William Martin Joel –Billy Joel- is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the Piano Man, after his 1973 signature song by the same name. He has had a successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s.
Joel’s mother, Rosalind Nyman was born in Brooklyn to English parents, Philip and Rebecca. Billy’s father, Howard (born Helmut) Joel, was an accomplished amateur classical pianist and businessman, who was born in Nuremberg, Germany, to a Jewish family. He was educated in Switzerland.
Joel’ grandfather set up a prosperous mail-order textile company, became the second largest of its type in Germany. Escaping the Nazi regime, his grandfather, wife and young son emigrated to Switzerland. Following the passing of laws which prevented Jews from owning property and businesses, he was forced to sell his company for a fraction of its true value in 1938. As direct entry to the United States was difficult for German Jews due to strict quotas imposed by the Immigration Act of 1924, the family reached the country via Cuba, where they arrived in early 1939 and stayed for nearly two years.
He has said that neither of his parents talked much about WWII. It was not until later that Joel learned more about his father’s family.
Joel was born May 9, 1949, in the Bronx in New York City and grew up in the Levittown portion of Hicksville on Long Island, where he began taking piano lessons at his mother’s insistence. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, Joel took part in his first band.
As a teenager, Joel took up boxing and competed on the amateur Golden Gloves circuit as a welterweight. He abandoned the sport after his nose was broken. By the end of his senior year, he did not have enough credits to graduate. Rather than attend summer school to earn his diploma, Joel decided to begin a music career: “I told them, ‘To hell with it. If I’m not going to Columbia University, I’m going to Columbia Records, and you don’t need a high school diploma over there’.
Bordowitz, Hank. Billy Joel: The Life & Times of an Angry Young Man. Billboard Books. 2005. 22.
The success of his piano-driven ballads like 1977’s “She’s Always a Woman,” 1979’s “Just the Way You Are,” and 1980’s “Honesty” led some critics to label Joel a ‘ballander’ and ‘soft rocker.’ He thought these labels were unfair and insulting, and with 1981’s Glass Houses, Joel tried to record an album that proved that he could rock harder than his critics gave him credit for.
In 1970, a career decline and personal tragedies led Joel to a deep depressive period. During this time, he attempted suicide twice.
Joel participated in the USA for Africa “We Are the World” project in 1985. In 1987, he became one of the first Western artists to hold a rock tour in the Soviet Union.
On December 31, 1999, Joel performed at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. He currently dominates the record for most concerts performed there.
Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1999 by one of his chief musical influences, Ray Charles.
On July 16 and 18, 2008, Joel played the final concerts at Shea Stadium before its demolition.
Joel visited the United Kingdom and Ireland for the first time in many years as part of the European leg of his 2006 tour. On July 31, 2006, Joel performed a free concert in Rome, with the Colosseum as the backdrop.
Although Joel has donated money to Democratic candidates, he has never publicly affiliated himself with the Democratic Party. Joel rarely publicly endorses political candidates; however, he did play a benefit with his friend Bruce to raise money for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
On December 29, 2013, in Washington, D.C., Joel received Kennedy Center Honors, the nation’s highest honor for influencing American culture through the arts.
Billy Joel: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize. 2014. Billy Joel ranks as one of the most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. “Billy Joel’s array of work reflects the spirit of the Gershwin Prize with its originality, longevity and diversity of appeal,” commented Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress.
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is named in honor of the legendary George and Ira Gershwin. This award recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture. The prize is given annually to a composer or performer whose lifetime contributions exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins.
In May, 2025, he publicly shared his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s ventricles. In September, 2026, he underwent brain surgery to implant a shunt to drain excess fluid. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Joel shared that he is currently not allowed to drive and remains unsure if he can return to full-scale live performances. His neurologist advised that high-volume rock-and-roll shows place intense physical stress and concussive-like strain on his system.
Because he is restricted from driving, Joel is putting more than 70 motorcycles from his personal collection up for auction.
Bordowitz, Hank (2005). Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man. New York: Billboard Books.
