Billy Joel
16 vinyl records found
Billy Joel is a pianist and songwriter who built a four-decade career in pop and rock starting in the early 1970s. His catalog spans accessible piano-driven ballads, arena rock singles, and stylistic experiments that made him one of the highest-selling solo artists in the United States.
About Billy Joel
Joel was born in the Bronx and raised in Hicksville on Long Island, where he started piano lessons as a child. After stints in the bands the Hassles and Attila, he released his debut solo album Cold Spring Harbor in 1971 on Family Productions. A live radio performance of Captain Jack in Philadelphia caught enough attention to land him a Columbia Records deal, which resulted in Piano Man in 1973, the album that established his signature style and gave him the nickname that would follow him throughout his career.
His commercial peak arrived with The Stranger in 1977, an album that sold over 10 million copies and produced multiple hit singles including Just the Way You Are, Movin' Out, and Only the Good Die Young. The follow-up 52nd Street reached number one on the Billboard 200 and won Album of the Year at the Grammys. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Joel explored different sonic territory on each release: Glass Houses emphasized rock instrumentation, The Nylon Curtain pursued more intricate songwriting, and An Innocent Man drew from 1950s R&B and doo-wop traditions. After releasing River of Dreams in 1993, he largely stepped back from studio rock albums, eventually recording the classical album Fantasies & Delusions in 2001. He has three number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles to his name and holds 23 Grammy nominations with six wins.
The Groove Hunter tracks 8 editions across Joel's catalog, including Storm Front, Piano Man, Glass Houses, River Of Dreams, The Stranger 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition, Greatest Hits Volume I & II, Live At Yankee Stadium, and Turnstiles.
