Billy Joel

Billy Joel (born William Martin Joel; May 9, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist recognized as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 150 million records sold worldwide. Dubbed the "Piano Man" after his signature 1973 hit, Joel blended rock, pop, and classical influences across a career spanning more than five decades, achieving 33 Top 40 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including three number-one hits: "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (1980), "Tell Her About It" (1983), and "We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989). His songwriting often drew from personal experiences, New York City life, and historical events, earning him five Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.

Born in the Bronx, New York, to Howard Joel, a German-Jewish immigrant and classical pianist, and Rosalind Nyman, an English-born Jewish woman who worked in clerical positions for various businesses, Joel moved with his family to the Levittown section of Hicksville, Long Island, at age one. His parents' marriage dissolved when he was nine, leaving financial struggles that shaped his early years; he began piano lessons at age four under his mother's encouragement and later took up boxing as a teenager while performing in high school bands. Forgoing his high school diploma to pursue music full-time, Joel played piano in local bars and released his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971; however, production issues with its mastering (resulting in incorrect pitching) led to the re-recording and release of its lead single "She's Got a Way" on his next album. Signing with Columbia Records in 1973, his sophomore album Piano Man marked his breakthrough, with the title track—based on his experiences as a lounge pianist—becoming a enduring anthem and reaching No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Joel's parents were Howard Joel (born Helmut Joel) and Rosalind Nyman Joel. His father, born in 1923 in Nuremberg, Germany, came from a prosperous Jewish family that owned a textile factory and initially identified strongly with German culture before the rise of Nazism forced their escape. Howard immigrated to the United States in the early 1940s, served in the U.S. Army under General George Patton during World War II, and later worked as a classical pianist and engineer. His mother, born on February 15, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, was the daughter of Philip and Rebecca Nyman, Jewish immigrants from England; she worked as a secretary and later as a homemaker. The family observed Jewish traditions, though not strictly orthodox, reflecting their immigrant heritage.