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

"Billy Joel is today’s Bach, Beethoven and Mozart . Pure musical genius."

"Billy Joel, the legend!"

"He has an unbelievable way of arranging a song!"

"A musical genius."

"Every Billy Joel song is unique. Not many artists you can say that about."

"Billy Joel...He IS the great entertainer!"

"Joel is a genius; one of the greatest musicians of all-time."

"Billy Joel is an American legend."

"Billy Joel doesn’t simply write songs; he paints stories."

"Billy Joel is an angel of creative beauty with the piano."

"Billy, your voice is a force of nature! I've had the privilege of living in the same time as you. God sent you from heaven to enchant our lives! A hearty hug from Brasil to all Billy's fans across the world."

"His voice always gives me chills."

"Billy Joel is so amazingly talented."

"A man of immense genius."

"A great, great songwriter and uncanny vocals that always relate to the material."

"Billy Joel will always be my favorite singer."

"He’s a music genius—composition, lyrics, arrangements, piano, AND VOICE! One of the greatest musicians of our time."

"Billy Joel can sing, write, and play piano wonderfully. He really is one of the world's most talented musicians."

"His piano composition ability/training/talent is off the chart."

"Billy Joel can do no wrong, absolute legend."

"He is a class act and a terrific entertainer."

"Amazing storytelling, deep musicianship, and tons of heart."

"I am awed by the storytelling and the musical twists and turns."

"I will listen to Billy Joel forever!! He's one of the Best, of all time!!!"

"God bless Billy Joel. I hope this cat lives forever."

"Billy Joel is one of the best, always has a song for each mood, brilliant entertainer."

"Billy's epic story songs are my favorites!"

"He's a genius....the melodies and phrasing of Billy s tunes are very pleasing to the Gods for sure."

"Billy Joel is to my ears what a glass of fine wine is to my mouth."

"I love the way he tells deep stories in his song lyrics. What a great musician! His songs just never get old."

"He's s musical genius...the Mozart of the 20th century."

"A brilliant storyteller."

"Billy Joel’s piano is a certified illegal weapon of mass destruction, the destruction of war and violence. Billy Joel has brought so much happiness into my life, without him I would still be in the dark horrible place I was in."

"I can't believe one man is so talented. He has an awesome voice, he's extremely good at playing piano, he's a great song writer, a great lyricist, and he can compose."

"Billy was so good at capturing the struggle of those who did hard labor for a living."

"Billy Joel definitely my #1 artist, what a talented person!"

"One of the greatest storytellers ever."

"Billy Joel is such a talented musician. He paints these intricate pictures in your head, and it's hard not to enjoy his songs."

"I could not possibly love a musical artist any more than I love Billy Joel. He's not just a musical artist. He's a singer, songwriter, composer, pianist......a modern day master!!!!"

"Billy you will always have a place in my heart. Your music is beyond legendary. 💕"

"One of the two greatest piano men of our time. Blessed are we."

"What enormous talent. Billy Joel is the best!"

"One of things I've always appreciated about his music is the truthfulness and life experiences that are portrayed in his music!"

"The tone of Billy Joel's voice is so amazing."

"Billy Joel always seemed to have a realistic point of view on life in general. But he told his stories in such a damn classy and masterful way. You were and still are one of the greats, Bill!"

"He is simply brilliant."

"Billy Joel's amazing 😁🥰 My favorite piano man 🌝😆"

"Wonderful. Amazing."

"Billy Joel is one of the best, always has a song for each mood, brilliant entertainer."

"Billy is pure talent and emotion."

He is (very quaintly) known as "the piano man".  But he is so much more than that.  Always the innovator, Joel is so expert in his songwriting that, more so than almost any other artist, no two of his songs sound alike.  Joel's catalog includes poignant, biting songs, always on the cutting edge.

William Joel was born in The Bronx, New York, on May 9, 1949.  The family moved to nearby Oyster Bay when Joel was one.  His father was a classical pianist and businessman, but to escape the evil Nazi regime, he and his family emigrated to Switzerland.  The family then emigrated to the United States via Cuba.  

Joel began taking piano lessons at age four--among his teachers was Morton Estrin.  When he was a teenager, Joel began training in boxing, originally so he could defend himself.  He got so good at it that he boxed in the Golden Gloves tour, winning 22 bouts, but left the sport after his nose was broken in his 24th match.

Joel went to Hicksville High School until 1967 but did not graduate on a normal timetable.  When he was 16, he joined the Echoes, which played British covers.  The group began recording, and Joel played on several records on the Kama Sutra label and on recordings produced by Shadow Morton.  Billy played on an early version of "Leader Of The Pack", and on a recording of "Remember (Walking In The Sand)", both recorded by the Shangri-Las, although Billy doesn't know if he played on the demo or the final version of the latter.  

After the divorce of his parents, he played at a piano bar to help support the family, which caused him to miss a crucial English exam after playing one late-night gig the night before.  After seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Joel decided to pursue a career in music.  As he was lacking enough credits to graduate, Billy decided to begin that music career rather than go to summer school.  In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board in lieu of the missed exam in 1967.  The board accepted them, and Joel was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High's graduation ceremony 25 years after he left.

The Echoes changed their name to the Emeralds and then the Lost Souls.  Joel left the group in 1967 to join the Hassles, a nearby group which had signed a recording contract with United Artists Records.  The group released two albums which didn't catch on, so Joel and drummer Jon Small left to form the duo Attila, which released a self-titled album in 1970.  

 

Joel signed a solo contract with Family Productions and recorded his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, but according to owner Artie Ripp, the album was mastered at too high of a speed and the album wasn't technically sound nor did it sell well.  The album does contain this gem, a story of success going to one's head that he would revisit in his career.  Enjoy "Everybody Loves You Now".

 

On "Got To Begin Again", the protagonist has just broken up with his love, and now he must start anew.

Billy opened for acts such as the Beach Boys and Badfinger on a tour of the U.S. in 1971.  In 1972, Columbia Records executive Herb Gordon heard one of Joel's songs on the radio and invited him to meet Columbia leaders.  Joel signed a recording contract with Columbia and moved to Los Angeles, California.  He played at the piano bar at The Executive Room under the name of Bill Martin.  He wrote a famous song based on his time there that we'll hear shortly.

Despite moving to Columbia, Artie Ripp at Family Productions still owned the rights to Joel's songs.  Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS/Columbia, later bought back the rights to Joel's songs and gave them to Billy as a birthday gift.

 

In 1973, Joel released the album Piano Man, with the title track being the first single released.  As referenced above, it is a collection of experiences Billy had at The Executive Room.  The wisdom of radio station music directors at the time has become severely questioned, for the song peaked at #25 in the U.S.  Canada, to their credit, recognized the talent and took it to #10.  The strength of the song is evidenced by the fact that the album has now sold over four million copies and the single itself has sold over six million in the U.S. alone.  Not too bad for a #25 song, eh?  "Piano Man" is not only one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*, but one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* as well!

 

Joel toured North America, where concert goers began to catch on to the enormous potential of the man they were seeing.  If you were one of the lucky ones to see Billy during the 1974 tour, that's a special experience to see one of the all-time greats so early in their career.  Joel's great piano playing highlighted on his performance on The Midnight Special television show, is a Top Track*.  Few in history have tickled the ivories as great as Billy Joel.  With a great banjo solo from Eric Weissberg, here is "Travelin' Prayer".

Never take art too seriously.  Another Top Track* is "Billy The Kid".  "It's about a bartender from Oyster Bay, a guy named Billy who used to tend bar at a place called Uwe's...right on South Street," Joel told Newsday.  "We all ended up at the pub at the end of the day and were entertained by the bartender.  He was a very personable guy.  It was just an exercise in Western-sounding things--completely historically inaccurate."

 

Joel then recorded and released the album Streetlife Serenade, which in its 10 songs reflects the pressure Billy felt--pressure from his label to follow up on the success of "Piano Man", pressure to write songs to get that album out, all the while not exactly being wealthy or even successful at that time.  Plus, he wasn't really happy being in L.A.  Streetlife Serenade contains the minor hit "The Entertainer".  Joel wrote it in response to being forced to edit "Piano Man" so it could become a single; hence the lines "If you're gonna' have a hit, you gotta' make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05."

 

"Root Beer Rag" is a great instrumental from Billy.  Ragtime music had enjoyed a resurgence with its inclusion in the all-time classic movie The Sting, which featured music from Scott Joplin.

"Streetlife Serenader" is the sequel to "Piano Man" and a concert staple.

 

Billy is a rare breed--an artist for which no two songs are alike.  One cannot say that about too many artists.  We can all relate to "Weekend Song".

 

Billy Joel fans know this, but if you haven't heard his early material, most will agree that it is some of his best.  Here is "Last Of The Big Time Spenders".

 

"The Great Suburban Showdown", while it would be a positive nostalgia experience for most (including most artists), finds the protagonist reminding himself of the bored and mundane life he had.

 

Joel has always written songs with an edge to them--he has never been about the basics or about neatly fitting him into a mold.  "Souvenir" is another early Joel tune that he played often live.

He is one of the most successful, and certainly one of the most unique, singer/songwriters of all-time.  Much more Billy Joel awaits you in Part Two!