Billy Joel - Songwriter/Singer

Billy Joel played in numerous local bands in New York City. Billy went solo in 1972 with an independent album titled "Cold Spring Harbor". He moved to California in 1973 and signed with Columbia where he released his first hit single "Piano Man."

Although his recordings of "Street Life Serenade" in 1975 and "Turnstiles" in 1976 did not sell well, they supported his reputation as a melodic composer and storyteller. In 1977 Billy Joel released, "The Stranger," a commercial success that contained four hit singles including the classic "Just The Way You Are".

In the 1980's some of his songs dealt with social issues, but his most popular songs were more light-hearted uptempo pieces such as "It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me" (1980) and ballads such as "Say Good-bye To Hollywood" (1981). In 1983 Billy Joel's album, "Innocent Man," demonstrated his ability to deliver R&B hits like "Tell Her About It" and "Uptown Girl".

In 1985 he married model Christie Brinkley. Meanwhile, in the United States and England, "'Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2" went into the Top 10. In 1987 Joel put out a live double album recorded in Leningrad, titled "Kohyept". This album sold poorly, but he rebounded with a number 1 hit in 1989 with, "We Didn't Start The Fire," from the album "Storm Front".

Copyright 1995-2008 UMO Music Online. We welcome your feedback on these pages.

Rev 7.0 08.06.04 07:37:16