later covered by fellow Columbia labelmates Barbra Streisand, on her 1977 Streisand Superman album, and as a duet with Tony Bennett, on his 2001 "Playing with My friends: Bennett Sings The Blues" album. Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress Streisand Superman is an Album released in 1977 by American singer Barbra Streisand. Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto; August 3 1926) is an American Singer of popular music, standards Other songs on the album include "Summer, Highland Falls," and "Miami 2017 (I've Seen the Lights Go out on Broadway)". Songs such as "Prelude/Angry Young Man" would become a mainstay of his concerts for years.
The Stranger (1977)
For his album The Stranger, Columbia Records united Joel with producer Phil Ramone. The Stranger is the fifth Studio album by musician Billy Joel, released in 1977 (see 1977 in music) Phil Ramone is a Violinist, Composer, Recording engineer, and The album yielded four Top 40 hits on the Billboard Charts in the US: "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 Billboard charts are music sales airplay and digital ranking reports distributed to the general public by Billboard magazine " She's Always a Woman " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 album The Stranger. Album sales exceeded Columbia's previous top-selling album, Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water, and was certified multi-platinum. Simon & Garfunkel are an American Singer-songwriter duo of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Bridge over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio Album by Simon and Garfunkel. It was Joel's first Top Ten album, as it rose to #2 on the charts. Phil Ramone subsequently produced every Billy Joel studio release up to and including Storm Front, initially released in 1989. Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by Billy Joel and his first to be recorded digitally
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. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually This article refers to the 1977-song For the 1984 movie with the same title see Just the Way You Are (film. He won for the latter two.
52nd Street (1978)
Joel faced high expectations on his next album. 52nd Street is the sixth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1978 52nd Street was conceived as a day in Manhattan, and was named after the famous street of same name which hosted many of the world's premier jazz venues and performers throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. Manhattan Island, in New York Harbor, is much the largest part of the Borough of Manhattan, one of the Five Boroughs which form the City of New York 52nd Street is a 19 mile long one-way Street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan. Fans purchased over seven million copies on the strength of the hits "My Life" (#3), "Big Shot" (#14), and "Honesty" (#24). " My Life " is a song by Billy Joel that first appeared on his 1978 album 52nd Street. This helped 52nd Street become Joel's first #1 album. "My Life" eventually became the theme song for a new US television sitcom, Bosom Buddies, which featured actor Tom Hanks in one of his earliest roles. Bosom Buddies is an American sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director 52nd Street was the first album to be released on Compact Disc in Japan (1982). A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The album won Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male and Album of the Year. The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1966.
Despite all the cover art for the album showing Joel holding a trumpet, he does not play the instrument on the album, though two tracks on the album do feature trumpets. Freddie Hubbard plays two solos in "Zanzibar" and joins Jon Faddis in the horn section for "Half a Mile Away. Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Jazz Trumpeter. Jon Faddis, born on July 24, 1953 in Oakland California, is an American Jazz Trumpet player "
Glass Houses (1980)
The success of his piano-driven ballads like "Just the Way You Are" and "Honesty" never sat well with him. Glass Houses is the seventh Album by American Singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1980 (see 1980 in music) A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. With Glass Houses, Joel attacked the new wave popularity with aplomb. The front cover consisted of Joel's real-life modern glass house. The album spent 6 weeks at #1 on the Billboard chart and yielded such classics as "You May Be Right" (#7, May 1980), "Close To The Borderline" (B-side of the "You May Be Right" single), "Don't Ask Me Why" (#19, September 1980), "Sometimes a Fantasy" (#36, November 1980) and "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me", which became Joel's first Billboard #1 song in July, 1980. " You May Be Right " is a single written and performed rock singer Billy Joel from his 1980 album Glass Houses. " It's Still Rock and Roll to Me " is a hit 1980 song performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album Glass Houses. Glass Houses won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. It would also win the American Music Award for Favorite Album, Pop/Rock category.
Songs in the Attic (1981)
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 is the first live album by Billy Joel, released in 1981 (see 1981 in music) 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 Toad's Place in New Haven, CT in July of 1980. Toad's Place is a Concert venue and Nightclub in New Haven Connecticut.
The Nylon Curtain (1982)
The next wave of Joel's career commenced with the recording of The Nylon Curtain. The Nylon Curtain is the eighth Album by Billy Joel. It was released by CBS in 1982 (see 1982 in music) and produced by Considered his most audacious and ambitious album, Joel took more than a page or two from the Lennon-McCartney songwriting style on this heavily Beatles-influenced album. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960
Work began on The Nylon Curtain in the spring of 1982. However, Joel was sidelined when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. Because of the ensuing surgery, production of the album was shut down temporarily while Joel recovered.
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. } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York Uniondale is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) as well as a suburb of New York City in Nassau County, New York, United States Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar)
The Nylon Curtain went to #7 on the charts, supported by the popular singles "Allentown," "Goodnight Saigon," and "Pressure. This article is about the song by Billy Joel. For the city in Pennsylvania United States see Allentown. " Goodnight Saigon " is a song written by Billy Joel, originally appearing on his 1982 album The Nylon Curtain. For the song by Paramore, see Pressure (Paramore song. For the song by Queen, see Under Pressure. " "Allentown" rose to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the most-played radio songs of 1982 and the most successful song from The Nylon Curtain album, besting "Pressure," which peaked at #20 and "Goodnight Saigon" which reached #56.
An Innocent Man (1983)
The song "Uptown Girl" was one of the first songs written when Joel returned from vacation. For the 1989 movie starring Tom Selleck, see An Innocent Man (film. " Uptown Girl " is a Song performed by musician Billy Joel, whose lyrics deal with a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy "Uptown Girl" is widely considered to be about model Christie Brinkley, whom he started dating during the song's creation (the music video also included Brinkley). Christie Brinkley (born February 2, 1954) is a former American fashion model, and ex-wife of musician Billy Joel. The song became a worldwide hit upon its release, and Joel's sole #1 in the United Kingdom. The resulting album, An Innocent Man, was compiled as a tribute to the rock and roll music of the 1950s and 1960s, and also resulted in Joel's second Billboard #1 hit, "Tell Her About It," which was the first single off the album in the Summer of 1983. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry The album itself reached #4 on the charts and #2 in UK. It also boasted 6 top-30 singles, the most of any album in Joel's catalog. At the time the album came out that summer, WCBS-FM began playing "The Longest Time" both in regular rotation and on the "Doo Wop Shop. WCBS-FM (1011 MHz is a radio station in New York City owned by CBS Radio. " The Longest Time " is a Doo-wop single by Musician Billy Joel. " Many fans wanted this to be the next single released in the fall, but that October, "Uptown Girl" would be released, peaking at #3. " Uptown Girl " is a Song performed by musician Billy Joel, whose lyrics deal with a working-class "downtown man" attempting to woo a wealthy In December the title song, "An Innocent Man," would be released as a single and would peak at #10 and #8 in the UK, early in 1984. That March "The Longest Time," a Doo Wop song, would finally be released as a single and peak at #14 on the Hot 100 and be a number one Adult Contemporary hit. Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based Rhythm and blues music which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity both in the 1950s That summer, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" would be released and hit #27 while "Keeping the Faith" would peak #18 in January of 1985. In the video for "Keeping the Faith", Christie Brinkley also plays the "redhead girl in a Chevrolet". Christie Brinkley (born February 2, 1954) is a former American fashion model, and ex-wife of musician Billy Joel. An Innocent Man was also nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy, but lost to the inevitable winner that year, Michael Jackson's Thriller. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Thriller is the sixth Studio album by American pop musician Michael Jackson.
Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 (1985)
Following the success of An Innocent Man, Joel had been approached to release an album of his most successful singles. Billy Joel's Greatest Hits discs are a collection released in two sets This was not the first time this topic had come up, but Joel had initially considered "Greatest Hits" albums as marking the end of one's career. This time, he agreed, and Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2 was released as a 4-sided album and 2-CD set, with the songs in sequence of when they were released. The new songs "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and "The Night is Still Young" were recorded and released as singles to support the album; both reached the top 40, peaking at #9 and #34, respectively. " You're Only Human (Second Wind " is a hit Song written in 1985 and performed by Billy Joel for the express purpose of Teenage Suicide " The Night Is Still Young " is a single by the rock singer Billy Joel released as a new song from his greatest hits album Greatest Hits - Volume I and
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). The Wall is a Rock opera presented as a Double album by the English Progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in late Pink Floyd are 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. This is a list of the best-selling albums in the United States.
Coinciding with the Greatest Hits album release, Joel released a 2-volume Video Album that was a compilation of the promotional videos he had recorded from 1977 to the present time. Along with videos for the new singles off the Greatest Hits album, Joel also recorded a video for his first hit, "Piano Man," for this project.
Two versions of Greatest Hits were released on CD: the initial release on double CD in 1985, and a re-released Enhanced CD version in 1998. Enhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a Certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies While both are the same basic album in general, there are a number of subtle differences between the two:
- While all the longer hits ("Piano Man," "Captain Jack," "Goodnight Saigon") are fully intact, many other shorter songs ("Pressure," "Just the Way You Are," "My Life") were shortened significantly in the 1985 release. Oddly enough, the included booklet lists all of the lyrics, even the parts cut for time. These songs are fully restored in the re-release.
- The 1985 release features the live version of "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" from Songs in the Attic. The version from Turnstiles was used for the 1998 re-release.
- The 1998 re-release features enhanced content due to advancements in CD technology over the previous 13 years.
The Bridge (1986)
Joel scored a Top 10 hit with "Modern Woman" from the film "Ruthless People," a dark comedy from the directors of Airplane! that starred Bette Midler and Danny DeVito (Mick Jagger sang the title track). The Bridge is Billy Joel 's 10th studio album released by Columbia Records in 1986 (see 1986 in music) and it was produced by Phil The 1986 movie Ruthless People is a Black comedy starring Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold and Helen Slater Airplane! is a 1980 American Comedy film directed and written by David Zucker Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is anAmerican Singer, Actress and Comedian, also known (as her informal stage name as Daniel Michael DeVito Jr (born November 17 1944 is an American Actor, director and producer, who first gained prominence for his portrayal Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock The song subsequently appeared on The Bridge, which, like the movie, was released in the summer of 1986. Ray Charles duetted with Joel on the ballad "Baby Grand" (which Joel wrote by himself), and Steve Winwood played Hammond organ on the song "Getting Closer. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Stephen Lawrence "Steve" or "Stevie" Winwood (born 12 May 1948 in Handsworth, Birmingham) is an English Singer-songwriter The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company " The final song recorded for the album was "Code of Silence. " Cyndi Lauper contributed backing vocals on "Code of Silence" and garnered the only co-writing credit of Joel's entire career for helping him with the lyrics to the song. Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22 1953 is an American Grammy - and Emmy award winning Singer-songwriter and
Though it broke into the Top Ten, The Bridge was not a success in relation to some of Joel's other albums, but it yielded the hit "A Matter of Trust" (#10). In a departure from his "piano man" persona, Joel is shown in its video playing a Les Paul-autographed Gibson guitar. Les Paul (born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9 1915) is an American Jazz guitarist and Inventor. The ballad "This is the Time" also charted, peaking at #18, and has been a favorite on the prom circuit ever since. "Modern Woman" was also released as a single and was quite successful, but Joel has since said in interviews he doesn't care for the song, and subsequently it has been left off most of his compilation sets (the exception appears to be My Lives). My Lives is a Sony music compilation of demos outtakes B-sides soundtrack cuts live recordings and album cuts by American Singer/songwriter
On November 18, 1986 an extended version of the song "Big Man On Mulberry Street" was used on a season three episode of Moonlighting. " Big Man on Mulberry Street " is a jazz influenced song by Billy Joel from the 1986 album The Bridge (1986 The episode was titled "Big Man on Mulberry Street". In a dream sequence, Maddie Hayes envisions David Addison with his ex-wife. Moonlighting is an American Television series that first aired on ABC from 1985 to 1989 with a total of 67 episodes An extra horn solo was added to the song.
It was also the last Billy Joel album to carry the "Family Productions" logo.
At around this time, Joel completed voice work on Disney's Oliver & Company, released in 1988, a loose adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. Oliver & Company is a 1988 Animated feature Film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial Joel brought both his acting and musical talents to the film as Dodger. For the film, Joel recorded a song titled "Why Should I Worry?" Critics were generally positive toward the film, and pointed to Billy's acting contribution as one of its highlights, despite its being his first acting job. In interviews, Billy explained that he took the job due to his love of Disney cartoons as a child.
The USSR period, 1987
Throughout his tour supporting The Bridge, Joel and his handlers started planning a trip to the Soviet Union. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 He would be one of the first American rock acts to play there since the Berlin Wall went up, a fact not lost on history buff Joel. The Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer was a physical barrier separating West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (GDR ( East Germany) including There would be six live performances, three each at indoor arenas in Moscow and Leningrad. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Joel and his family (including young daughter Alexa) and his full touring band made the trip in June 1987. The entourage was filmed for television and video to eventually offset the cost of the trip, and the concerts were simulcast on radio around the world.
The audience in at least the first Moscow shows was filled with members of the Communist Party, who received tickets from the government as a perk. A Political party described as a communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of Communism through a communist form of Most of that audience took a long while to warm up to Joel's energetic show, something that never had happened in other countries he had performed in. As a result of that, a minor international incident occurred when he famously flipped over an electric keyboard during the second Moscow show as a show of frustration that the lighting engineers would not turn down the house lights. The lighting engineers were more concerned with the amount of light being adequate for filming, as a documentary film crew was filming the concert. According to Joel, each time the fans were hit with the bright lights, anybody who seemed to be enjoying themselves froze. In addition, people who were "overreacting" were removed by security. [7]
Концерт (1987)
The album Концерт, Russian for "Concert," was released in the fall of 1987. Singer Peter Hewlitt was brought in to hit the high notes on his most vocally challenging songs, like "An Innocent Man. " Joel also did versions of The Beatles classic "Back In The U. S. S. R. " and Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin'. "
It has been estimated that Joel lost more than US$1 million of his own money on the trip and concerts, but he has said the goodwill he was shown there was well worth it.
Storm Front (1989)
The song "We Didn't Start the Fire," the first single from the album Storm Front, was released in September 1989. Storm Front is the eleventh studio album by Billy Joel and his first to be recorded digitally " We Didn't Start the Fire " is a song by Billy Joel that makes reference to a catalog of headline events during his lifetime from March 1949 to 1989 when the The song became Joel's third and most recent US Number 1 hit, spending two weeks at the top.
Storm Front was released in October, and it eventually became Joel's first Number 1 album since Glass Houses, 9 years earlier. Storm Front was Joel's first album since Turnstiles to be recorded without Phil Ramone as producer. Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. For this album, he wanted a new sound, and worked with Mick Jones of Foreigner fame. Mick Jones (born Michael Leslie Jones 27 December, 1944 in Horsell, Surrey) is an English Guitarist, Songwriter Foreigner is a rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran musicians Mick Jones and ex- King Crimson member Ian McDonald, Joel also revamped his backing band, firing everyone, save drummer Liberty DeVitto, guitarist David Brown, and saxophone player Mark Rivera; and bringing in new faces, including talented multi-instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero, who would go on to become Joel's musical director and architect of his live sound. Liberty DeVitto (born August 8, 1950 in New York City, New York) is an American rock Drummer. Mark Rivera (nicknamed The Rockin' Rican) is a Musician, Musical director and corporate entertainment provider After "We Didn't Start the Fire," Storm Front also produced the top ten hit "I Go To Extremes" (#6). The album was also notable for its song "Leningrad," written after Joel met a clown in the Soviet city of that name during his tour in 1987, and "The Downeaster Alexa," written to underscore the plight of fishermen on Long Island who are barely able to make ends meet. " Leningrad " is a 1989 song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Billy Joel. " The Downeaster 'Alexa' " is a song originally released in 1989 on Billy Joel 's eleventh studio album Storm Front. Another well-known single from the album is the ballad "And So It Goes" (#37 in late 1990). " And So It Goes " is a ballad written by Billy Joel in 1983 though it wasn't released until six years later Billy Joel became the first-ever performer to hold a rock concert at Yankee Stadium, packing the house for two sold-out nights in a row in June of 1990. The original Yankee Stadium is a Stadium located in The Bronx in New York City.
River of Dreams (1993)
Joel started work on River of Dreams in early 1993. River of Dreams is the twelfth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1993. Its cover art was a colorful painting by Christie Brinkley that was a series of scenes from each of the songs on the album. The eponymous first single was the last top 10 hit Joel has penned to date, and #1 for twelve weeks on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. The album includes hits such as "The River of Dreams," "All About Soul,"(With Color Me Badd on backing vocals) and "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)," written for his daughter, Alexa. Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer and pianist. A radio remix version of "All About Soul" can be found on The Essential Billy Joel (2001), and a demo version appears on "My Lives" (2005). The Essential Billy Joel is a Sony music compilation of songs by American singer/songwriter Billy Joel. The song "The Great Wall of China" was written about his ex-manager Frank Weber and was a regular in the setlist for Joel's 2006 tour. "2000 Years" was prominent in the millennium concert at Madison Square Garden, December 31, 1999, and "Famous Last Words" closed the book on Joel's pop songwriting for more than a decade.
1994–present
On August 25, 1994, Joel and second wife Christie Brinkley divorced. Christie Brinkley (born February 2, 1954) is a former American fashion model, and ex-wife of musician Billy Joel.
On December 31, 1999, Joel performed at New York's Madison Square Garden, which at the time was considered to be Joel's last solo concert. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. The concert (dubbed The Night of the 2000 Years) ran for close to four hours and was later released as 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. 2000 Years The Millennium Concert is a two disc set and the third live album by Billy Joel released in 2000
In 2001, Joel released Fantasies & Delusions, a collection of classical piano pieces. Fantasies & Delusions is the first album of Billy Joel 's classical compositions released in 2001 All were composed by Joel and performed by Richard Joo. Richard Hyung-ki Joo is a British-Korean pianist and composer Joel often uses bits of these songs as interludes in live performances, and some of them are part of the score for the hit show Movin' Out. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. " Movin' Out (Anthony's Song " is a hit song written and recorded by Billy Joel. The album topped the classical charts at #1. Joel performed "New York State of Mind" live on September 21, 2001, as part of the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert, and on October 20, 2001, along with "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)," at the Concert for New York City in Madison Square Garden. America A Tribute to Heroes was a Benefit concert organized by actor George Clooney and broadcast A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. The Concert for New York City was a Benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden That night, he also performed "Your Song" with Elton John. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer
Joel has toured extensively with Elton John on a series of "Face to Face" tours. During these shows, the two have played each other's songs and performed duets. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. They grossed over US$46 million in just 24 dates.
In 2005, Columbia released a box set, My Lives, which is largely a compilation of demos, b-sides, live/alternate versions and even a few Top 40 hits. My Lives is a Sony music compilation of demos outtakes B-sides soundtrack cuts live recordings and album cuts by American Singer/songwriter The compilation also includes the Umixit software, in which people can remix "Zanzibar," "Only the Good Die Young," "Keepin' The Faith," and live versions of "I Go to Extremes" and "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" with their PC. Also, a DVD of a show from the River of Dreams tour is included. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience.
On January 7, 2006, Joel began a tour across the United States. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Having not written, or at least released, any new songs in 13 years, he featured a sampling of songs from throughout his career, including major hits as well as obscure tunes like "Zanzibar" and "All for Leyna. " His tour included an unprecedented 12 sold-out concerts over several months at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. The City of New York The singer's stint of 12 shows at Madison Square Garden broke a previous record set by New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen when he played 10 sold-out shows at the same arena. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. The record earned Joel the first retired number (12) in the arena owned by a non-athlete. This honor has also been given to Joel at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia where a banner in the colors of the Philadelphia Flyers is hung honoring Joel's 46 Philadelphia sold-out shows. The Wachovia Center, formerly known as the CoreStates Center and the First Union Center, is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional Ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also had a banner raised in his honor for being the highest grossing act in the history of the Times Union Center (formerly the Knickerbocker Arena and Pepsi Arena) in Albany, New York. Albany is the Capital of the State of New York and the County seat of Albany County. This honor was given to him as part of the April 17, 2007 show he did there. On June 13, 2006, Columbia released 12 Gardens Live, a double album containing 32 live recordings from a collection of the 12 different shows at Madison Square Garden during Joel's 2006 tour. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City.
2006 also saw Billy Joel visit the United Kingdom and Ireland (as part of the European leg of his 2006 tour) for the first time in many years, playing to capacity crowds in Birmingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Manchester, Glasgow, London and Dublin. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Birmingham ( ˈbɜːmɪŋəm Ber -ming-um Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. On July 31, 2006, Joel performed a free concert in Rome, Italy with the Colosseum as the backdrop, and performed classic hits for hundreds of thousands of fans. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre ( Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio Joel performed favorites such as "New York State of Mind," "Honesty," and "Just the Way You Are. " While introducing one song, the 57-year-old singer joked in shaky Italian, "This song is as old as the Colosseum. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. " Organizers estimated 500,000 people turned out for the show. The concert was opened by Canadian pop-rocker and songwriter Bryan Adams. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. {Otherpeople|Brian Adams}} Bryan Adams OC, OBC, (born Bryan Guy Adams on November 5, 1959) is a Canadian rock
Billy Joel toured South Africa, Australia, Japan, and Hawaii in late 2006, and subsequently toured the Southeastern United States in February and March 2007 before hitting the Midwest in the spring of '07. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the
On January 3, 2007, news was leaked to the New York Post that Billy had recorded a new song with lyrics -- this being the first new song with lyrics he'd written in almost 14 years. The New York Post is the 13th-oldest Newspaper published in the United States and generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continually [8] The song, entitled "All My Life," was Joel's newest single (with second track "You're My Home" Live from Madison Square Garden 2006 tour) and was released into stores on February 27, 2007. " All My Life " is a single released by Billy Joel, the first new song with lyrics he had written since 1993's River of Dreams album [9]
On February 4, 2007, Joel sang the national anthem for Super Bowl XLI, and was the first to sing the national anthem twice at a Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played on February 4 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, a suburb of professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL
On April 17, 2007, Joel was honored in Albany, NY, for his 9th concert at Times Union Center. Albany is the Capital of the State of New York and the County seat of Albany County. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous "Pepsi Arena" redirects here For the arenas in Denver see Pepsi Center; Quebec City see Colisée Pepsi; Indianapolis see Pepsi Coliseum He is now holding the highest box office attendance of any artist to play at the arena. A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for Admission to a venue With his daughter Alexa Ray Joel in attendance, a banner was raised in his honor marking this achievement. Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer and pianist.
On December 1, 2007, Joel premiered his new song "Christmas in Fallujah"[10]. " Christmas in Fallujah " is a single written by Billy Joel and performed by Cass Dillon. It is performed by Cass Dillon, a new Long Island based musician, as Joel felt it should be sung by someone in a soldier's age range. Cass Dillon is a Singer - Songwriter from Long Island New York whose first release is a song written by Billy Joel titled "Christmas in Fallujah" This song is dedicated to the troops in Iraq. "Christmas In Fallujah" became available to purchase on iTunes December 4, 2007 with the proceeds benefiting the Homes For Our Troops foundation.
On January 26, 2008, Joel performed with the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra celebrating the 151st anniversary of the Academy of Music. Joel premiered his new classical piece entitled, "Waltz No. 2 (Steinway Hall)", whilst playing many of his more obscure pieces with full orchestral backing. Highlights of this were the rarely-performed Nylon Curtain songs "Scandinavian Skies" and "Where's the Orchestra?". The concert also marked the first live performance of "All My Life. "
On February 7, 2008, Joel released the news at a Mets press conference that he will be playing the last concert at Shea Stadium, which will be demolished at the end of the 2008 Mets baseball season. William A Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea (ʃeɪ̪ is a Stadium located in the New York City borough Originally there was only one show planned at Shea, but when 50,000 tickets for Joel's July 16 concert sold out in just 48 minutes, a second concert was added for July 18, and it sold out in just 46 minutes. There are no more shows expected to be added to Joel's Shea Stadium stand.
On March 10, 2008, Joel inducted his friend John Mellencamp into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony that took place at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. John Mellencamp, previously known as John Cougar and then John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951, in Seymour Indiana) is a The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel is a famously luxurious hotel in New York During his induction speech for Mellencamp, Joel said:
- "Don’t let this club membership change you, John. Stay ornery, stay mean. We need you to be pissed off, and restless, because no matter what they tell us - we know, this country is going to hell in a handcart. This country’s been hijacked. You know it and I know it. People are worried. People are scared, and people are angry. People need to hear a voice like yours that’s out there to echo the discontent that’s out there in the heartland. They need to hear stories about it. [Audience applauds] They need to hear stories about frustration, alienation and desperation. They need to know that somewhere out there somebody feels the way that they do, in the small towns and in the big cities. They need to hear it. And it doesn’t matter if they hear it on a jukebox, in the local gin mill, or in a goddamn truck commercial, because they ain’t gonna hear it on the radio anymore. They don’t care how they hear it, as long as they hear it good and loud and clear the way you’ve always been saying it all along. You’re right, John, this is still our country. "
Personal life
Marriages
Joel married his business manager Elizabeth Weber (Elizabeth Small) on September 5, 1973, and they divorced on July 20, 1982, though he kept her on as his business manager; a move that would prove to be a mistake, according to his Behind the Music interview, as her brother embezzled almost all of Joel's savings from him. Events 1590 - Alexander Farnese 's army forces Henry IV of France to raise the siege of Paris. Year 1973 ( MCMLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the 1973 Gregorian calendar. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Behind the Music was a Television series on VH1 that ran from 1997 to 2006, and continues to air sporadically with new episodes
Joel married Christie Brinkley on March 23, 1985. Christie Brinkley (born February 2, 1954) is a former American fashion model, and ex-wife of musician Billy Joel. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, was born January 1, 1986. Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer and pianist. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Alexa was given the middle name of Ray after Ray Charles, one of Joel's musical idols. Ray Charles Robinson ( September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his Stage name Ray Charles, was an American Joel and Brinkley's marriage ended in divorce on August 25, 1994, although the couple remains quite friendly. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar)
On October 2, 2004, Joel married 23 year-old culinary artist Katie Lee. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Culinary art is the Art of Cooking. The word "culinary" is defined as something related to or connected with cooking or Kitchens A culinarian Katie Lee Joel (born Katherine Lee on September 14, 1981) is a television Food critic and Chef. At the time of the wedding, Joel was 55. Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray, then 18, served as maid of honor. Participants in wedding ceremonies, also known as the wedding party, include the bride and groom (or bridegroom) the maid of honor Joel's second wife, Christie Brinkley, attended the union and gave the couple her blessing. Lee works as a restaurant correspondent for the PBS show, George Hirsch: Living it Up!. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the In 2006, Katie Lee hosted Bravo's Top Chef. Bravo is a Cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film drama Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the Cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each She did not return for a 2nd season, but rather went on tour with her husband. She now has a weekly column in Hamptons Magazine, and is a field correspondent for the entertainment television show Extra. Extra is an entertainment Television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication
Other businesses
In 1996 Joel merged his long-held love of boating with his desire for a second career. He formed, with Long Island boating businessman Peter Needham, the Long Island Boat Company. The company manufactures 38-foot (length) powerboats. A motorboat is a vessel propelled by an Internal combustion engine driving a jet pump or a Propeller.
Alcoholism
In 2002 Joel entered Silver Hill Hospital, a substance abuse and psychiatric center in New Canaan, Connecticut. Substance abuse is the overindulgence in and dependence of a Drug or other chemical leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual's physical and mental health Psychiatry is a medical specialty which exists to study, prevent, and treat Mental disorders in Humans Psychiatric New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, 8 miles (13 km northeast of Stamford, on the Five Mile River In March 2005 he checked into the Betty Ford Center[11], where he spent 30 days. The Betty Ford Center is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for adults in Rancho Mirage California, United States, co-founded by former U [12]
Musical style
Joel's lyrics have made many references to locations in the New York City metropolitan area, particularly Long Island. The New York metropolitan area, often referred to as the Tri-State Area, is the most populous Metropolitan area in the United States and is also one Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches 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. New York State Route 25A is a New York State highway and the main East-West route for most of the North Shore of Long Island, running from the Manhasset is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. Bedford-Stuyvesant (pron \ˈstī-və-sənt\ (also known as Bed-Stuy) is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City, USA, borough Brooklyn (named after the Dutch town Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. In his 1973 song "The Ballad of Billy the Kid," he describes a certain "Billy" as being from the town of Oyster Bay, the municipality in which the hamlet of Hicksville is located. This article refers to the Town of Oyster Bay For the hamlet named Oyster Bay within the town see Oyster Bay (hamlet, New York. A hamlet is (usually&mdashsee below a Rural community — that is a small settlement — which is too small to be considered a Village. Hicksville is a hamlet in the Town of Oyster Bay and Census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States. He has since stated, in the liner notes from his album Songs in the Attic, that this "Billy" is not himself, but rather an Oyster Bay bartender. In concert, Joel often performs a paean to New York, New York State of Mind, in which he substitutes the names of Long Island towns for urban locations, such as Oceanside, New York for Riverside, Queens. " New York State of Mind " is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. Oceanside is a hamlet (and Census-designated place) located in the south part of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County New York. [13] Additionally, Joel's song "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" mentions several Long Island/New England locations and ports, such as Block Island Sound, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Montauk and Gardiner's Bay. In "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," Joel sings "Do you remember those days hanging out at the village green?" referring to a park adjacent to a shopping center close to his childhood home in Hicksville. " Scenes from an Italian Restaurant " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 album The Stranger. And, in "Leningrad," Joel drew comparison between US and USSR cold war experiences when he sang "children lived in Levittown and hid in the shelters underground" referring to Levittown, the hamlet next to Hicksville that was famously developed after WWII and known as "America's first suburb. "
Several of Joel's songs have grown out of specific personal experiences, including "Piano Man," which he wrote describing his regular job playing at a Los Angeles piano bar in the early 1970s, and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," written about Angelo's, an eatery on Mulberry Street in New York City's Little Italy. " Piano Man " was Billy Joel 's first major hit and is considered Joel's Signature song. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West A piano bar (also known as a piano lounge) consists of a Piano or Electronic keyboard played by a professional Musician, located in " Scenes from an Italian Restaurant " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 album The Stranger. The City of New York Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. [14] However, in a documentary that will be released as part of the 30th anniversary special box set for The Stranger, Joel says that the restaurant that inspired the song is called Fontana di Trevi (a segment showing Joel explaining this can be found on his official YouTube channel). Joel goes on to say that Fontana di Trevi was across the street from Carnegie Hall (Joel says that the restaurant is no longer there, though it appears he was mistaken as there is still a little trattoria operating under that name at 151 W 57th St between 7th Ave. and Issac Stern Place, across from Carnegie Hall). He adds that Fontana's proprietor recognized Joel from a poster related to his appearance at Carnegie Hall on July 2, 1977. "There was a line around the block. The owner looks at the poster and then he looks at me and says, 'Hey! Your that-a guy!' From then on, I never had trouble getting a good spot. People wonder where 'Scenes From An Italian Restaurant' was. Well, that was the place. " His song "Vienna" was supposedly written about a visit to his father in Europe during which he watched an old lady sweeping the street. At first he was shocked that people had this little respect for the elderly, but then realized that allowing them to stay useful to society was the greatest show of respect and knowing that "Vienna waits for you" calmed many of his fears about aging.
Contrary to persistent rumors, "Big Shot" was not based on a bad date with Mick Jagger's ex-wife Bianca. " Big Shot " was the second hit single from Billy Joel 's 1978 album 52nd Street. Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger, Kt (born 26 July 1943 is a Golden Globe -winning and two-time Grammy -winning English rock Bianca Jagger (born Bianca Pérez-Mora Macías on May 2, 1950) is a social and Human rights advocate also former model
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. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy "Mom" "Mum" and "Mommy" redirect here The father is defined as the Male Parent of an offspring The Adjective "paternal" refers to father parallel to "maternal" for
"Only the Good Die Young" created a bit of a stir within the religious community when it was first released in 1977. " Only the Good Die Young " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 Pop rock album The Stranger. Some radio stations even refused to give the song any airtime. Joel has said about the song that "the point of the song wasn't so much anti-Catholic as pro-lust. "[15]
Influences
His music reflects influences from many different genres including classical music, 1950s doo wop, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley, jazz, blues, gospel, pop, and straight-up rock & roll. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based Rhythm and blues music which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity both in the 1950s Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City -centered music publishers and Songwriters who dominated the popular Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Ray Charles has also had a huge impact on Billy Joel's music and personal life. 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. Joel's greatest musical influence is probably The Beatles, in particular the songwriting style of Paul McCartney. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer,
Discography
Band
| Billy Joel Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Long Island, New York, United States |
| Genre(s) | Rock Pop Arena rock Hard rock |
| Years active | 1970 - Present |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records |
| Website | billyjoel.com |
| Members | |
| Billy Joel Tommy Byrnes Chuck Burgi David Rosenthal Mark Rivera Crystal Taliefero Carl Fischer Andy Cichon Richie Cannata | |
| Former members | |
| Richie Cannata Liberty DeVitto Doug Stegmeyer (Deceased) David LeBolt David Brown Russell Javors Jeff Bova Jeff Jacobs Larry Russell Rhys Clark Ron Tutt Howard Emerson | |
In the mid 1970s, the touring and studio lineup of Joel's band stabilized. This is the discography of the United States singer-songwriter Billy Joel. Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Chuck Burgi is an American drummer who was born in Montclair New Jersey on August 15 1952. David Rosenthal is an American Keyboardist, Music producer, and Songwriter mostly known for working with Billy Joel. Mark Rivera (nicknamed The Rockin' Rican) is a Musician, Musical director and corporate entertainment provider Karl or Carl Fischer may refer to Carl H Fischer, American floriculturalist Carl Fischer Music, American music publishing Richie Cannata is an American music producer multi-instrumentalist vocalist and studio owner Richie Cannata is an American music producer multi-instrumentalist vocalist and studio owner Liberty DeVitto (born August 8, 1950 in New York City, New York) is an American rock Drummer. David Brown ( February 15, 1947 – September 4, 2000) was the primary Bass guitar player for the band Santana Jeff Bova (born Jeffrey Bova in 1953 is an American Grammy Award winning Keyboardist, Composer, Arranger and Record producer The main lineup consisted of:
- Billy Joel - lead vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, harmonica
- Liberty DeVitto — drums, percussion
- Doug Stegmeyer — bass guitar, backing vocals
- Russell Javors — rhythm and lead guitars, harmonica, backing vocals
- David Brown — lead and rhythm guitars, 12-string guitar
- Richie Cannata — saxophones, flute, clarinet, piano, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
This was also the lineup for Joel's first live album, Songs in the Attic. Liberty DeVitto (born August 8, 1950 in New York City, New York) is an American rock Drummer. Richie Cannata is an American music producer multi-instrumentalist vocalist and studio owner
The 1980s and 1990s saw significant changes to Joel's band. By the River of Dreams tour, the only remaining long-standing member of the band was DeVitto. T-Bone Wolk joined playing bass guitar, as well as other instruments, including accordion. Multi-instrumentalists Crystal Taliefero and Mark Rivera joined and remain in his band to this day. Mark Rivera (nicknamed The Rockin' Rican) is a Musician, Musical director and corporate entertainment provider Rivera had taken over the prominent saxophone solo in the song "New York State of Mind" that had previously been performed by Cannata (and was re-recorded by Phil Woods for the Greatest Hits version of the song). " New York State of Mind " is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. Billy Joel's Greatest Hits discs are a collection released in two sets The 1993 River of Dreams tour saw the addition of David Rosenthal on keyboards who also remains with the band. David Rosenthal is an American Keyboardist, Music producer, and Songwriter mostly known for working with Billy Joel. Tommy Byrnes has become a frequent band member on guitar and was both a musical consultant and band member in the Movin' Out musical. " Movin' Out (Anthony's Song " is a hit song written and recorded by Billy Joel. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. For the 2006 tour, Joel did not invite DeVitto back as drummer. Chuck Burgi (from the Broadway production of Movin' Out) replaced DeVitto. Chuck Burgi is an American drummer who was born in Montclair New Jersey on August 15 1952. Cannata returns on saxophones, along with Rivera and Taliefero, with Cannata again performing the "New York State of Mind" solo. Carl Fischer plays trumpet and trombone when needed, most notably in the classic song, "Zanzibar. Karl or Carl Fischer may refer to Carl H Fischer, American floriculturalist Carl Fischer Music, American music publishing Zanzibar ( is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the "
Billy Joel's current lineup for the 2006-2008 tour was also featured on one of his newest albums 12 Gardens Live. They include:
- Billy Joel - Piano, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
- Tommy Byrnes - Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Andy Cichon - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Dave Rosenthal - Keyboards, Synthesizers
- Chuck Burgi - Drums
- Crystal Taliefero - Percussion, Backing Vocals, Saxophone, Harmonica
- Mark Rivera - Saxophone, Backing Vocals, Guitar, Bongos
- Carl Fischer - Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone (When Needed)
- Richie Cannata - Saxophone (Cannata will sometimes join up with the rest of the band for the Northeast leg of the tour but he usually won't travel with them during the rest of the tour. )
In August 1995, Billy Joel's long-time bassist Doug Stegmeyer committed suicide in his Long Island home. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Stegmeyer had played on every one of Joel's albums from Turnstiles through The Bridge. Turnstiles was the fourth album by Billy Joel, released in 1976. Stegmeyer also performed as bassist on Joel's live album KOHЦEPT.
Awards and achievements
Despite having never graduated from high school because of a missed exam,[16] Joel has been presented with multiple honorary doctorates:
- 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)[17]
- Doctor of Musical Arts from the Manhattan School of Music (2008)
- High School Diploma awarded 25 years after he left by the School Board
Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in 1999. Syracuse University (SU is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding Fairfield University is a private co-educational undergraduate and master's level university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945 is an independent music College in Boston Massachusetts. Hofstra University is a private Nonsectarian, Coeducational institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead and the hamlet of Uniondale Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, located in Southampton New York between the Shinnecock Syracuse University (SU is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. The Manhattan School of Music is a Music conservatory located in New York City that offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state Billy Joel was the tie breaker in the battle of which city would get the hall. Seven of Joel's fellow artists favored San Francisco, while seven other artists favored Cleveland. Joel was asked to be the tie breaker. He voted in favor of Cleveland. On his tours, Cleveland is one of his favorite cities to play and perform in.
Joel was also named MusiCares Person of the Year for 2002 [18], an award given each year at the same time as the Grammy Awards. At the dinner honoring Joel, various artists performed versions of his songs including Nelly Furtado, Stevie Wonder, Jon Bon Jovi, Diana Krall, Rob Thomas, and Natalie Cole. Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2 1978 is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, record producer actor and instrumentalist, who also holds Portuguese Stevie Wonder (born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13 1950 name later changed to Stevland Hardaway Morris) is an Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi Jr on March 2 1962 is an American Musician, Songwriter and Actor. Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian Jazz Pianist and Singer. Robert Kelly Thomas (born February 14, 1972, in Landstuhl, Germany on a US military base is an American rock recording artist and Natalie Cole (born Natalie Maria Cole on February 6 1950) is an influential American Singer-songwriter and performer who has He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on Oct. The Long Island Music Hall of Fame is an organization located in Lake Grove New York. 15, 2006. In 2005, Joel was put in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood Los Angeles California, USA, that
Joel has banners in the rafters of the Times Union Center, Nassau Coliseum, Madison Square Garden, Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, and Hartford Civic Center in Hartford. "Pepsi Arena" redirects here For the arenas in Denver see Pepsi Center; Quebec City see Colisée Pepsi; Indianapolis see Pepsi Coliseum } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. The Wachovia Center, formerly known as the CoreStates Center and the First Union Center, is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania The XL Center, formerly known as the Hartford Civic Center, is a sports and convention complex located in Hartford Connecticut, USA owned by the City of (Joel is erroneously cited as the first artist to perform a concert at Yankee Stadium in New York City; The Isley Brothers first performed there in 1968, and the Latin supergroup, The Fania All-Stars played and recorded live albums at the stadium during the 1970s. The original Yankee Stadium is a Stadium located in The Bronx in New York City. The City of New York The Isley Brothers (ˈaɪzliː are a Grammy-winning American R&B / soul group The Fania All-Stars was an illustrious and widely distinguished musical ensemble established in 1968 by composer Johnny Pacheco as a showcase for the leading musicians )
He has also sponsored the Billy Joel Visiting Composer Series at Syracuse University. [19]
Joel is the only performing artist to have played both Yankee and Shea Stadiums.
Other media contributions
- Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (1974) (Television) (Performed "Piano Man," "Somewhere Along the Line," and "Captain Jack")
- The Midnight Special (1975) (Television) (Sang "Travelin' Prayer" and "The Ballad of Billy the Kid")
- The Mike Douglas Show (1976) (Television)
- Billy Joel Tonight (1976) (Time Life Video) (VHS) (Palmer Auditorium, Connecticut College, New London, CT)
- The Old Grey Whistle Test (1978) (London, England) (Television)
- Musikladen (1978) (German television concert)
- 20/20 (1980) (Television)
- Live from Long Island (1982) (CBS/Fox) (VHS) (Originally aired on HBO as "Billy Joel: A Television First. The Mike Douglas Show was an American daytime Television Talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that ran from 1961 to 1982 The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) was an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 Der Musikladen (the music shop was a West German music television programme that ran from December 13, 1972 to November 29, 1984 20/20 is an American television Newsmagazine broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. " Recorded live at Nassau Coliseum)
- MTV Special: Innocent Man Tour (1983) (Television) ("Behind-the-scenes" look at Joel's Innocent Man tour)
- From a Piano Man to an Innocent Man (1984) (BBC Television Broadcast)
- Farm Aid (September 1985) (Television)
- Video Album, Vol. } The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, commonly known as Nassau Coliseum (or simply The Coliseum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale New York Farm Aid started as a Benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign Illinois, held to raise money for Family farmers in the 1 (1986) (CBS/Fox) (VHS)
- Video Album, Vol. 2 (1986) (CBS/Fox) (VHS)
- Live From Leningrad USSR (1987) (CBS) (VHS) (Originally aired on HBO)
- Oliver & Company (1988) (Provided both the voice and singing voice for the character Dodger in the Disney full-length animated feature. Oliver & Company is a 1988 Animated feature Film in which a homeless kitten named Oliver joins a gang of dogs to survive on the 1980s New )
- Sesame Street (1988)(Sang Just the Way You Are to Oscar The Grouch, and The Alphabet Song with the kids)
- 1989 NFL Super Bowl XXIII (Sang National Anthem, Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida)
- Eye of the Storm (1990) (VHS) (Sony) (Compilation of five music videos from the Storm Front album)
- Live at Yankee Stadium (1990) (Sony) (DVD/VHS)
- A Matter of Trust (1991) (CBS) (VHS) (Documentary of the 1986 Russian tour)
- Late Show with David Letterman (August 30, 1993) First musical guest on the show, performing "No Man's Land"
- Shades of Grey (1993) (Sony) (PBS documentary on the making of River of Dreams. Sesame Street is an American educational Children's television series and a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard combining This article refers to the 1977-song For the 1984 movie with the same title see Just the Way You Are (film. Oscar the Grouch is a Muppet character on the television program Sesame Street. The Late Show with David Letterman is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS River of Dreams is the twelfth studio album by Billy Joel, released in 1993. Released on VHS)
- Live from the River of Dreams (Sony) (1994) (Originally aired on Sat 3 (German television); released on DVD in the My Lives box set in 2005) Live from Frankfurt, Germany. My Lives is a Sony music compilation of demos outtakes B-sides soundtrack cuts live recordings and album cuts by American Singer/songwriter
- During the 1994 Grammy Award Show, the director cut short Frank Sinatra's acceptance speech for receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12 1915 &ndash May 14 1998 was an American singer and actor Joel extended his performance of "The River of Dreams" by stopping the song partway through, looking at the celebrity audience with a grin while pretending to check his watch and saying, "valuable advertising time going by. . . dollars. . . dollars. . . dollars. . . " which was met with laughter from the audience. He then resumed playing the song.
- Greatest Hits, Vol. III (Sony) (1997) (DVD/VHS)
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1997) (Television)
- VH1: Behind the Music (1997) (Television)
- VH1: Storytellers (1997) (Television)
- VH1: Video Time Line (1998) (Television)
- Inside the Actor's Studio (1999) (Bravo Network)
- Mad About You: "Murray at the Dog Show" (1999) (NBC Television) (Appeared as himself; wrote the music for the song "Lullabye For You" which was featured in the episode. The Rosie O'Donnell Show was an American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. Mad About You is an American Sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999 Paul Reiser wrote the lyrics. Paul Reiser (born March 30, 1957) is an American Stand-up comedian, Actor, Author and Writer. )
- ABC 2000 (1999/2000) (television VHS) (International broadcast; portions of Joel's New Years Eve concert were aired live)
- Piano Grand! A Smithsonian Celebration (2000) (Joel served as host and performer; aired on PBS; released on DVD)
- MLB World Series- Subway Series Game 1 (2000) (Television) (Performed the National Anthem)
- Movin' Out (2002), is a musical based on twenty-four Billy Joel songs which was a smash hit on Broadway from 2002 to 2005 (last Broadway show was on December 11, 2005). The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the For other events named "World Series" see World Series (disambiguation. The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. Movin' Out is a Jukebox musical featuring the songs of Billy Joel. Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joel was composer, lyricist, and orchestrator and won a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A lyricist is a Writer who specializes in Song Lyrics, usually paid for by a band to write a custom song(s Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed The Tony Award for Best Orchestrations has been given since 1997 The musical is really a dance performance choreographed by famed choreographer Twyla Tharp, with Joel's songs sung by Michael Cavanaugh. See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή" Twyla Tharp (born July 1 1941) is a American Dancer and Choreographer. Michael Cavanaugh (b 1972, Cleveland Ohio, USA) is an actor musician and singer most famous for playing the piano/lead vocals in the band for the
- Die, Joel Akte (The Joel Files) (2001) (PBS Documentary)
- America: A Tribute To Heroes (2001) (Television, Radio, DVD)
- Charlie Rose (2001) (PBS television/DVD)
- The Concert for New York City (2001) (Television, VHS/DVD)
- A&E Special: In His Own Words (2001) (A&E Network) (Master class recorded at the University of Pennsylvania)
- The Essential Video Collection (2001) (Sony) (DVD/VHS) (Music Video compilation)
- The 2003 Tony Awards" (Television) (Performed "New York State of Mind")
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2005) (Television) (Performed "Miami 2017" and "Only the Good Die Young")
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2005) (NBC) (Performed "Everybody Loves You Now" and "Vienna")
- The Today Show (2005) (NBC) (Performed "Keepin' the Faith" and "She's Right on Time")
- The Today Show (2006) (NBC) (Performed "The Good Life" with Tony Bennett live)
- The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch (2006) (CNBC)
- American Chopper (2006) ("The Billy Joel Bike") (Television, DVD)
- Tokyo, Japan (2006) (Television, DVD)(Concert was taped and produced by The Fuji Television Network)
- 2007 NFL Super Bowl XLI (Joel is the first to sing the National Anthem in two Super Bowls. Charlie Rose (born Charles Peete Rose Jr, on January 5, 1942) is an American TV interviewer and journalist The Concert for New York City was a Benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden Master Class is a play by Terrence McNally, with incidental music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Vincenzo Bellini. The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn) is a private University located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, also called Ellen The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is an Emmy Award winning " Only the Good Die Young " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 Pop rock album The Stranger. Late Night with Conan O'Brien is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien on NBC Today, also referred to as The Today Show, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on NBC. Today, also referred to as The Today Show, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on NBC. Tony Bennett (born Anthony Dominick Benedetto; August 3 1926) is an American Singer of popular music, standards The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch is a Talk show on CNBC hosted by Donny Deutsch. CNBC (an abbreviation for the " C onsumer N ews and B usiness C hannel" its official name until 1991 is a cable and American Chopper The Series is a Learning Channel Reality television series produced by Pilgrim Films & Television Inc professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL )
- 2008, March 24. Appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show with wife, Katie. Performed "Only the Good Die Young. "
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"
See also
References
- ^ Top Selling Artists. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City " Only the Good Die Young " is a song from Billy Joel 's 1977 Pop rock album The Stranger. This article refers to the 1977-song For the 1984 movie with the same title see Just the Way You Are (film. " We Didn't Start the Fire " is a song by Billy Joel that makes reference to a catalog of headline events during his lifetime from March 1949 to 1989 when the " The Downeaster 'Alexa' " is a song originally released in 1989 on Billy Joel 's eleventh studio album Storm Front. When adding to this page please ensure that your claims are sourced Gold & Platinum. RIAA.
- ^ "September 21, 2004", BBC News. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
- ^ Tallmer, Jerry. "Billy Joel grapples with the past", July 16-22, 2003.
- ^ Morton Estrin - Concert Pianist. Recording Artist. Master Teacher
- ^ a b NY Times, June 26, 1992, p. B6
- ^ Short biography of Billy Joel
- ^ "Letters to the Editor: You May Be Right, I May Be Crazy, But...", Seattle Weekly, November 14l, 2007. Events 1533 - Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Johnson, Richard. "BILLY GOES POP!", New York Post, 2007-01-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Retrieved on 2007-01-03. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon.
- ^ Cohen, Jonathan. "Billy Joel Returns To Pop With New Single", Billboard, 2007-01-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain
- ^ http://www.billyjoel.com/pressrelease_fallujah.html
- ^ Billy Joel In Rehab Again
- ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Billy Joel leaves US rehab clinic
- ^ Performance in Albany, New York
- ^ There are others who contend that Christiano's Restaurant in the Long Island town of Syosset is the restaurant in question. Syosset is a hamlet (and a Census-designated place) in Nassau County, New York, within the Town of Oyster Bay.
- ^ The Oprah Winfrey Show, "Billy and Katie Lee Joel", March 24, 2008. The Oprah Winfrey Show is a United States syndicated Talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated
- ^ Joel serenades 5,000 Syracuse graduates [1]
- ^ Welcome to Syracuse University News
- ^ FOXNews.com - Billy Joel Gets Special Award at Grammy Kickoff - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
- ^ VPA continues Billy Joel Visiting Composer Series
External links
- Streaming audio segments of Billy Joel discussing the influence of The Beatles on his becoming a musician Classic Rock Central
- Streaming audio full interview of Billy Joel talking about the influence of The Beatles on his becoming a musician mykec. com
- Billy Joel official website
- Billy Joel at the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Joel at Legacy Recordings
- History of Live Performances by Billy Joel
- Billy Joel discography at MusicBrainz
- Billy Joel at Rolling Stone
- TonyAwards.com Interview with Billy Joel
- Five audio interview segments with Billy Joel discussing The Beatles*
- Billy Joel @ MAR Y SOL festival 1972
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Joel, Billy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Joel, William Joseph Martin |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Singer, songwriter, pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 9, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bronx, New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
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