Billy Joel Group 3:

Kyle Beversdorf, Mohammed Khan,

Melina Milone & John Simons

Overview

●  Biography ●  Musical Style ●  Musical Influences ●  Musical Analysis ●  Awards ●  Conclusion ●  References

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Why Billy Joel?

Billy Joel is a world renowned musician who had success as a solo artist for the better part of 3 decades.

http://www.goldderby.com/news/5172/kennedy-center-honors-billy-joel-shirley-maclaine-carlos-santana-entertainment-415083926.html

https://forum.billyjoel.com/discussion/2206/official-young-billy-fans-thread

Early Life

●  William Martin Joel was born on May 9, 1949 to Howard and Rosalind Joel in the Bronx, New York.

●  Billy’s father was an accomplished classical pianist, but Billy’s mother was the one who pushed him to play the piano.

●  He began playing the piano at the age of 4. ●  Billy was already a professional piano player at 16. ●  Billy had been in 3 bands before he could even drive.

Early Career

●  Joel had little success with his first three bands as well as his first solo record.

●  After signing with Columbia he began having success, starting with the album Piano Man (1973).

●  Joel turned out two more albums before finding large commercial success starting with The Stranger (1977) which peaked at #2 in the US.

●  In the spring of 1982, Joel was involved in a serious motorcycle accident and needed major surgery to repair a broken wrist.

●  Billy Joel divorced his first wife in July of 1982. ●  In 1983 and 1984, Joel was one of the first 70’s stars to make music

videos and embrace MTV. ●  Joel married Christie Brinkley in the spring of 1985. ●  Billy Joel toured the U.S.S.R in the spring of 1987 and actually shoved a

piano off the stage during a temper tantrum. ●  Joel fired his manager, Frank Weber, in 1989.

The 80’s

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-joel-mn0000085915/biography

●  By 1999 Joel’s song sales had topped $100 million and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

●  Joel began performing in public frequently and also began to give more interviews.

●  2013- Joel toured the U.K. and performed at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn for his first New York headlining solo in five years.

●  2014- Joel announced that he would have a regular residence at Madison Square Garden and would perform 21 concerts just in 2014.

The Current Billy Joel

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-joel-mn0000085915/biography

Musical Style

●  Softer side of mainstream rock. ●  Piano heavy ballads. ●  Billy Joel refused to be a one dimensional artist

and is known for playing many styles.

Musical Style

●  He used big time production much like the city he is from, New York.

●  Billy Joel played at large venues much like an arena rock band, but still stayed on the slightly softer side.

●  Billy Joel is known for his big vocals. ●  His songs always contained strong storytelling.

Musical Style

●  Billy Joel wrote many songs about New York and life.

●  His upbeat songs featured a variety of instruments including acoustic guitar, horns, heavy drums, and strong backing vocals.

●  Joel played along in a similar period with Elton John and Paul McCartney going solo.

16 Years of Major Success

US Album Charts 1977 The Stranger #2 1978 52nd Street #1 1980 Glass Houses #1 1982 Nylon Curtain #7 1983 An Innocent Man #4 1986 The Bridge #7 1989 Storm Front #1 1993 River of Dreams #1

Musical Influences

The Beatles had the biggest musical influence on Billy Joel. Picture courtesy of Rolling Stone magazine

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/beatles-green-light-new-concert-film-using-fan-footage-20121115

Musical Influences "That one performance changed my life ... Up to that moment I'd never considered playing rock as a career. And when I saw four guys who didn't look like they'd come out of the Hollywood star mill, who played their own songs and instruments, and especially because you could see this look in John Lennon's face -- and he looked like he was always saying: 'F--- you!' -- I said: 'I know these guys, I can relate to these guys, I am these guys.' This is what I'm going to do -- play in a rock band'." - Billy Joel (talking about The Beatles) Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/

Musical Influences

Other artists who influenced Billy Joel include: ●  Beethoven ●  Dave Brubeck ●  George Gershwin ●  Phil Spector ●  Ray Charles ●  Fats Domino

Source: http://rockhall.com/inductees/billy-joel/bio/

http://rapgenius.com/Maitre-gims-sharingan-lyrics#note-1485642

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/11/interview-fats-domino-part-1.html

Musical Influences Artists influenced by Billy Joel include: ●  Richard Marx

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-11-08/features/9104100529_1_storm-front-album-rush-street-billy-joel

●  Garth Brooks http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Garth_Brooks.aspx#2

●  Franky Perez (An American singer-songwriter who has released two solo albums) http://www.allmusic.com/artist/franky-perez-mn0000169860/biography

http://www.fanpix.net/0123488/012147129/franky-perez-picture.html

http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_az_garth_brooks/article/0,,gac_26099_4709190,00.html

http://rockunitedreviews.blogspot.com/2012/06/richard-marx-inside-my-head.html

●  Began his career by singing backup vocals for Whitney Houston.

●  Wrote songs for artists such as Kenny Rogers and NSYNC.

●  Contributed to the Anastasia soundtrack.

●  Found more success as a producer and songwriter for other artists.

Richard Marx

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/richard-marx-mn0000351227/biography http://www.americansongwriter.com/2012/01/richard-

marx-five-songs-i-wish-were-hits/

●  Pivotal figure in the history of country music.

●  Brought country music to a new audience in the 90s.

●  Tried out for the San Diego Padres baseball team.

Garth Brooks

http://nofuncionamusica.blogspot.com/2010/11/garth-brooks-la-leyenda-del-country.html

●  Got his musical start when he befriended conga legend Lazaro Valdez.

●  Signed a deal with Atlantic’s Lava Records in 2002.

●  Has released two solo albums since then.

Franky Perez

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/ZvQAYpwHh3v/Mirage+20th+Anniversary+After+Party/xq4mvMcRdf9/Franky+Perez

Musical Influences Other artists influenced by Billy Joel include ●  James Blunt

●  John Mayer

●  Bryan Adams

●  Marc Cohn

(A Grammy-Award winning folk-rock singer and songwriter) ●  Bruce Hornsby

(A Grammy-Award winning singer and keyboardist) Source: http://musicbloodline.info/artist/MN0000085915/spotify

http://www.examiner.com/article/bryan-adams-star-on-hollywood-walk-of-fame-unveiled-video

Other Music of the Period ●  His music can be classified as soft rock or adult contemporary. ●  Elton John is a great comparison artistically.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/12/5/1386266581103/Elton-John-Moscow-concert-008.jpg

●  Progressive rock really took shape before the emergence of Billy Joel’s fame.

●  This progressive form of rock put significant weight on the artistic portion of a rock song.

●  Several artists enjoyed this approach, striving to give their pieces of work credibility among rock fans and rock critics.

●  By the early 1980s, genres such as punk-rock and new-wave began to capture the attention away from progressive rockers.

●  Later, a new progressive rock, called neo-progressive started to emerge as well, even though it was much less distinct and less impactful than the progressive era.

Covach, J. Progressive Rock, "Close to the Edge," and the Boundaries of Style.Understanding Rock: Essays in Music Analysis, 3-31. http://www.lipscomb.umn.edu/rock/docs/Covach1997_Yes.pdf

Progressive Era draws to a close

Dance music grows in popularity

●  In the mid-to-late 1970s, dance music grew greatly due to its ability to focus its attention on the audience.

●  Disco music became prominently popular. ●  The disco scene was quick to move in-and-out of popularity. ●  Its musical development can be attributed in large part due to

influences from minority groups.

Powers, R. (n.d.). The Disco Lifestyle. The Disco Lifestyle. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/disco_lifestyle.htm

Minority groups help influence disco music

●  After the protests and passing of the civil rights act in the 1960s, the acceptance for minorities, particularly Gays, Hispanics, and African-Americans, slowly increased.

●  Dance and disco scenes quickly provided a home for these 3 minority groups. ●  By blending the gay urban party scene, with the partner oriented dancing style of

the Hispanics, along with the African-American culture of funky and soulful music, a new subculture was developed, and spread worldwide to Europe and Asia.

●  It also became popular with the white working-class American.

Powers, R. (n.d.). The Disco Lifestyle. The Disco Lifestyle. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/disco_lifestyle.htm

Musical Analysis

Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxEPV4kolz0 We chose this song because it was his first major hit and is considered his signature song.

http://earnthis.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/51HrXlOvpXL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Musical Analysis

Instrumentation: Harmonica, piano, drum set, mandolin, accordion, bass Meter: Triple meter (3/4 time) Beat Subdivision: Duple Texture: Homophonic Melody & Accompaniment Form: AAB

Awards

Billy Joel has been nominated for or won the following awards: ●  American Music Award ●  Billboard Music Award ●  Emmy Award ●  Grammy Award ●  Juno Award ●  MTV Video Music Awards ●  Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ●  Songwriters Hall of Fame ●  Tony Awards

Grammys Won... ●  1991 - Grammy Legend Award

●  1980 - Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male ("Glass Houses")

●  1979 - Album Of The Year ("52nd Street")

●  1979 - Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male ("52nd Street")

●  1978 - Record Of The Year ("Just The Way You Are" - single)

●  1978 - Song Of The Year ("Just The Way You Are" - single)

http://www.billyjoel.com/biography

Billy Joel remains one of America’s most beloved and popular musicians. He rose from a humble background to become one of the best selling artists of all time. He does not like to be pigeon-holed into any one musical genre and has constantly sought to expand his musical horizons. Even though he has not released any new albums since ‘River of Dreams’ in 1993, he continues to tour and write music. His stature and importance within the American musical establishment was acknowledged when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Conclusion

References Billy Joel Biography . (n.d.). Billy Joel . Retrieved June 8, 2014, from http://www.billyjoel.com/biography Billy Joel Biography . (n.d.). Biography . Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/billy-joel-9354859#awesm=~oGJ4vSXVHvT4qK Erlewine, S. T. (n.d.). Artist Biography .AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/billy-joel-mn0000085915/biography Kening, D. (1991, November 8). Marx's Spot. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-11-08/features/9104100529_1_storm-front-album-rush-street-billy-joel Garrett, S., Mazurkiewicz, G., & Freeland, D. (1999, January 1). Brooks, Garth.Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Garth_ Franky Perez . (n.d.). AllMusic. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.allmusic.com/artist/franky-perez-mn0000169860/biography The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum. (n.d.). Billy Joel Biography. Retrieved June 8, 2014, from http://rockhall.com/inductees/billy-joel/bio/

10 musicians who saw the Beatles standing there. (2014, February 6).CBSNews. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-musicians-who-saw-the-beatles-standing-there/ Neuwirth, Marc. (n.d). Music Bloodline. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://musicbloodline.info/artist/MN0000085915/spotify Billy Joel. (n.d.). The Famous People . Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/billy-joel-3442.php Billy Joel Bio - A Short Biography. (n.d.).Ultimate Songwriting. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com/billy-joel.html Powers, R. (n.d.). The Disco Lifestyle.Stanford. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/disco_lifestyle.htm Covach, J. Progressive Rock, "Close to the Edge," and the Boundaries of Style.Understanding Rock: Essays in Music Analysis, 3-31. http://www.lipscomb.umn.edu/rock/docs/Covach1997_Yes.pdf Powers, R. (n.d.). The Disco Lifestyle. The Disco Lifestyle. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/disco_lifestyle.htm

References Continued...

References Continued... Bordowitz, H. (2005). Billy Joel: the life & times of an angry young man. New York: Billboard Books. Joel, B., & Schruers, F. (2011). The book of Joel: a memoir. New York: HarperCollins. Edmondson, Jacqueline. (2013). Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars and Stories that shaped our Culture. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Smith, Bill. (2007). I Go To Extremes: The Billy Joel Story. London: Robson Books Ltd. Bego, Mark. (2007). Billy Joel: the biography. Cambridge, Massachusetts: De Capo Press.