Billy Joel ranks among rock and roll’s most talented musicians and accomplished songwriters. His classical training and reverence for Broadway musicals have been counterpointed by his early grounding in the Long Island bar-band scene and his love of rhythm & blues, resulting in an enthusiastic yet musically sophisticated approach to rock and roll. His diverse influences include Beethoven, the Beatles, Dave Brubeck, George Gershwin, Phil Spector, Ray Charles and Fats Domino, whom Joel inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. From romantic balladry to hard-rocking material, with elements of jazz, pop and soul thrown into the mix, Joel has applied his skills in a diversity of settings. He is the pop crooner of “Piano Man” and the jazz-tinged romantic of “Just the Way You Are.” Yet he’s also capable of harder-rocking fare (Glass Houses), production-heavy pop with a Sixties influence (The Nylon Curtain) and vocal-group soul and doo-wop (An Innocent Man).
As an artist, Joel has stated that his goal is to make music that “meant something during the time in which I lived...and transcended that time.” Joel’s popularity is such that he tied the Beatles for the most multi-platinum albums in the U.S. With the success of “Piano Man"-a slice-of-life autobiography, written about Joel’s extended gig as a lounge pianist-Joel inaugurated a staggering run of hit singles. Between 1974 and1993, Joel placed at least one single in the Top Forty in every year but three. To date, 13 of Joel’s 33 hits have made the Top Ten, and three of them-"It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” (1980), “Tell Her About It” (1983) and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (1989)-reached #1.
Candid Covers: Jon McLaughlin Performs Billy Joel's 'Piano Man'
Candid Covers: Jon McLaughlin Performs Billy Joel's 'Piano Man'BillboardSinger-songwriter Jon McLaughlin has been playing piano since he was 4-years-old, ever since being inspired by Billy Joel. Watch the pop-rock pianist talk about the small moment that changed the big picture in his life, as he covers Joel's "Piano Man" ...
With Billy Joel rockin', time to work on changing the world
With Billy Joel rockin', time to work on changing the worldTheChronicleHerald.caDoes anybody else out there remember the 1989 hit song We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel? You know, the one in which he belts out a litany of controversial names and events, conflicts and causes of societal turmoil in such an insanely rapid-fire ...
Billy Joel praises 6-year-old Ethan Walmark playing 'Piano Man' (UPDATED)
Billy Joel praises 6-year-old Ethan Walmark playing 'Piano Man' (UPDATED)Washington Post (blog)By Emi Kolawole Update April 29, 8:58 pm: It turns out Billy Joel has seen Ethan Walmark's “Piano Man” performance, which went viral over the weekend, and the recording artist is impressed. Joel issued the following statement through a spokesperson ...Billy Joel a fan of 6-year-old's 'Piano Man' videoNew York Daily NewsAutistic child's rendition of Billy Joel hit 'Piano Man' is online hitTelegraph.co.ukPint-sized Piano Man! Listen to autistic boy play the Billy Joel classic ...Daily MailInternational Business Times -Huffington Post -NBC Connecticutall 36 news articles »
Attn. Billy Joel: We Don't (Entirely) Hate You
Attn. Billy Joel: We Don't (Entirely) Hate YouPhilebrity.comAt any rate, since William has forced the issue, and for the record, let us state Philebrity's official position on Billy Joel: While it is true that, as he has grown older, apparently drunker, and more cantankerous in recent years, we do not hate ...Billy Joel Will Have None of Philebrity's InsultsPhiladelphia Magazine (blog)all 2 news articles »
American Idol 2012: The Top 10 Performances of the Season
American Idol 2012: The Top 10 Performances of the SeasonAmerican Idol NetBilly Joel ween was mostly meh for most of the contestants, but Elise took on lesser-known “Vienna” by Billy Joel and came out on top. It was an emotional and connected performance and reminded people that Elise was a serious contender. 9.Some Reflections on American Idol Season ElevenVultureJessica Sanchez's final chance to shineThe NationalFil-Ams all-out to make Jessica Sanchez next 'American Idol'Inquirer.net (blog)all 128 news articles »
iConcertTickets.com: Buy Billy Joel Tickets - We offer Cheap tickets to all Billy Joel dates
Billy Joel ranks among rock and roll’s most talented musicians and accomplished songwriters. His classical training and reverence for Broadway musicals have been counterpointed by his early grounding in the Long Island bar-band scene and his love of rhythm & blues, resulting in an enthusiastic yet musically sophisticated approach to rock and roll. His diverse influences include Beethoven, the Beatles, Dave Brubeck, George Gershwin, Phil Spector, Ray Charles and Fats Domino, whom Joel inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. From romantic balladry to hard-rocking material, with elements of jazz, pop and soul thrown into the mix, Joel has applied his skills in a diversity of settings. He is the pop crooner of “Piano Man” and the jazz-tinged romantic of “Just the Way You Are.” Yet he’s also capable of harder-rocking fare (Glass Houses), production-heavy pop with a Sixties influence (The Nylon Curtain) and vocal-group soul and doo-wop (An Innocent Man).