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Billy Joel

The Definitive Biography

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About this listen

 The all-access biography and unprecedented look at the life, career, and legacy of a pint-sized kid from Long Island who became a music legend.

“A funny, revealing, and poignant look at [Billy] Joel’s long career.”—Boston Globe

Exhibiting unparalleled intimate knowledge, Fred Schruers chronicles Joel’s rise to the top of the charts, from his working-class origins in Levittown and early days spent in boxing rings and sweaty clubs to his monumental success in the seventies and eighties. He also explores Joel’s creative transformation in the nineties, his dream performance with Paul McCartney at Shea Stadium in 2008, and beyond.

Along the way, Schruers reveals the stories behind all the key events and relationships—including Joel’s high-profile marriages and legal battles—that defined his path to stardom and inspired his signature songs, such as “Piano Man,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “New York State of Mind,” and “She’s Always a Woman.” Throughout, he captures the spirit of a restless artist determined to break through by sharing, in his deeply personal lyrics, the dreams and heartbreaks of suburban American life.

Comprehensive, vibrantly written, and filled with Joel’s memories and reflections—as well as those of the family, friends, and band members who have formed his inner circle, including Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel, Jon Small, and Steve Cohen—this is the definitive account of a beloved rock star’s epic American journey. Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Biography Sports Heartfelt Dream

Critic reviews

“If you call yourself a Joel fan, you'll be reading this.”—Newsday

“The rollicking story of a Hicksville boy made good.”—Maura Johnston, Newsday

“Schruers clearly realizes he has gold in his interviews with Joel, his friends, paramours, and confidants. . . . [He delivers] insights on individual songs that will surprise even the most studied Joel fan . . . [and] has given us the most complete look at Joel’s life and career to date.”—Dallas Morning News

“[Billy Joel] not only lives up to its subtitle, but has the strengths of both an autobiography and biography. . . . [It] will likely end up as the most complete tome on the Bard of Long Island, with the most access to its subject.”—Houston Press

“Schruers’ account of Joel’s 1970s rise is fantastic, rich in anecdotes about the origins of different songs.”—Billboard

“[A] funny and revealing account of one of the most popular songwriters of our time.”—New York Daily News

“Schruers uses interviews to great effect, allowing to emerge the everyman persona that resonates with Joel's fans . . . a fair, thorough assessment of Joel's celebrity.”—Publishers Weekly
All stars
Most relevant
I was drawn in by the whole story. from start to finish. A truly inspirational story of over coming problems and perseverance and moving forward.

An amazing insight.

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I really enjoyed some of the insights into the world of Billy Joel. Great story and narration.

A must for Billy Joel fans

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I so so so wish that the guy reading it did not try to emulate every persons accent and mod when he quotes them. It is beyond cringe worthy and really puts me off his voice altogether. Is it not possible to just read a book with dignity and clarity without vocal acrobatics and unnecessary accentry. Brrrrr, gives me the shivers when he tries to sound British ...

good audio book, but

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I am a huge joel fan and should have loved this book as billy does seemed to have had a very interesting career. The experience was however very dry, the readers voice annoying and the dick van dyk British accents laughable. Came over like a text but and was not helped by quotes atributed to billy such as 'hell yah'

Missed opportunity

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Having been a Billy fan for 40 years, I did appreciate the background into many of his songs and albums. Gives a pretty good overview of his life and relationships. Pretty shallow when it comes to the band but roughly gives a time line to the early members.
My biggest gripe …. the awful accents. Almost made it unlistenable.

Just about ok …

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