Having been inducted into both the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame and the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bronx-born Billy Joel is one of the nation’s
most legendary musicians. Joel, along with Elton John, helped create the pop
category of piano rock with their intense music and lyrics. Long before being
known as one of America’s great musicians, however, Billy Joel, born
William Martin Joel in 1949, was a member of The Echoes. Joel started this
band at the age of 14, and while it did not go anywhere musically, it started
Joel on the path to music superstardom. Joel’s next musical foray was
with the band Attila, of which he was a member through the 1960s.
When Billy Joel received his first contract for a solo album in 1971, the
experience ended in disaster. Joel released the album with hopes of success,
but mistakes in production led to its release with the wrong record speeds.
Joel left the East Coast music scene for a time until he could re-enter it
with a different album, The Stranger. Joel teamed up with Columbia Records
shortly after and began recording a long string of hits, beginning with “Piano
Man.”
Joel entered his solo career full force at this point and released several
albums in the late 1970s and 1980s, including his biggest hit, “Just
the Way You Are.” Billy Joel’s career settled down moving into
the 1990s, and he began to focus on writing songs. He also admitted a problem
with alcohol and entered treatment. Many in music have honored Joel’s
career. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004 and also received
a Grammy Legend Award. He has begun a sort of comeback, however, writing the
music for Movin’ Out, a Broadway musical that won two Tony Awards. His
musical performance career, however, is fairly quiet these days although he
still has fans across the globe.
