William Martin Joel is an American singer, pianist, composer, and songwriter.
Commonly nicknamed the “Piano Man” after his single and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s, having released 12 pop and rock studio albums from 1971 to 1993 as well as one studio album of classical compositions in 2001.
He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, as well as the seventh-best-selling recording artist and the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States, with over 160 million records sold worldwide.
Billy Joel was born to Howard Joel and Rosalind Nyman.
Billy Joel Parents: Meet Howard Joel, Rosalind Nyman
William Martin Joel was born in the Bronx, New York City, on May 9, 1949, he is the son of Howard Joel and Rosalind Nyman.
Joel’s father, Howard Joel was a classical pianist and businessman. He was born in Nuremberg, Germany, to a Jewish family, the son of merchant and manufacturer Karl Amson Joel. Howard was educated in Switzerland.
His father had created a highly successful mail order textile business, Joel Macht Fabrik. To escape the Nazi regime, Howard’s family emigrated to Switzerland. His father sold his business at a fraction of its value to emigrate.
Joel’s mother, Rosalind, was born in Brooklyn, New York City, to Jewish parents, Philip and Rebecca Nyman, who emigrated from England.