Epic released Attila early in 1970 and it was an immediate bomb and the duo broke up. On the cover of the band's eponymous album, both Joel and Small were dressed as barbarians in an interview on the back of the album, Joel claimed to forget the name of his previous band and stated that he only 'sweated' two things - perfecting his sound and the war in Southeast Asia. In Attila, Joel played his organ through a variety of effects pedals, creating a heavy psychedelic hard rock album completely without guitars. Joel and the band's drummer, Jon Small, formed an organ-and-drums duo called Attila. Over the next year and a half, the Hassles released two albums and four singles, all of which failed commercially. In 1967, he left the band to join the Hassles, a local Long Island rock & roll band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records. For two years, he played sessions and performed with the Lost Souls. Later in 1965, the Echoes changed their name twice - once to the Emeralds and finally to the Lost Souls. During this time, the Echoes started to play numerous late-night shows. Joel played piano on several recordings George 'Shadow' Morton produced - including the Shangri-Las' 'Leader of the Pack' - as well as several records released through Kama Sutra Productions. While still a member of the Echoes, Joel began playing recording sessions in 1965, when he was just 16 years old. The Echoes became a popular New York attraction, convincing him to quit high school to become a professional musician. Eventually, he found the Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. Upon seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Joel decided to pursue a full-time musical career and set about finding a local Long Island band to join. For the early years of his adolescence, he divided his time between studying piano and fighting. He fought a total of 22 fights as a teenager, and during one of the fights, he broke his nose. As he approached his adolescence, Joel started to rebel, joining teenage street gangs and boxing as welterweight. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late '70s and '80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles.īorn in the Bronx, Joel was raised in the Long Island suburb of Hicksville, where he learned to play piano as a child. Joel's music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. Genre: Rock, Album Rock, Contemporary Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock, KeyboardĪlthough Billy Joel never was a critic's favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the '70s.
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December 2022
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