William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American rock musician and singer-songwriter. He released his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973. According to the RIAA, Billy Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States.Top Selling Artists. RIAA. Retrieved on December 7, 2008.

Joel had Top 10 hits in the '70s, '80s, and '90s; is a six-time Grammy Award winner, and has sold in excess of 150 million albums worldwide.(September 21, 2004). "Billy Joel in Walk of Fame honour". BBC News. Retrieved on December 7, 2008. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (Class of 1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999), and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). Joel "retired" from recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour (sometimes with Elton John). In 2001 he subsequently released Fantasies & Delusions, a CD of classical compositions for piano. In 2007 he returned to recording with a single entitled "All My Life," followed by an extensive world tour from 2006-2008, covering many of the major world cities. In a September 2008 interview with GQ magazine, Elton John said: "I’m going on the road again with Billy Joel again next year," confirming the months-long rumor that the two piano-playing legends would reunite for more Face to Face concerts in 2009. Joel confirmed this news himself at a Master Class charity concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City on October 27, 2008. The tour is expected to go on and off for two years and travel around the world. It's slated to begin in Jacksonville, Florida on March 2, 2009.

Biography

Early years

Billy Joel was born in the Bronx and raised in Hicksville, New York. His father, Howard (born Helmut), was born in Germany as the son of Jewish merchant and manufacturer Karl Amson Joel who emigrated because of Nazi antisemitism to Switzerland and later to the United States. Billy Joel's mother, Rosalind Nyman, was born in England to a Jewish family (Philip and Rebecca Nyman). His parents divorced in 1960, and his father moved to Vienna, Austria. Billy has a sister, Judith Joel, and a half-brother, Alexander Joel, who is an acclaimed classical conductor in Europe, currently chief musical director of the Staatstheater Braunschweig.Tallmer, Jerry (July 16-22, 2003). "Billy Joel grapples with the past". The Villager, 73 (11). Retrieved on December 7, 2008.