Born William Martin Joel, he is an American singer, composer, pianist, and songwriter who is one of the best-selling music artists of all time and has sold more than 160 million records across the world.
In this article, we will cover the net worth of Billy Joel, early life, personal life, career, and others. Read the full article below to know everything about Billy Joel, from his net worth to his professional career.
Billy Joel’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the estimated net worth of Billy Joel is around $225 million which he has earned from his music career. For the period June 2017 to June 2018, he earned around $45 million.
After taking a dig into the net worth of Billy Joel, let us have a look at his early life and childhood.
Early Life
Joel was born on the 9th of May, 1949, in New York City. His father was a Germany-based businessman as well as a classical pianist. His parents met during the late-1930s at a Gilbert and Sullivan performance at the City College of New York. When he was young, his family relocated to Hicksville, Long Island where he was raised with his younger sister, Judy.
In 1957, his parents divorced and his father got back to Europe settling in Austria. His father then remarried and Billy also has a half-brother from his father’s side, Alexander Joel, who also followed a musical career, and served as the chief musical director of the Staatstheater Braunschweig from 2001 until 2014.
When he was 4, Billy started to learn to play piano after his mother insisted he does so. Later, he found out his passion and love for classical music which he still has. His love for music brought him to join his first band, The Echoes, at the young age of 14. He went to Hicksville High School; however, he didn’t complete his graduation as he didn’t have enough credits. Instead of taking summer classes to complete school, he went to take up a career in music.
Personal Life
Billy first married Elizabeth Weber Small and their relationship was indeed begun as an affair since she was still married to Jon Small who was one of Billy’s musical collaborators. Apparently, in 1973, Joel tied the knot with Small but the couple divorced in 1982. He had to wipe off nearly $30 million for the divorce which led to financial struggles for him.
When he decided to remarry in 1985 to his second wife, Christie Brinkle, an American model, he wasn’t doing well financially and continuously struggled to generate funds which resulted in an intense conflict and accusations of betrayal.
They divorced in 2004 and also have a daughter together, Alexa Ray Joel. In 2004, he got married once again to Chef Katie Lee, and the couple divorced in 2009. In 2015, he tied the knot with his fourth wife, Alexis Roderick and they have two daughters together, Della Rose Joel and Remy Anne Joel.
Joel never got his high school diploma, after not having sufficient credits to graduate in 1967. After 25 years, he submitted essays to the school board of Hicksville High School to compensate for his missing credits, after which he was given his high school diploma in 1992 at the school’s graduation ceremony.
In addition, he also received many honorary doctorates, from institutions such as Fairfield University, Syracuse University, Berklee College of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and Stony Brook University.
Career
Billy Joel has earned most of his wealth and net worth from his musical career. In 1967, Billy left the band The Echoes and teamed up with the group the Hassles. United Artists Records signed Hassles and they released many singles and albums, however, they didn’t achieve success.
In 1969, Joel and the band’s drummer, Jon Small, departed from the group to form the duo Attila. In July 1970, their eponymous album came out, but their collaboration didn’t sustain after Joel became involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth.
In 1971, he started off solo after signing a deal with record company Family Productions, and the same year, his debut solo album, “Cold Spring Harbor” was released. However, the album wasn’t a hit, Columbia Records spotted him and they signed him the next year.
He released many albums with Columbia, including 1973’s “Piano Man”, 1974’s “Streetlife Serenade”, and 1976’s “Turnstiles”, but his fourth solo album that came out in 1977 “Was the Stranger” brought him major attention and became a turning point for him.
“The Stranger” sold more than 10 million copies, and resulted in some successful singles such as “Only the Good Die Young”, “Just the Way You Are”, and “She’s Always a Woman”. His later albums are 1978’s “52nd Street”, 1980’s “Glass Houses”, 1982’s “The Nylon Curtain”, 1983’s “An Innocent Man”, 1986’s “The Bridge”, 1989’s “Storm Front”, and 1993’s “River of Dreams”. All these projects have contributed to Billy Joe’s net worth.
He was nominated for Grammys 23 times among which he took home 6 Grammys, and is a member of the Songwriter Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1993, Billy announced his retirement from actively recording songs.
But, in 2001, he released the album “Fantasies & Delusions”. Different from his general style and material, the album includes classical piano compositions and is performed by his longtime friend and pianist Richard Hyung-ki Joo.
He has since toured rarely on his own and with fellow artists including Elton John. He also has a monthly residency at Madison Square Garden which has been ongoing since 2014, and on January 25, 2020, he played his 72nd consecutive monthly show there.
Billy Joel gained so much popularity that his 1985 greatest hit, “Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2” became one of the best-selling albums in the United States which also played an important role in his net worth. In 2013, he received the Kennedy Center Honors.
Financial Problems
Despite earning such a good fortune and net worth, Billy Joel faced financial problems. He filed a lawsuit against his former manager Frank Weber in 1989 for $90 million.
Weber was his former brother-in-law; it was claimed that Weber botched $30 million and wanted $60 million as compensation. Later, Weber filed for bankruptcy. Joel then filed a complaint against his accountants and lawyers, apparently receiving a settlement of $8 million.
Other Projects
Joel wrote the 2011 autobiography “The Book of Joel: A Memoir”, with the help of Fred Schuers. In addition, he has owned the Long Island Boat Company along with a shop in Oyster Bay, Long Island, that makes personalized retro-styled motorcycles. These have also contributed to Billy Joel’s net worth.
Billy Joel has earned a net worth of $225 million over the years of hard work. Stay tuned to our website to get all the latest updates.