Billy Joel Photography

With more than 150 million albums sold, Billy Joel is one of the most popular rock stars on the planet. He first burst out of the Bronx with 1973’s Piano Man, but didn’t ultimately strike gold until the commercially and critically celebrated The Stranger in 1977.

From then until the late ’80s, Joel’s unstoppable streak of singles included “Just the Way You Are,” “You May Be Right,” “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” “Tell Her About It,” “Uptown Girl,” and “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Though 1993’s River of Dreams was his last pop-minded project, the man of many styles showcased his classical crossover abilities on 2011’s Fantasies & Delusions.

Throughout it all, Joel’s earned the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the ASCAP Centennial Award and six Grammy Awards, plus inductions into the Songwriter’s and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame. And he can still fill an arena anywhere, especially New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he still holds the records for “Longest Run” and “Most Number of Performances.”