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 seven 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 artist to play every sports arena
in the New York area: Between closing Shea Stadium, his residency at Madison
Square Garden and his closing and opening shows at Nassau Coliseum, Joel has
also performed at Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium and the Barclays Center.
4.
Despite all his touring, he hasn’t released new
music in 10 years: Billy Joel performs as the epitome of a nostalgia act. The last
two songs he wrote and released came out in 2007. It has been even longer since
the singer released a proper studio album, 24 years to be exact.
5.
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.
6.
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.
7.
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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Find music from living legends like Billy Joel at Vinyl Bay
777 and vinylbay777.com. Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we
carry a wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music
DVDs and memorabilia in store and online. Choose from thousands of titles in a myriad
of genres, from pop and rock to metal, jazz, R&B, rap, classical and
beyond. More titles are being added of our inventory all the time, so check
back often to see what’s new.
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