Madonna, The #7 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"Madonna is such an icon grew up listening to her music and really respect her as an artist. Legend."

"She has the voice, looks, moves, stage presence....basically everything."

"I absolutely love Madonna."

"Only a select few artists have had a longevity in their music career as long as/close to that of Madonna's while remaining on top of the game throughout that entire of time, 30+ yrs ! That's a feat that even most great artists wouldn't be able to accomplish as most fade away after a few years of success . She's a musical LEGEND!"

"Greatest female vocalist of all-time."

"She sure came a long way, overcoming all obstacles to women in the music industry."

"Golden Madonna. This woman's talent knows no bounds."

"I've been listening to Madonna all my life! Talent, charisma and great work!"

"What's the one word for the definition of an enduring, evolving, elegant, legendary, talented, Female Pop Icon, Superstar: MADONNA!"

"She is one of the greatest balladeers in history."

"She broke the barriers, she broke the racial stigmas, she paid the price so every female artist after her could say and do whatever they wanted creatively....She's the pioneer."

"Madonna will go down in history as being one of the greatest singers of all-time."

"PERFECT Voice."

"Madonna has enjoyed the best career of any female in music history."

"What an icon!"

"Obsessed with Madonna. What an ICON...LEGEND...MUSICAL ROYALTY. Wow, there aren't enough words to describe this UNIQUE MUSICAL GEM."

"Queen of Pop and the dance floor."

"True artist and revolutionary."

"She is fantastic."

"I adore her."

"Powerful voice."

"Amazing, Madonna, you gave strength to millions!"

"My 👑. Inspirational success. LEGEND!"

"Greatest female artist of all time!"

"Her music cleanses my soul 💖"

"Whenever I'm feeling down i just listen to Madonna. Her songs have embraced me and comfort me all these years. Thank you Madonna."

"Madonna gets me at my heart."

"Madonna forever a legend. The queen."

"Madonna carried the 80s single-handedly!"

"The hair, makeup, fashion, aesthetics, music, music videos, dance moves and the rest!"

"You can see why she became a megastar. She just captured something really free-spirited and rebellious."

"Madonna changed the world and the music industry for women."

"Yes, our beloved Madonna Louise is most definitely an ULTIMATE ESSENTIAL RENAISSANCE ARTIST."

"She is a icon, she is a legend, she is THE MOMENT, four decades and she is still THE QUEEN."

"Iconic and Timeless..."

"The woman is simply amazing. A legend."

"She's such a legend, a diva."

"I am , completely overcome by Madonna's pure genius. "

"LOVE how she pushed boundaries and has always stood up for others and what she believes in. Truly an expert of her craft."

"She is the best always. She inspired me. I wish I had her talent, beauty and strength."

"Queen of Pop, none can replace Madonna in any way!

Music to beauty to style!"

"This women was such a powerhouse!"

"Thank you for your music Queen Madonna!"

"She is amazing!"

"An amazing singer for30 years, always changing her image, staying at the top."

"Madonna is a living legend!"

"She is still shining as the star that she is."

"This woman made her dreams come true . So inspirational."

"Madonna is the template for the empowered female artists of our generation."

"Michael Jackson and Madonna owned the 80s."

"Madonna has been consistent; female empowerment, equality and doing things her way. No other female artist has paved the way like her, she did it first."

Madonna Louise Ciccone was born August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan and was raised in Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills), both suburbs of Detroit.  When her mother died of breast cancer at the age of 30 (when Madonna was just five), she turned to her paternal grandmother.  In 1966, Madonna's father married the family housekeeper, Joan Gustafson.  Madonna resented her Dad getting remarried and began rebelling against him.  

Madonna went to St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools and West Middle School.  She began taking classical piano but rather than learn about music she switched to ballet.  Her ballet teacher, Christopher Flynn, suggested Madonna pursue a career in dance.  At Rochester Adams High School, Madonna was a cheerleader and straight-A student.  She received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan and studied at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina.  

But Madonna was in a hurry to be successful and dropped out of college to move to New York City.  She found a job working at Dunkin' Donuts to pay for classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.  Eventually, she studied dance under dancer and choreographer Martha Graham and performed at the Pearl Lang Dance Theater.

Madonna began dancing for established artists, and she met musician Dan Gilroy while Madonna was performing as a backup singer and dancer for Patrick Hernandez ("Born To Be Alive") on his 1979 world tour.  Madonna and Gilroy became romantically involved and formed the group the Breakfast Club.  

That relationship ended and so did Breakfast Club, so Madonna found a new boyfriend (drummer Stephen Bray) and formed the group Emmy.  Madonna and Bray began writing songs together, but Madonna was in it for herself and chose to promote herself as a solo performer.  Disc jockey and producer Mark Kamins was impressed and arranged a meeting for Madonna with Seymour Stein, founder of Sire Records.  

Madonna signed a recording contract with Sire and released the debut single "Everybody" in 1982 and "Burning Up" shortly afterward.  Both were hits in clubs, but success was contained there. 

But the success on the Dance chart did prompt Sire to give her a recording contract and Madonna began working on songs for her eponymous debut album.  She was dating artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, but that didn't work out because of Basquiat's heroin addiction.  

 

She quickly jumped into a relationship with a new man, John "Jellybean" Benitez, and asked him to help with the album's production.  Meanwhile, Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens, members of Pure Energy, came up with this song and recorded a demo.

Hudson and Stevens shopped the song around but couldn't find any takers (Mary Wilson of the Supremes is among the artists who turned them down).  Then Benitez asked them if they had anything for a new artist he was producing.  They gave him "Holiday" and Madonna recorded it, the last song needed to complete the album.  In 1983, Madonna released her debut album and single "Holiday".  It reached #2 in the U.K., #9 in Germany and #16 in the United States (#1 on the Dance chart).

   Producer Reggie Lucas wrote Madonna's second single specifically for her.  He also wrote "The Closer I Get To You" for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway as well as the Stephanie Mills song "Never Knew Love Like This Before". 

"Borderline" became Madonna's first Gold record, a #2 smash in the U.K. that snuck in at #10 in the U.S.

"Borderline" earned Madonna an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist.  In addition to her tour of the United States, Madonna flew across the pond to the U.K., where she performed and also did photo shoots and interviews.  Madonna's style of dress and her music videos had a big influence on young girls at the time.  "Lucky Star" hit #4 in the U.S. and #8 in Canada. 

Madonna's popularity began to grow, and songs such as the aforementioned "Everybody" began to get renewed airplay.  It is one of five songs on the album in which she had the sole songwriting credit.

 

A LinnDrum, programmed with real drum samples by Reggie Lucas and Leslie Ming and featuring guitar from Paul Pesco, is prominent on "Burning Up".

 Madonna performed this song on May 13, 1983 at the FunHouse (526 West 26th Street in New York City), which is where Benitez became a star DJ.  His first collaboration with Madonna was in the remix of "Physical Attraction".

Madonna's influence continued to grow with the release of the album Like a Virgin in 1984.  Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly wrote the title song, which rocketed to #1 for six weeks in the United States and also achieved #1 in Canada and Australia and was a Top 10 hit in virtually every major country in the world.  It has sold over one million copies. 

Republican hypocrites who now stand by everything that Donald Trump does, including assaulting and raping women and separating families at the border, complained that "Like A Virgin" "undermined family values".  Never mind that putting kids in cages, cursing, threatening, and beating journalists and police officers trying to do their jobs and assaulting the U.S. Capitol are the exact opposite of someone having "family values".  

 

Like a Virgin was the first album by a female artist to sell over five million copies.  It has now sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 21 million worldwide.  Peter Brown and Robert Rans wrote "Material Girl", which, with a peak of #2, is one of The Top #2 Songs of the Rock Era*.

Madonna won seven Billboard Music Awards--Top Pop Artist of the Year, Top Pop Singles Artist, Top Pop Album Artist-Female, Top Pop Singles Artist-Female, Top Dance Sales Artist, Top Dance Club Play Artist and Top Music Videocassette for Madonna.  She also scored an MTV Video Music Award for Video Vanguard and a nomination for Best Female Video for "Material Girl".

Madonna went on her first tour of North America to promote the album.  She landed a minor role in the movie Vision Quest, and John Bettis and Jon Lind wrote one of her new songs on the soundtrack.  Bettis has written many hits, including "Top Of The World" and "Goodbye To Love" for the Carpenters, "Slow Hand" for the Pointer Sisters and "One Moment In Time" by Whitney Houston.  "Crazy For You", became a big hit, topping charts in the U.S., Australia and Canada and selling over two million copies.

"Gambler" (also from Vision Quest) hit #3 in Italy, #4 in the U.K. and #10 in Australia.

She was on an amazing run, and her story continues in Part Two!

Billy Joel, The #8 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Six

 (Continued from Part Five)

 

Joel scored a third Top 10 hit among Adults with the timeless and soul-searching "And So It Goes".  The title was television journalist Linda Ellerbee's signature line, and Billy said on Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he considers it one of his Top 5 songs.  Ignored by the so-called "popular" radio stations, it is one of the all-time Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

"Shameless" became a huge Country hit for Garth Brooks, but it's writer was none other than Billy Joel.  It barely reached the Top 40 for Joel so when Garth, a big Billy Joel fan, asked to record it, Billy gave him the go-ahead.

 

Billy was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1992.  "Leningrad" is another Top Track* on the album.  It's about a clown that Joel met while performing in the Russian city, but so much more than that, as is typical from the great Billy Joel.

 

Joel recorded another great album in 1993 with River of Dreams.  Brinkley furnished the painting featured on the cover.  Billy often gets ideas for songs in his dreams, but when he, an atheist, woke up with this Gospel song in his head, he didn't want to do it.  However, when he took a shower and started singing it, he knew he had to record it.  Billy said that the phrase "River of Dreams" is a play on the phrase "Stream of Consciousness".  For the first pause, Billy waits for just one beat.  The second, three, and then the third, five.  Just a simple example from a brilliant songwriter.  The title song topped charts in Australia and New Zealand and also the all-important Adult Contemporary chart in the U.S.--it was a Top 10 hit the world over.

 

The album , nominated for Favorite Adult Contemporary Album at the American Music Awards, has cleared five million in sales, another of Billy's best.  "All About Soul" (with Color Me Badd on backing vocals) hit #6 on the AC chart, his 34th career hit among adults, with an incredible 23 of those reaching the Top 10.  

 

Joel was given the Century Award at the Billboard Music Awards.  "No Man's Land" is a searing story about a piece of life in the suburbs, and how people have gotten detached from society.

Two of the all-time top piano players combined for a series of sensational shows beginning in 1994, as Billy joined Elton John on the road.  When those concerts ended, Joel and John had the longest-running and most-successful concerts by a duo in history.  In 2003, 24 shows brought in a gross of $46 million.  In 2009, the two legends teamed up again for more sold-out shows.

There was more heartbreak, however, in Billy's personal life as he and Brinkley divorced in August of 1994.  Billy teamed with Long Island boating businessman Peter Needham to form the Long Island Boat Company.

 

In 1997, Joel scored another hit with a new song from his compilation Greatest Hits, Volume III, which reached the Top 10 around the world and sold over one million copies.  A cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love", this is "To Make You Feel My Love".

Joel was honored with induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame and received an Award of Merit from the American Music Awards in 1999.  

On New Year's Eve, Joel gave a memorable four-hour concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden, with "We Didn't Start The Fire" and "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" filmed and included on ABC-TV's coverage of New Year's celebrations.  The video was later released as 2000 Years:  The Millennium Concert.

The man who gave us innovative early songs such as "The Ballad Of Billy The Kid", "Travelin' Prayer", and "Prelude/Angry Young Man", great all-time classics like "Just The Way You Are", "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl", New Wave, historical songs such as "We Didn't Start The Fire", and biting, poignant songs such as "Piano Man", "Allentown", "The Downeaster Alexa" and "Goodnight Saigon" gave us the 2001 release Fantasies & Delusions, an album of classical piano songs written by Joel and played by Hyunk-ki Joo.  Billy proved that he could be successful at anything he did, as the album went to #1 on the classical charts.  

When a collection of stars performed A Tribute to Heroes concert to benefit victims of the evil 9/11 murders in 2001, it was Billy's performance which stood out, as many people around the world heard the great "New York State Of Mind" for the first time.  

Hopefully, they knew to go on this website to discover other great Joel songs that they missed through the years.  It is this version that is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

Joel was nominated for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program at the Emmy Awards for his television documentary Billy Joel:  In His Own Words.

Billy has battled alcoholism his entire life, but to his great credit, entered Silver Hill Hospital, a substance abuse and psychiatric center in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 2002 and the Betty Ford Center in 2005, where he spent 30 days for treatment of alcohol abuse.

As mentioned above, beginning in 2002, his music was featured in a successful Broadway play called Movin' Out, which earned a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations.

In 2005, Columbia released the box set My Lives, which features demos, b-sides, live and alternative versions of Joel's catalog as well as a few hits.  A DVD of a concert from the River of Dreams tour is included in the set.

Joel's 2006 tour of the U.S. included an unprecedented 12 sold-out shows over several months at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which broke the record of 10 by Bruce Springsteen.  That number, 12, was retired by the arena, the first such honor by a non-athlete.  The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia similarly honored Joel by retiring the number 46, representing the number of Billy's sold-out concerts there.  In 2006, Columbia released the double album 12 Gardens Live, featuring 32 songs recorded live during the Madison Square Garden performances.

Joel also toured the U.K. and Ireland as part of his European leg of the tour and on July 31, he performed a free concert in Rome at the site of the Colosseum.  He then toured Australia, Japan, and South Africa before returning to the U.S. in late 2006 and 2007.

Billy recorded his first new song in nearly 14 years and released "All My Life" in 2007.  

Joel sang the U.S. national anthem prior to Super Bowl XLI, becoming the first singer to have that honor twice.  Joel's "Christmas In Fallujah" was also released that year, with proceeds going to the Homes For Our Troops foundation.

Joel continues to be a worldwide draw to this day, performing 10 sold-out shows in Uncasville Connecticut and the final shows at New York City's Shea Stadium before it was demolished in 2008.  Guests at the latter show included Paul McCartney, Don Henley, John Mellencamp, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltrey, Tony Bennett, and John Mayer.  Those shows were released in the documentary movie Last Play at Shea, released in 2011.

Billy opened 20th Century Cycles in his hometown of Oyster Bay, New York in 2010 to manufacture custom-made motorcycles and accessories.  Billy planned on releasing his autobiography, The Book of Joel:  A Memoir, in 2011, but decided against it.

Joel signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group to distribute his music outside the U.S.  Billy performed in 2012 in The Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Billy received Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.  He began performing a concert a month at Madison Square Garden beginning in January of 2014.  In 2015, Joel married Alexis Roderick.  On Jun 24, 2017, Joel gave the honorary commencement address at Hicksville High School 50 years after his would-be graduating class received their diplomas and 25 years after Joel received his diploma.

Joel is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.  He has won 2 American Music Awards out of 7 nominations, 5 Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, a Billboard Music Award and a Tony Award and been nominated for an Emmy Award.

Billy has sold over 150 million albums worldwide.  He has 49 hits to his credit with 17 Top 10 songs and 3 #1's.  On the Adult Contemporary chart, Joel has amassed 43 career hits with an impressive 27 reaching the Top 10 and 9 #1's. 

Billy Joel, The #8 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Five

 

(Continued from Part Four)

 

Joel released the compilation album Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2, a four-sided album and two-CD set that included two new songs.  This was one of them, in which Billy addressed the rash of teen suicides, something he himself had attempted earlier in his life.  Billy donated all royalties from this song to the National Committee for Youth Suicide Prevention, and "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" peaked at #2 on the Adult chart and #9 Popular.  

We found a fan comment very poignant:

Billy said the meaning of this song is dealing

with the Manic modes, and depressed states

that people suffering with Bi-Polar disease go

through (which they just called Manic

Depression when he wrote this song) ... when

he wrote the melody... he especially kept this in

mind as you hear the rising and falling notes

throughout the song.

The album has sold over 23 million copies in the U.S. alone.  Billy also timed the release of a two-volume Video Album including music videos from 1977 to the time of release.  He also filmed a new video for "Piano Man" for the project.

 

Joel released the album The Bridge in 1986, with "Modern Woman" leading the way.  It was featured in the movie Ruthless People--the song hit #7 on the AC chart and #10 overall.

 

The Bridge has topped two million in sales. While he has made a living being one of The Top 100 Keyboardists of the Rock Era*, Joel plays guitar on this song in concert.  "A Matter Of Trust" reached #3 in Australia and #10 in the States.

 

"This Is The Time (another #1 smash on the AC chart), with a peak of #18, is easily one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

Ray Charles is Billy's favorite piano player, and his daughter, Alexa Ray, was named after Charles.  The two collaborated on this song and to break the ice, the two played piano for each other before recording the song.  Appropriately enough for the two, the song is named after a type of piano--"Baby Grand", which peaked at #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

 

"Big Man On Mulberry Street" is a jazz-influenced song in which the protagonist is concerned that no one will get to know the real him.

Billy ended his business relationship with Artie Ripp and Family Productions after the release of The Bridge.  In 1987, Joel performed live in the Soviet Union, with shows simulcast on radio throughout the world.  It was the first time that rock & roll was broadcast in the history of the oppressive regime.  The live album KOHLIEPT (Russian for "Concert") was released, and even though Joel lost more than $1 million of his own money, he maintains that the goodwill was worth the loss of money.

Billy lent his voice to the animated movie Oliver & Company in 1988, before recording his next album.  In August of 1989, however, it was discovered after an audit that there were serious discrepancies in accounting done by his manager and former brother-in-law Frank Weber.  Joel dismissed Weber and sued him for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty; Billy was awarded $2 million in a partial judgement in January of 1990.

 

The time capsule single "We Didn't Start The Fire" was released in advance of the album Storm Front, which became another #1 smash in the United States and New Zealand.  Described as "40 years in 4 minutes", it sold over two million copies.

Storm Front was the first album since his early years to be recorded without producer Phil Ramone.  Mick Jones from Foreigner came in to freshen Billy's sound, and it worked, as Storm Front became the first album since Glass Houses nine years earlier to go to #1.

 

The album has cleared four million in sales in just the United States.  The follow-up single was written about manic depression.  "I Go To Extremes", reached #3 in Canada, and #4 on the AC chart and #6 Popular in the U.S.  

 

Joel has always connected with the everyday man and woman; although a multimillionaire by now, he remembers his roots, which is highly commendable.  He wrote this great song about the plight of fishermen on Long Island, who get up before dawn and work hard only to find their returns diminishing.  Boating is a favorite hobby of Billy, and he owned a boat at the time called The Alexa (his daughter is named Alexa).  Enjoy this Top Track*--"The Downeaster Alexa".

We have another group of great Billy Joel songs.  Join us for that in Part Six!