See a young Billy Joel in his high school yearbook photos and get to know the ‘Piano Man’ and ‘Uptown Girl’ singer better.
Full Name: William Martin Joel
Birthdate: May 9, 1949 (Age 76)
High School: Hicksville High School, Hicksville, NY
Yearbooks: 1967
Who is Billy Joel?
How could you forget basking in the excellence of ‘Piano Man’ for the very first time, or going to your first Billy Joel concert and seeing him perform ‘New York State of Mind’? Billy Joel’s hit songs and albums bring you back to the times you wish you could relive.
Billy Joel is a legendary singer, songwriter, and pianist whose career spans nearly six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential musicians of all time. Joel began releasing music in the mid-to-late 1960s, and soon began catching the public eye in the early ‘70s, beginning with the release of his first solo album, Cold Spring Harbor (1971).
Joel is known for his blend of pop and rock, as well as incorporating hints of blues and classical music. He has established himself as one of the most innovative and versatile musicians of all time, and continues to impress with his unique singing voice and prodigious piano skills.
What to Know About Billy Joel?
- Who is Billy Joel?: Billy Joel, born May 9, 1949, is a legendary singer, songwriter, and pianist whose generational hits include “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” and “New York State of Mind”. Joel has dominated the music industry for nearly six decades.
- Education: Joel attended Hicksville High School in New York, leaving before graduation to pursue music full-time, a decision that helped launch one of the most successful careers in music history.
- Rise to Fame: Joel rose to prominence in the 1970s, releasing era-defining albums such as Piano Man, The Stranger, and Glass Houses, becoming one of the best-selling solo artists of all time.
- Family: Joel has been married four times and has three daughters, including singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel.
- Legacy: Beyond music, Joel is a cultural icon and enduring live performer, celebrated for his long-running Madison Square Garden residency, acclaimed HBO documentary, and lasting influence on rock, pop, and piano-driven songwriting.
Where Did Billy Joel Go to School?
Elementary/Middle School Education
Billy Joel attended elementary school at Forks Lane Elementary School and middle school at Hicksville Middle School, both in Hicksville, New York. Joel spent the entirety of this time learning and perfecting his piano abilities, taking formal lessons from the ages of four to 16 before going off on his own.
High School Education
Joel attended Hicksville High School, also in Hicksville, New York, until 1967. He dropped out towards the end of his senior year to pursue a music career, as he did not have enough credits to graduate.
He was given the option to attend summer school to earn the credits back, but instead chose to pursue music. Joel had this to say about his decision: “I told them, ‘To hell with it. If I’m not going to Columbia University, I’m going to Columbia Records, and you don’t need a high school diploma over there’.” Joel submitted essays to the Hicksville school board in 1992 as a substitute for the missed exam, and was awarded his diploma 25 years after his departure.
Billy Joel: Then vs. Now
Billy Joel has always captured attention with his handsome looks and casual style. From the ‘60s to today, here’s how he looked from his teenage years all the way to today.
David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Billy Joel: The Piano Man
Early Career
Joel began his career at age 16 when he joined the Echoes, a musical group focusing on British Invasion covers. Joel played with the band until 1967, when he left to join the Hassles, a group from Long Island. He stayed with them for a short time before leaving to form the duo Atilla alongside Jon Small in 1969. The duo disbanded after a year.
Joel began a solo career in 1970, releasing his first solo album in 1971 titled Cold Spring Harbor. The album was a commercial failure, but included songs that later became popular such as “She’s Got a Way” and “Everybody Loves You Now”.
Family Productions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Rise to Fame
Joel began his first tour in the fall of 1971, and continued to release stellar albums throughout the ‘70s. In 1973, he released his second album, Piano Man, which contained his most recognizable song and arguably one of the greatest songs ever written, also titled “Piano Man”. The song was inspired by Joel’s time working at The Executive Room piano bar in Los Angeles.
Distributed by Columbia Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In 1977, Joel released the album The Stranger, which is widely regarded as his breakthrough album, and included many hits that are still popular today, including “Vienna” and “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”. The Stranger is one of the most commercially successful albums of all time, and was ranked as the 70th greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004.
Uncredited (possibly Jim Houghton); Distributed by Columbia Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Continued Success and Later Years
Joel kicked off the ‘80s with another hit album, Glass Houses (1980). The album spent six weeks atop the Billboard album chart, and included his first number one track on the Billboard Hot 100, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”. Joel continued to release masterpiece albums and massive commercial hits throughout the ‘80s, including the albums The Nylon Curtain (1982) and An Innocent Man (1983), as well as the songs “The Longest Time” and “Uptown Girl”.
Billy Joel released his final mainstream studio album, River of Dreams, in 1993, rounding out a legendary run. Joel then released his last official album, Fantasies and Delusions, in 2001. The album is a collection of classical piano compositions, which Joel often uses as interludes in his live performances.
Joel has continued to tour throughout the years, and even had a residency at Madison Square Garden, playing one concert a month there from 2014 until 2024. In 2025, the first part of Joel’s HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So it Goes, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. The entire two-part doc was later released on HBO and HBO Max. The documentary took a deeper look at the life and career of Joel, and received high praise from critics and the general public alike.
Who is Billy Joel’s Family?
Unique Upbringing
Joel was raised on Long Island by his mother, Rosalind, who was from Brooklyn, and his father, Howard, an accomplished amateur classical pianist and businessman from Nuremberg, Germany. He was raised along with his cousin, Judy, who became his adopted sister after his parents took her in after the death of her mother, Rosalind’s sister Muriel.
Joel’s parents divorced in 1957, and Howard left the country and settled back in Europe in Vienna, Austria. Joel also has a half-brother named Alexander through his father, who went on to become a classical conductor in Europe.
Marriages and Children
Joel has been married four times. His first marriage was to Elizabeth Weber Small in 1973, the former wife of his music partner, Jon Small. The marriage lasted 9 years, ending in divorce in 1982.
Joel’s second marriage was to model Christie Brinkley in March 1985. They have one daughter, singer, songwriter, and pianist Alexa Ray Joel, born in 1985. The couple divorced in 1994, although they still remain great friends.
In 2004, Joel married his third wife, chef and food critic Katie Lee. They separated in 2009. Joel’s fourth and final marriage was to Alexis Roderick, an equestrian and former Morgan Stanley executive, in 2015. They have been together since 2009, and have two daughters, Della Rose and Remy Anne, born in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
Billy Joel State of Mind
A notable contributor to both the music industry and pop culture as a whole, Billy Joel has established himself throughout the years as one of the most influential artists of all time.
Known as the beloved ‘Piano Man’, Billy Joel’s work defined the ‘70s and ‘80s, and transports those who listen to his enchanting voice back to these memorable decades. Joel is still alive and actively touring today, which juxtaposes his message stating that “Only the Good Die Young”.
His greatest hits include:
- “Piano Man”
- “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”
- “Vienna”
- “Only the Good Die Young”
- “Uptown Girl”
- “Innocent Man”
- “The Stranger”
- “Movin’ Out(Anthony’s Song)”
- “New York State of Mind”
- “Just the Way You Are”
- “She’s Always A Woman”
- “Summer, Highland Falls”
- “She’s Got A Way”
- “Captain Jack”
- “Zanzibar”
- “My Life”
- “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”
- “Goodnight Saigon”
He released these albums throughout his illustrious career:
- Cold Spring Harbor (1971)
- Piano Man (1973)
- Streetlife Serenade (1974)
- Turnstiles (1976)
- The Stranger (1977)
- 52nd Street (1978)
- Glass Houses (1980)
- The Nylon Curtain (1982)
- An Innocent Man (1983)
- The Bridge (1986)
- Storm Front (1989)
- River of Dreams (1993)
- Fantasies & Delusions (2001)
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joel
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-billy-joel-songs
- https://medium.com/@alihickswright/growing-up-with-the-piano-man
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