2009 Billy Joel

Billy Joel wrote 'Piano Man.' Billy Joel is the Piano Man. Joel was the most prominent singer/songwriter of the late '70s and early '80s. He has a prolific knack for hooks and melodies that some compare to the Beatles and Elton John. His concerts have been his most popular draw, selling out stadiums all over the country. Tickets to a Billy Joel concert are perfect for a date or bringing the whole family, as his music reaches all generations.

Joel grew up in Hicksville, New York, where he discovered his love of music playing the piano. His first band was the Echoes, who covered all the British band songs of the '60s; the second was the Hassles, who released two albums; and the short-lived Attila was his third. Cold Spring Harbor, Billy Joel's first solo album, was released in the early '70s and didn't get a lot of notice.

It wasn't until the release of The Stranger in 1977 that Billy Joel got his due attention. The Stranger went to number two on the Billboard charts and shot Joel's popularity through the roof. 'Just the Way You Are' received both Song of the Year and Record of the Year Grammys. 'Movin' Out,' the title of another song from The Stranger, became the name of Broadway's phenomenal jukebox musical, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp. 52nd Street (another Grammy Winner) was his next effort, and it sold over two million copies within a few weeks before settling in for a long stay at number one. Songs like 'My Life,' 'Honesty' and 'Big Shot' established Billy Joel's status as popular all-American musical star.

Later on, songs like 'Uptown Girl,' 'Tell Her About It,' 'She's Got a Way,' and 'An Innocent Man' reached the top of the charts and solidified Joel's place in modern music history. His concerts are full of songs you know and love, and his performance is always powerful and impressive. You have to get tickets to Billy Joel to see this legend play his piano and sing songs that most of us grew up on and all of us remember.