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.
Nationality	American
Education	Hicksville 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)​
Children	Alexa 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"
Origin	Hicksville, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock[1] soft rock[2]
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar harmonica
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Columbia Family Productions Sony Classical
Website	billyjoel.com

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949)^[3] is an American singer-songwriter. He produced successful pop songs for two decades, from 1973's Piano Man to 1993's River of Dreams which marked his retirement. As well as writing classical music, he has frequently been on the road, usually with Elton John.

Joel was born in the Bronx, New York City. He grew up in Hicksville, New York. He joined his first band The Echoes (Later known as The Lost Souls) at age fourteen, and in the late 1960s he teamed up with The Hassles. The Hassles when on to release two albums. In 1970 After parting ways with The Hassles Joel and Hassles Drummer Jon Small Formed a two-man duo Attila. In 1971 his solo debut, Cold Spring Harbor, was released. (The title takes its name from a town in Long Island.)

He is good friends with both Donald trump and Hilary Clinton. However, Joel is a Democrat. He kept his political views private for many years but became more vocal during Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, even performing at events to support him. However, he generally prefers not to mix his music career with politics, believing that fans come to his shows for the music, not political opinions ^[4]

1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2006). "Billy Joel Biography". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
2. ↑ Johnstone, Andrew (6 February 2015). "A General Guide to Soft Rock". Rip It Up. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
3. ↑ nndb.com
4. ↑ "Billy Joel's campaign donations". NewsMeat.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2008.