Billy joel children

Billy Joel

1949-present

Who Is Billy Joel?

Born on May 9, 1949, in New York, Billy Joel bounced back after a disappointing first album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971), with 1973's Piano Man, featuring hits like "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack." He went on to make successful albums like Streetlife Serenade (1974), The Stranger (1977) and 52nd Street (1978). In the 1980s, Joel married supermodel Christie Brinkley, and topped the musical charts with "Uptown Girl" and "We Didn't Start the Fire." By 1999, his worldwide song sales had topped $100 million, and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Several years later, in 2013, he received the Kennedy Center Honors.

Early Life

Singer-songwriter William Martin "Billy" Joel was born in the Bronx, New York, on May 9, 1949, to Howard and Rosalind Joel. Shortly after he was born, the family moved to a section of America's famous "first suburb," Levittown on Long Island. Although his father was an accomplished classical pianist, it was Joel's mother who push

Billy Joel

Billy Joel

Billy Joel at the opening night of the 2009 season at the Metropolitan Opera

Born

William Martin Joel


(1949-05-09) May 9, 1949 (age 75)

The Bronx, New York, U.S.

NationalityAmerican
EducationHicksville High School
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
  • composer
Spouse(s)

Elizabeth Weber

(m. 1973; div. 1982)​

Christie Brinkley

(m. 1985; div. 1994)​

Katie Lee

(m. 2004; div. 2009)​

Alexis Roderick

(m. 2015)​
ChildrenAlexa Ray Joel
Della Rose Joel
Remy Anne Joel
Parent(s)Howard Joel
Rosalind Nyman
Musical career
Also known as
  • "The Piano Man"
  • "Joe"
  • "Mr. Long Island"
OriginHicksville, New York, U.S.
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • harmonica
Years active1965–present
Labels
Websitebillyjoel.com

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born M

Billy Joel

* Billy Joel was also the 2001 recipient of The Johnny Mercer Award, the SHOF’s highest honor

Billy Joel, singer, songwriter and piano man extraordinaire, has been a major force in popular music for more than 20 years. A native Long Islander, born in 1949, Joel grew up in Hicksville at the peak of the post-World War II baby boom. At the age of four, Joel first discovered and became fascinated with classical music, a love that has stayed with him to this day. He studied classical piano, but as he progressed, he learned how to turn a favorite Beethoven sonata into a boogie woogie romp.

Among his earliest influences, Joel cites Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, along with the great American composers, Copeland, Gershwin and Ellington. His more contemporary influences include Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

As he was turning 15, Joel, already a skilled musician, joined his first band, The Echoes (later The Lost Souls). A veteran of many Long Island bands, including The Hassles, and later Attila, it was as a s

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