Billy Idol

William Michael Albert Broad^[1] (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English rock musician and singer-songwriter. He became famous in the 1970s as a member of Generation X. He later began a solo career which led to international fame and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the United States.^[2]

Billy Idol
Idol performing in August 2011
Background information
Birth name	William Michael Albert Broad
Born	(1955-11-30) 30 November 1955 (age 70) Stanmore, Middlesex, England
Genres	New wave hard rock pop rock dance-rock punk rock post-punk
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter musician actor
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards drums
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Chrysalis EMI Sanctuary BFI
Website	billyidol.net

Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face". In 1986, he released Whiplash Smile. Idol then released two studio albums, Charmed Life (1990) and the concept album Cyberpunk (1993). The latter was a commercial and critical flop. A year later, he recorded and released the single "Speed". The song was featured as first track in the homonymous movie soundtrack album.

Devil's Playground, which came out in March 2005, was Idol's first new studio album in nearly 12 years. The album reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200. This was followed by Happy Holidays, a Christmas album, and Kings & Queens of the Underground, his eighth studio album. Idol's autobiography, Dancing with Myself, was published on 7 October 2014. It soon became a New York Times bestseller.^[3]