Billy Joel

Billy Joel was only 16 years old when he played piano on The Shangri-Las' 1965 hit, Leader of the Pack. By 1970, Attila - a heavy metal duo in which he played distorted organ - released their first album, Hour Of The Wolf. 

Unfortunately, the group were not successful, and Joel spent some time in a mental hospital, recovering from depression. Despite this, in 1973, Joel released his first solo record, Cole Spring Harbor, followed by Piano Man, which received significant critical acclaim.

In 1977 Joel’s album, The Stranger, was a huge success and went platinum, selling more than seven million copies, with the song, Just the Way You Are, winning a Grammy. This success paved the way for the next five years, as Joel continued to sell millions, and win awards. The crowning glory of this breakthrough album was arguably Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - a complex, obsessively detailed narrative piece, reminiscent of early Springsteen.

His success was interrupted in 1982, when Joel separated from his wife, Elizabeth Weber, whom he had married in 1973, and he also broke his wrist in an accident. Perhaps as a result of these difficulties, his next album, The Nylon Curtain, did not do as well as his earlier hits. But by 1985 Joel was back on form. His album, An Innocent Man, was a great success, and he had re-married - this time to model Christie Brinkley.

1989 brought new non-musical troubles for Joel and a court case ensued between Joel and his former manager and brother-in-law, Frank Weber. Joel was accusing Frank of fraud and stealing $90 million from him. The case was settled in 1991, with Joel awarded $2 million. Despite these problems, Joel’s music success continued, and in 1991 he was awarded the Grammy Living Legend award.