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WILLIAM MARTIN JOEL “BILLY” JOEL

WILLIAM MARTIN JOEL “BILLY” JOEL. 1949-PRESENT. Billy Joel. Born May 9 1949 in Bronx, New York Began studying piano at the age of 4 Boxed through his teen years as a welterweight Singer, Songwriter Plays the piano, harmonica, guitar(electric and acoustic), and the accordion

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WILLIAM MARTIN JOEL “BILLY” JOEL

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  1. WILLIAM MARTIN JOEL “BILLY” JOEL 1949-PRESENT

  2. Billy Joel • Born May 9 1949 in Bronx, New York • Began studying piano at the age of 4 • Boxed through his teen years as a welterweight • Singer, Songwriter • Plays the piano, harmonica, guitar(electric and acoustic), and the accordion • Best known for his first hit “Piano Man” • 18 Grammy Nominations not including the ones he won • Won 6 Grammy Awards among dozens of other awards • 16 platinum albums

  3. Billy Joel • Dropped out of high school to pursue a performing career and was in his third band by the time he was 16 years old • Inspired by seeing The Beatles (British Invasion) on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 • First album Cold Spring Harbor released in 1970 was not a commercial success an led him to move to Los Angeles to lay low • In Los Angeles , he got a gig working as a lounge pianist at The Executive Room on Wilshire Boulevard under the pseudonym Bill Martin which later led to his song “Piano Man” and the start of his career • Many of his early songs related a growing frustration with the music industry and Hollywood, foreshadowing his exit from Los Angeles in 1976 • As the years passed, Joel's style began to evolve, showing his range from pop/rock to the bluesy-jazz styling's that are now associated with his name

  4. Music Style • Influenced by various different styles growing up • Growing up Billy loved jazz, rock and roll, boogie-woogie, soul music • Joel has played many different styles of music throughout his career with different bands including psychedelic rock, pop, rock, ragtime, doo-wop, contemporary pop, soft rock and even some punk but he is best known for his pop/rock and his bluesy-jazz styles, • His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar, in the late 70’s & 80’s • Changed bits of his playing style to conform to the popular style of music at the time • In his different albums, you can hear his style slightly differ due to his song writing being a lot about personal struggles and what was going on in the world at that time which influenced the type of music he was creating

  5. Songs • Piano Man-1973Billy Joel - Piano Man – YouTube • Written in ¾ time signature, meaning 3 quarter notes per bar • Has been called Piano Rock, Soft rock, Folk rock • Instruments featured are : piano, harmonica, bass, accordion, mandolin, drums and vocals • Begins with a jazzy piano solo and then movies into its famous piano and harmonica introduction • Verses and chorus feature a descending walking bass linewhich is common in baroque music and jazz • Ends in a turnaround which is a passage at the end of a section that leads into another section, which is often a repeat of some of the song

  6. Songs • Root Beer Rag-1974Root beer rag • Style: Ragtime • Instrumental • Very fast tempo • Listen for syncopation and octave changes • Syncopation in general terms is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur."

  7. Songs • New York State of Mind-1976 3:15 • New York State Of Mind • Style: Soft Rock, Jazz • Saxophone added • Slower Tempo • Syncopation • Blue notes, notes sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes • Song was never a hit or released as a single but has grown to be a fan favorite over time

  8. Songs • The Longest Time-1983 2:53 • The Longest Time • Style: Doo-Wop, A Capella • Doo-wop features vocal group harmony with the musical qualities of many vocal parts, nonsense syllables, a simple beat, sometimes little or no instrumentation, and simple music and lyrics

  9. Works Cited Page • "Billy Joel." - Biography. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://www.billboard.com/artist/284376/billy-joel/biography>. • "Billy Joel." Billy Joel. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://www.classicbands.com/joel.html>. • "Billy Joel biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://www.biography.com/people/billy-joel-9354859?page=1>. • "Billy Joel." Rollingstone.com. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/billy-joel/biography>. • "Billy Joel." Wikipedia. 22 Apr. 2013. Wikimedia Foundation. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joel>. • "The Official Billy Joel Site." The Official Billy Joel Site. 22 Apr. 2013 <http://www.billyjoel.com/>.

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