Billy Joel Biography

Joel went through a series of bands while young, devoting his time to music and not school.

By 1970, Attila, of which he was a member, released their first album. Attila were not successful, and Joel spent some time in a mental hospital, recovering from depression. Despite this, in 1973, Joel released his first solo record, ‘Cole Spring Harbor’, followed by ‘Piano Man’, which received significant critical acclaim.

In 1977, Joel’s album, ‘The Stranger’, was a huge success and went platinum, selling more than seven million copies, and the song, ‘Just the Way You Are’, won a Grammy.

This success paved the way for the next five years, as Joel continued to sell millions, and win awards.

This success was interrupted in 1982, when Joel separated from his wife, Elizabeth Weber, whom he had married in 1973, and he also broke his wrist in an accident. Perhaps as a result of these difficulties, his next album, ‘The Nylon Curtain’, did not do as well as his earlier hits.

By 1985, Joel was back on form. His album, ‘An Innocent Man’, was a great success, and he had also married again, to model Christie Brinkley.

1989 brought new non-musical troubles for Joel and a court case ensued between Joel and his former manager and brother-in-law, Frank Weber. Joel was accusing Frank of fraud and stealing 90 million dollars from him. The case was settled in 1991, with Joel awarded two million.

Despite these problems, Joel’s music success continued, and in 1991 he was awarded the Grammy Living Legend award.


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