Photo: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Billy Joel earns my affection because he writes pop songs the way a novelist writes short stories; Allentown and Piano Man are full character studies compressed into four minutes. Critics were often snobbish about him, but the catalog has aged better than most of his detractors' favorites, because melodies that strong simply do not date. I love that beneath the radio polish there is a classically trained ear, audible in his chord voicings and his late-career classical album. The Gershwin Prize and Kennedy Center Honors feel right: he belongs in the lineage of great American songwriters. Decades on, his work still sounds like the city that made him.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Billy Joel
- Name (Japanese)
- ビリー・ジョエル
- Reading
- びりー・じょえる
- Born
- May 9, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Ox
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Height
- 2 cm
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / pianist / composer / singer / musician
2. Background
- High school
- Hicksville High School
- University
- Syracuse University
Awards & achievements
- 1991 Grammy Legend Award
- 2002 MusiCares Person of the Year
- 1980 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
- Kennedy Center Honors
- 2014 Gershwin Prize
- 2001 Johnny Mercer Award
- 1997 honorary doctor of the Hofstra University
- 2006 honorary doctor of Syracuse University
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Allentown | — | |
| Notable work | Uptown Girl | — | |
| Notable work | We Didn't Start the Fire | — | |
| Notable work | It's Still Rock and Roll to Me | — | |
| Notable work | Pressure | — | |
| Notable work | Tell Her About It | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Billy Joel born?
Born May 9, 1949 (age 77).
Where is Billy Joel from?
Billy Joel is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Billy Joel do?
Billy Joel works as singer-songwriter, pianist, composer, singer, musician.
How tall is Billy Joel?
Billy Joel is 2 cm.
What is Billy Joel known for?
Notable works include Allentown, Uptown Girl, We Didn't Start the Fire.
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Pianist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.