At a Rolling Stone interview, Billy Joel once said, “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music”. William Martin Joel, also known as Billy Joel, was born into a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York on May 9, 1949. Although it was Billy Joel’s father, Howard who was a well known classical pianist, it was actually his mother who encouraged Billy Joel to pursue a hobby in studying piano, at a tender age of four. Surprisingly, at the age of sixteen, Joel had already participated in 3 bands. Even though Joel was Jewish, his successful musically inclined career spanned more than two decades. Joel has proven his musical range to his audience with a diverse collection of pop and rock hits that have become Americans favorites. Joel was best known for winning a Grammy during the 1970s and 1980s, and continued his successes into the 1990s. Some of the many …show more content…
At an early age, Joel performed at Hicksville High School. At the age of 18 he joined a rock group and recorded two albums for United Artists. Some of the many awards that Billy Joel received was the Best new male vocalist award, Cash Box, 1974, for Piano Man; record of the year, Stereo Review, 1977, for The Stranger. He won many Grammy awards for best album and best song, both 1978, for The Stranger and “Just the Way You Are”; ASCAP awards for song of the year and artist of the year, both 1978, for “Just the Way You Are,” and “She’s Always a Woman”. Joel had some of the decades biggest sellers such as, Piano Man, Just The Way You Are, It's Still Rock To Me, An Innocent Man, and We Didn't Start The Fire. In 1993, when Joel released River of Dreams, his place in American pop history was reassured. To conclude, Joel’s musical career started at an early age and has lasted with a bang ever