Billy Joel

William Martin Joel was born on 9 May 1949 in the Bronx and grew up in Hicksville, on Long Island. He played in local bands, including the Hassles and Attila, then recorded Cold Spring Harbor (1971). Piano Man (1973) became his signature song. The Stranger (1977) and 52nd Street (1978) made him a major pop-rock act. Later albums include Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, and Storm Front, whose single We Didn’t Start the Fire listed mid-century headlines in rapid verse.

He has sold more than 150 million records, won several Grammy Awards, and, after River of Dreams (1993), largely stopped issuing pop albums while continuing to tour, including a long residency at Madison Square Garden. He has also written classical-leaning piano pieces collected as Fantasies & Delusions. Radio still plays Piano Man, Just the Way You Are, and Uptown Girl. This site’s 1949 Chinese New Year of 29 January makes 9 May Ox/Taurus.

He is living, so this biography uses the Year of the Ox emblem instead of a face. A like on this page is only a private preference, not a public ranking.