Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949)^[3] is an American singer-songwriter. He produced successful pop songs for two decades, from 1973's Piano Man to 1993's River of Dreams which marked his retirement. As well as writing classical music, he has frequently been on the road, usually with Elton John.

Billy Joel
Billy Joel at the opening night of the 2009 season at the Metropolitan Opera
Born	William Martin Joel (1949-05-09) May 9, 1949 (age 76) The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Hicksville High School
Occupations	Musician singer-songwriter composer
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Weber ​ ​ (m. 1973; div. 1982)​ Christie Brinkley ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1994)​ Katie Lee ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2009)​ Alexis Roderick ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	Alexa Ray Joel Della Rose Joel Remy Anne Joel
Parent(s)	Howard Joel Rosalind Nyman
Musical career
Also known as	"The Piano Man" "Joe" "Mr. Long Island"
Origin	Hicksville, New York, U.S.
Genres	Rock[1] soft rock[2]
Instruments	Vocals piano guitar harmonica
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Columbia Family Productions Sony Classical
Website	billyjoel.com

Joel was born in the Bronx, New York City. He grew up in Hicksville, New York. He joined his first band The Echoes (Later known as The Lost Souls) at age fourteen, and in the late 1960s he teamed up with The Hassles. The Hassles when on to release two albums. In 1970 After parting ways with The Hassles Joel and Hassles Drummer Jon Small Formed a two-man duo Attila. In 1971 his solo debut, Cold Spring Harbor, was released. (The title takes its name from a town in Long Island.)

He is good friends with both Donald trump and Hilary Clinton. However, Joel is a Democrat. He kept his political views private for many years but became more vocal during Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, even performing at events to support him. However, he generally prefers not to mix his music career with politics, believing that fans come to his shows for the music, not political opinions ^[4]

Health

In May 2025, Joel was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, leading to problems with his hearing, vision, and balance.^[5]

Acting

In 1988, Mr Joel played a New York City dog named Dodger in the Disney animated movie, Oliver & Company.

Joel has been married four times. The first three ended in divorce. His first marriage was from 1973 to 1982. His second marriage, from 1985 to 1994, was to supermodel Christie Brinkley. Their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel (born 1985) is one of his three children. His daughter's middle name is taken from one of his musical influences, Ray Charles. His third marriage began in 2004. His fourth marriage with Alexis Roderick began in 2015. They had one child; Della Rose Joel, who was born on the 12th of August 2015. Baby Remy was born 2017. He released his first song in years, called Turn the Lights Back On.

Discography

Studio albums

• Cold Spring Harbor (1971)
• Piano Man (1973)
• Streetlife Serenade (1974)
• Turnstiles (1976)
• The Stranger (1977)
• 52nd Street (1978)
• Glass Houses (1980)
• The Nylon Curtain (1982)
• An Innocent Man (1983)
• The Bridge (1986)
• Storm Front (1989)
• River of Dreams (1993)
• Fantasies & Delusions (2001)