We recall the most interesting and little-known facts about the iconic artiste

Legendary "Piano Man."for many decades now. Billy Joel remains one of music's biggest stars! He is the sixth best-selling artist in the history of music - his worldwide circulation has long surpassed the mark 100 million copies! Well: this man has managed to forge a dazzling career, considering the fact that in the beginning he didn't want to sing at all. "Piano Man," "Just the Way You Are," "My Life," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." - These are just some of Joel's works, which are perfectly familiar to every music lover! But, unfortunately, this cannot be said about the singer's rich and thorny life path....

Childhood hobbies

Not many people know, but as a child, Billy was an accomplished boxer! Yes, yes, not music was the first serious hobby of the future idol of the world stage, and sports.

The boy decided to take up boxing because his peers often bullied him. The boy decided to take up boxing because his peers often bullied him "Golden Gloves."and I even won 22 fights! But a broken nose made him think twice and quit this unsafe activity ....

Billy was brought up in a Jewish family, but as a child he attended Catholic mass all the time. According to the artist himself, it was a very exciting and interesting experience in his life! Today Joel calls himself "cultured Jew."but admits he's actually an atheist.

Liverpool Inspiration

Billy was inspired by the iconic Liverpool Four to study music hard! Despite taking piano lessons, he had very little interest in music... But that all changed when the boy saw a performance of "The Beatles." on the Ed Sullivan Show 14 August 1965.. He subsequently recounted:

"Up until that point I had never considered rock as a career... I was 15 when I saw them and I remember thinking they looked like me and my friends! It inspired me..."

Joel himself later made an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Showand has undoubtedly inspired many followers - young lads like he once was....

The idea of releasing a solo album

Remarkably, at the beginning of his journey. Joel He had no plans to sing - he was more interested in writing songs rather than performing them. He worked as a studio musician for a while and this experience showed him that he definitely had a gift for composing! He once said:

"The valuable advice I got from people in the music industry was something like, 'If you want people to hear your songs, make an album.'

Billy took that advice and released a solo album. And his further history is well known to all of us - he became a singer. Nevertheless, the record deeply upset Billy: "Cold Spring Harbour." was poorly received by critics, and failed. Mostly due to a mistake made in the sound mastering process. The album was accidentally sped up, which made Joel, according to critics, sound more like a "chipmunk". According to legend, the angry singer ran out into the middle of the street and smashed his copy to pieces.

First steps

In his early days, Joel was inspired by more than just the "The Beatles"but also Jimi Hendrix с "The Who". For the sake of his idols, he even travelled by motorbike to one of the most famous rock festivals in music history - . Woodstock 1969 of the year. However - the guy stayed there for only a day and a half, after which he hurried home. Billy later explained his haste by the fact that "there were no real toilets there".

Before becoming one of the preeminent rock singers and songwriters of his generation, Joel played in a heavy metal band called Atilla. From his own recollections:

"We were heavy metal players, we were going to destroy the world with amplification! We had about a dozen gigs, but nobody could stay in the room when we played. It was too loud..."

https://youtu.be/XBTIb-ReA_0

First big performance Joel took place in Puerto Ricoduring his tour. 1971 of the year: his performance at a pop festival Mar y Sol was particularly impressive and brought the singer three encores and a standing ovation!

One day he saw a ghost

Billy Joel has repeatedly claimed that he once saw a ghost at his former estate in The Hamptons. Allegedly it was the ghost of a woman, relying on an outfit - nineteenth century - brushing her hair in his house. The house was later sold to an actor Jerry Seinfeld and completely renovated. Whether the woman returned there afterwards remains a mystery.

A strong bond with his father

Billy was born in the Bronx 9 May 1949. in a family of Jewish immigrants Howard и Rosalind Joel. Before emigrating to America, the boy's father was a professional pianist from Austria. Facing persecution for being Jewish, Howard emigrated to Switzerland and then to the United States via Cuba. After divorcing his wife, Howard returned to Vienna and has been absent from Billy's life for over twenty years...

However, the two still managed to connect later on. One day, while on tour, Joel reunited with his father and even invited him to come on stage for a duet! The two hadn't seen each other in years, but they played on the same stage as if their joint act had existed for years! This magic happened in Nuremberg, Germany, в 1995 year.

Joel later said that his song "Vienna." partly inspired by his father.

Music inspired by loved ones

Curiously enough, the famous song "Just the Way You Are" was originally written as a birthday present for Joel's wife, Elizabeth! As a result, it became a big hit, reaching number 3 on the US chart. The composition also won two Grammys - one for the record and the other for Song of the Year.

Joel was also inspired by his adorable wife to write his second hit, "Big Shot.". Really - we're talking about someone else's wife.....

The artiste later explained that the song was written about the socialite and ex-wife Mick Jagger, Bianca.

According to Joel, he was trying to tell what, in his opinion, Jagger thought about his spouse. By the way: shortly after the release of the track, the couple divorced....

He's giving away first places at his concerts

After years of dealing with speculators and disinterested individuals occupying his front row, Joel decided to start giving away all his best places to loyal fans who can't afford them. He explains that this way "the people who are really happy to be there, the real fans, can maximise their enjoyment of the performance." This really deserves respect - a great act from a great musical genius!