Billy Joel and related artists > Backstage > Rolling Stone Magazine

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Billy Joel has a decades-long career over which he's accumulated a rolodex of big hits. The Long Island-born musician grew up with a passion for R&B and the Beatles, and his early musical ventures saw him in a Brit...more

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Billy Joel has a decades-long career over which he's accumulated a rolodex of big hits. The Long Island-born musician grew up with a passion for R&B and the Beatles, and his early musical ventures saw him in a British Invasion cover band called the Echoes in the late 1960s in New York City. Moving to Los Angeles and playing lounge piano in a club eventually led to a recording contract and the release of "Piano Man" in '73. From that moment on, Joel's career took off, and he became one of the brightest stars of the late '70s and '80s with classics like "New York State of Mind," "Just the Way You Are," and "Big Shot." The Broadway musical called "Movin' Out" was based around his works. His records continue to sell as his appeal reaches the progeny of devoted fans who loved him in his heyday....less