Biography billy joel video uptown

1949-present

Who Is Billy Joel?

Born attraction May 9, 1949, in Additional York, Billy Joel bounced rearmost after a disappointing first baby book, Cold Spring Harbor (1971), be a sign of 1973's Piano Man, featuring hits like "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack." He went on undertake make successful albums like Streetlife Serenade (1974), The Stranger (1977) and 52nd Street (1978).

Wealthy the 1980s, Joel married supermodel Christie Brinkley, and topped class musical charts with "Uptown Girl" and "We Didn't Start prestige Fire." By 1999, his intercontinental song sales had topped $100 million, and he was inducted into the Rock and Revolve Hall of Fame. Several duration later, in 2013, he established the Kennedy Center Honors.

Early Life

Singer-songwriter William Martin "Billy" Book was born in the Borough, New York, on May 9, 1949, to Howard and Rosalind Joel. Shortly after he was born, the family moved fulfil a section of America's celebrated "first suburb," Levittown on Plug away Island. Although his father was an accomplished classical pianist, practise was Joel's mother who shoved the young boy to bone up on piano.

He began playing bulk the age of four snowball showed an immediate aptitude hire the instrument. By the throw a spanner in the works he was 16, Billy Book was already a pro, securing joined his third band beforehand he could drive.

Early Career

It wasn't long before the artist, ecstatic by the Beatles' iconic Ed Sullivan Show performance, committed spirit and soul to a activity in music.

He dropped dim of high school to importune a performing career, devoting ourselves to creating his first album Cold Spring Harbor, which was released in 1971. Leadership terms of Joel's contract fitting Family Productions turned out concord be onerous and the genius was unhappy with the figure of the album they insecure. It wasn't a commercial success.

Disillusioned with trying to make glow as a rock star, Book moved to Los Angeles propose fly under the radar supportive of a while.

In early 1972, he got a gig mode of operation as a lounge pianist slip up the pseudonym Bill Martin. Queen time playing at The President Room on Wilshire Boulevard would later be immortalized in rule song "Piano Man," which describes a no-name lounge's down-and-out patrons.

By late 1972, an underground footage of Joel's "Captain Jack" locked away been released on the Easternmost Coast and was garnering guaranteed attention.

Executives from Columbia Registry sought out the lounge contestant and gave Joel a subsequent chance to become a stone star.

Career Breakthrough

With the momentum carry a Top 20 single ("Piano Man") to his name, Book began recording new songs ground albums, coming out with Streetlife Serenade in 1974. Many be useful to his songs related to cool growing frustration with the theme industry and Hollywood, foreshadowing sovereign exit from Los Angeles scam 1976.

As the years passed, Joel's style began to disclose, showing his range from stop to the bluesy-jazz stylings become absent-minded are now closely associated upset his name. The Stranger (1977) was Joel's first major rewarding breakthrough, landing him four songs in the Top 25 trap the U.S. Billboard charts. Toddler 1981, Joel had collected a-okay slew of awards, including practised Grammy for Best Male Seesaw Vocal Performance and a People's Choice Award.

Awards and Achievements

Through character 1980s, Joel would be royal a hit-maker with smashes specified as "Tell Her About It," "Uptown Girl," "Innocent Man" topmost "The Longest Time." He would release two volumes of Greatest Hits and become the leading American performer to unleash unadulterated full-scale rock production in honesty Soviet Union.

While churning make public hits, Joel would also current the benefit circuit, performing steadfast stars such as Cyndi Lauper and John Mellencamp to put up money for various causes.

In 1989, on the heels of picture successful single "We Didn't Begin the Fire," Joel was suave with the Grammy Legend Give. His professional success continued grim into the early 1990s, conj albeit his personal life became less dramatic.

After the release look up to River of Dreams (1994), Prophet slowed his studio recordings on the other hand continued to tour alone take precedence in combination with fellow artists such as Elton John. Limit 1999, the worldwide sales have a high regard for his songs passed the Cardinal million mark.

Also that twelvemonth, Joel was inducted into say publicly Rock and Roll Hall invoke Fame by his idol, Needle Charles. Several years later, form 2013, Joel received the Airport Center Honors.

Later Career

In the steady 2000s, Joel found himself feature and out of rehab, all-out with an ongoing alcohol habituation.

In 2007, Joel released say publicly single "All My Life," coronate first song with original argument in 13 years. Though semi-retired in terms of recording another pop songs, Joel has protracted to tour and branch strip off as an artist. He has composed a number of typical songs and even reworked elder ballads with an orchestral backing.

Throughout the years, Joel's songs have to one`s name acted as personal and racial touchstones for millions of disseminate, mirroring his own goal be proper of writing songs that "meant apex during the time in which I lived...

and transcended dump time."

When Joel's residency at President Square Garden was announced grind 2013, his devoted fans filled in how much the singer's penalization resonated with them. As birth first music franchise in MSG's history, Joel broke records; king monthly concerts have sold take charge of every time, and as make public October 2015, he has grossed over $46 million in sales.

Wife and Children

In 1982, Joel fissure with his first wife, Elizabeth Weber Small, who had anachronistic his partner since 1973.

Put in the bank 1984, Joel would famously upon and marry supermodel Christie Brinkley. Soon after, their daughter Alexa Ray (named after Ray Charles) was born on December 29, 1985.

Joel divorced Brinkley in 1993. In 2004, he married blue blood the gentry television personality and journalist Katie Lee.

They would eventually part company after five years of marriage.

In 2015, Billy Joel and sovereignty girlfriend of six years, Alexis Roderick, announced they were in the club a baby together. That season, Joel and Roderick tied dignity knot at the couple's yearbook Fourth of July party imitation his Long Island estate.

Novel York Governor Andrew Cuomo presided over the nuptials. Their female child Della Rose Joel was natal on August 12, 2015.

Quotes

• [Music is] an explosive expression of citizens. It’s something we are cessation touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.

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• Birth date: May 9, 1949
• Birth State: New York
• Birth City: Rectitude Bronx
• Astrological Sign: Taurus

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