Happy Birthday Billy Joel: Five Musical Facts about the “Piano Man”

Singer and “piano man” Billy Joel turns 68 today. Arguably one of the most famous artists to come out of Long Island, his music has been a staple of pop and adult contemporary radio for nearly five decades.

Joel has led a long and prosperous career in the music industry. The sixth best-selling artists of all time and third best solo artist, the singer has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and had 33 singles register on the Top 40 charts. His highest-selling album, ‘The Stranger,’ has sold more than 10 million copies, earning diamond certification.

In honor of Billy Joel’s birthday, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, has gathered five interesting, musical facts about the singer.

1. He has played 46 shows in that many months at Madison Square Garden: Since his first performance at the famed New York City venue in 1978, Joel has played a record-breaking 46 shows and counting at Madison Square Garden. The singer signed a deal with the venue in 2014 to play one show a month, making him their first non-sports “franchise.”

2. He played the final show at the old Nassau Coliseum… and the first show at the new one: Billy Joel is to New York what Bruce Springsteen is to New Jersey; that is a local hero. So it comes as no surprise that he would want to be the last artist to play Long Island’s only arena before it shut down. Then, when it re-opened earlier this year, he was the first artist to rock its stage. Joel was also the last artist to play at Shea Stadium in Queens, also technically Long Island.

3. He is the only non-classical artist to be honored by Steinway pianos: Billy Joel has spent much of his career playing the brand’s pianos, so they decided to honor his work. In 2011, Steinway & Sons commissioned a portrait of him that continues to be hung in Manhattan’s Steinway Hall. His portrait joins the likes of classical artists such as Sergei Rachmoninoff and Franz Liszt.

4. His music has been recognized by the Library of Congress, twice: Joel and his music have been honored by the Library of Congress twice. In 2014, he received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, making him only the sixth artists to ever earn the honor. Then in 2016, Joel’s signature song, “Piano Man,” was selected by the National Recording Registry for preservation, an honor given to recordings with “cultural, historical or aesthetic” significance.

5. He used to be in a metal band: Everyone knows Joel for his fairly tame pop-rock sound, but before all of that, he was in a metal band on Long Island. A duo, they played under the name Attila and released one album before breaking up. The album was a dud and has been called one of the worst rock albums of all time.

Billy Joel has proven himself to be a lasting force in modern music. His nearly five-decade career in the industry has been peppered with multi-platinum-selling albums and various honors and awards. Joel continues to sell out arenas all over the US and around the world as one of the best-selling artists of all time.

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To read about two more facts about Billy Joel and his music, check out the original article at vinylbay777.blogspot.com.