Billy Joel is one of the influential personalities in the music industry. He became famous for his unique musical senses. Today, we will discover the facts behind Billy Joel net worth and career.
Table of Contents
Who is Billy Joel?
Billy Joel is an American singer and songwriter. He is also a pianist, and for this reason, he was nicknamed the “Piano Man.” Billy has had a successful music career since the 1970s. He released a lot of studio albums in the pop and rock genres.
In 1992, Billy was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Billy was the first artist to hold a rock tour in the Soviet Union in 1987.
Short Bio of Billy Joel
| Full Name | William Martin Joel |
| Birthdate | May 9, 1949 (age 74) |
| Birthplace | New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5’ 5” (1.66 m) |
| Profession | Singer, songwriter, pianist |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Net Worth | $225 million |
Billy Joel Net Worth
Billy Joel’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be 225 million U.S. dollars. Being a successful musician and album artist is the main reason behind this massive net worth. He released several recordings that have made millions of sales. Billy also went on many tours across the world and collaborated with other famous artists.
Early Life
Billy Joel was born in New York City. His father, Howard Joel, was a classical pianist and businessman, and his mother, Rosalind, was a homemaker. Joel and his family moved to the Long Island suburb of Hicksville, Oyster Bay, when he was one year old.
Billy started high school at Hicksville High School. During this time, he started playing at a piano bar to help support himself and his family. For this reason, he gained poor marks in his studies.
As a result, Billy did not have enough credits to graduate at the end of his senior year. After dropping out of high school, Billy started pursuing a music career.
Sources Behind Billy Joel Net Worth
Debut Studio Albums
Billy Joel signed with Columbia Recording and released his first studio album, Cold Spring Harbor, on November 1, 1971. This album was released in CS, 8T, and LP formats. It ranked at number 158 on the US Billboard 200, 95 on the UK Albums (OCC), and 44 on the Japanese Albums (Oricon) chart.
It also gained a three out of five-star rating from the online music rating website Allmusic, and Tom Hull – on the Web rated this album in the B category. As a debut album, it was a massive success for Billy. This early success raised his interest in releasing other albums.
70s Studio Albums
After a successful studio album debut, Billy released his second studio album, Piano Man, on November 9, 1973.
This album gained enormous success by ranking on seven different music rating chats across the world, including the US Billboard 200. The album sold $4 million copies in the United States and 250,000 copies in Australia and Canada.
In the following year, Billy released his third studio album, Streetlife Serenade. Columbia Recordings released this album in CS, 8T, and LP formats.
This album also ranked in the 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was certified Platinum by RIAA and made 1 million album sales in the United States.
On October 11, 1978, Billy’s sixth studio album, 52nd Street, archived an enormous success. It was his most successful album of the 70s. This album won two awards in the category of Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male.
It ranked at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the same position the whole year. It also ranked on 17 other music rating charts worldwide. The album sold over 8.2 million copies globally.
80s and 90s Studio Albums
After all of these successful records, Billy gained worldwide recognition. His fame rose to the top, and people became fans of his albums.
With this fame and popularity, Billy released several popular albums at the beginning of 1980, such as Glass Houses, The Nylon Curtain, An Innocent Man, and The Bridge. All of those albums gained massive success by selling millions worldwide.
80s last album, Storm Front, went viral at that time. It was ranked at the top of the US Billboard 200 and Australian Albums (ARIA) charts. This album archived nominations in four categories. It made 5.2 million sales across the world.
Billy released a single studio album in the 90s. It was titled River of Dreams and released on August 10, 1993. The album ranked on 22 different music rating charts from various countries. It also ranked at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart. With this success, the album sold around 6.5 million worldwide.
Billy’s last studio album, Fantasies & Delusions, was released on October 2, 2001. It also earned a huge success. Billy released a total of 13 studio albums, and most of these made millions in sales, which became one of the main sources of his net worth.
Other Music
Besides the studio album, Billy also released several other recordings. He released a total of 18 Compilation albums.
Some of those albums gained enormous success, such as Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II, Souvenir: The Ultimate Collection, A Voyage on the River of Dreams, The Essential Billy Joel, and My Lives. All of those ranked on the US Billboard 200 chart and made millions of sales.
Billy also released seven Live albums, and all of these albums were an enormous success.
Billy released two non-album singles, All My Life and Christmas in Fallujah, in 2007 and 2008, respectively. With these successes, Billy has earned a lot from those recordings, which increased his net worth massively.
Collaboration
As Billy’s fame rose to the top, many famous artists and bands showed interest in collaborating with him.
For this reason, Billy was featured in Patti Austin’s single song Talkin’ Bout My Baby from the album Getting Away With Murder (1985). This single went viral worldwide and ranked 92 on the UK Singles Chart,
With this success, Billy featured in several other singles, such as Twisted Sister’s Be Chrool to Your Scuel, Julian Lennon’s You Get What You Want, Cyndi Lauper’s Maybe He’ll Know, Mick Jones’s Just Wanna Hold, and so on. Those artists paid Billy a good amount to feature with them.
Tours
Billy got many invitations from different cities and countries to perform at their concerts, opening ceremonies, or other festivals.
For this purpose, Billy went on many tours across the world. Some of his significant tours were in Hyde Park; London, Melbourne Cricket Ground; Australia, Eden Park; New Zealand, Volksparkstadion; Germany; and many other places.
All of Billy’s live shows were ticket sell-out shows. Billy received a massive amount from the organizers of those live shows.
Awards
Billy Joel won 14 awards and was nominated for 27 times. The most significant of those 14 winning awards are as follows.
- Performance in a Music Special
- Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male
- Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
- Album of the Year
- Star on the Walk of Fame
Personal Life
Billy married Elizabeth Weber Small in 1973 and divorced in 1982. After this, Billy married actress Christie Brinkley from 1985 to 1994 and cookbook author Katherine Lee from 2004 to 2009.
Billy has been married to Morgan Stanley executive Alexis Roderick since 2015. Billy has a total of three daughters.
FAQs
How much is Billy Joel wealth?
Billy Joel’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be 225 million U.S. dollars.
Is Billy Joel a billionaire?
No, Billy Joel is not a billionaire yet.
How many records has Billy Joel sold?
Billy Joel has sold over 150 million records in his entire career.
Does Billy Joel still perform?
Yes, Billy Joel still performs on live shows.
Final Thoughts
Billy Joel net worth is a result of his quick success. He has seen only success since the beginning of his career, which led him to a lavish financial status.
