This upcoming retrospective on a Long Island legend has us feelin’ alright.
Long Island and Billy Joel go together like peanut butter and jelly , pea and carrots , red on a rose — you see what we ’re getting at . The noted singer of karaoke classic like “ Piano Man , ” “ Vienna , ” “ Uptown Girl , ” and “ New York State of Mind ” is the most famous intersection of Long Island . And Long Island locals seriously adore their hometown fighter .
bear in the Bronx in 1949 , Joel and his crime syndicate move to the island shortly after . After dropping out of mellow school to go after euphony , Joel quetch off his solo career in 1971 and shortly thereafter achieved vital eclat thanks to his breakthrough record album “ The Stranger . ”
As one of the world ’s good sell medicine artists , with over 160 million platter sold worldwide , it ’s no wonder why Billy Joel is Long Island ’s beloved son . To commemorate the retiring fifty year of melodious success and concurrent with the conclusion of his decennary - longMadison Square Garden residency , the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is set to debut the first - ever Billy Joel exhibit , “ Billy Joel – My Life , A Piano Man ’s Journey , ” over Thanksgiving weekend .
Billy Joel|Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
“ It ’s a dream come lawful , ” says LIMEHOF Chairman , Ernie Canadeo . “ If you live on Long Island , you love Billy Joel . He ’s represented [ Long Island ] positively for age and he attracts fans of all age — young and sure-enough . This display has been an exhilarating outgrowth . ”
“ This has been in the making our whole lives . We ’ve grown up with Billy Joel . He ’s the quintessential boy - next - door , ” summate LIMEHOF Creative Director Kevin O’Callaghan . “ We ’re celebrating not only him , but also people that enliven him and were inspired by him . When I talked with [ Billy Joel ] he said , ‘ So this is a party with my ally . ’ ”
Visitors to the induction can glint into the absorbing journey of Billy Joel ’s lifespan and search a vast array of personal ephemera — a great flock of which was donate by Joel himself — alongside rare telecasting footage , odes to influential legends like The Beatles and Ray Charles , awards deliver the goods by Joel , picture taking , and more .
“Billy Joel–My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey” exhibit at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame|Photo courtesy of LIMEHOF
Among the hundred of challenging piece on display is a nine - foot pianissimo that Joel used on his “ Face to Face ” tandem concert tour with Elton John . “ It ’s one of my favorite parts of the exhibit , ” says Canadeo . “ It ’s vastly historic and it has n’t been seen since the tour ended in 2003 . ” For all the die - hard Piano Man fan , do n’t drop the selection of personal harmonicas , which have undoubtedly concord to the famous tune .
The deathless dedication and love that Long Islanders have for Billy Joel is perfectly summed up in three run-in by O’Callaghan . just put , “ He ’s our guy . ”
“ Billy Joel – My Life , A Piano Man ’s Journey , ” opens on November 24 at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook , Long Island . Ticketsare available online now from $ 35 .
