On This Day, May 9, 1949…
Future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel was born in the Bronx, New York, although his family moved to Long Island when he was one.
Known by the nickname Piano Man, Joel went on to record 12 pop/rock studio albums from 1971 to 1993, with four of them going to number one: 1978’s 52nd Street, 1980’s Glass Houses, 1989’s Storm Front and 1993’s River of Dreams.
He’s also had 13 Top 10 hits, and three number one singles: 1980’s “It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me,” 1989’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” and 1983’s “Tell Her About it,” and is best known for such classic tunes as “Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Uptown Girl,” “Big Shot” and more.
Joel has sold over 160 million records, and has won six Grammys, including Album of the Year for 52nd Street. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013.
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