Joel has achieved fame as a musician and composer. He sold more records than any other musician in history. Some of his most popular records consist of “The Greatest Hits”, “Songs from the Attic”, and the “Piano Man”. Along with that, he’s a five-time Grammy winner. Joel had a respectable professional boxing future coming up until he damaged the bridge of his nose. He began performing professionally at the piano club when he was a teenager. Joel continued his pursuit of musical endeavors after dropping out of his senior year. Billy Joel is quite gifted at assisting those in need via his charitable work. In addition to his successful singing career, he has dedicated his life to helping those in need. In this article, we will discuss Billy Joel net worth in detail and how he is managing his fortune.
| Real/Full name | William Martin Joel |
| Age | 74 years |
| Net worth | 225 Million USD |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter |
| Partner | Alexis Roderick |
| Birth date | 9th May, 1949 |
| Birthplace | New York |
Table of Contents
Billy Joel Net Worth
The vocalist drew inspiration from the performance of The Beatles. He was a member of various groups, including “Attila”, the “Hassles”, and the “Echoes”. Joel finally inked a 10-recording contract with Family Productions, landing him an extensive agreement. Despite the duration of the agreement, Joel freely confesses that he now wishes he hadn’t signed it. Joel collaborated with them on his debut solo project.
Nothing good came out of his time working for Family Productions. Still, Joel was successful in attracting the interest of Columbia Records’ upper management. Their deal with him was over after a year. The late 1970s were the only decade in which Joel could lawfully reclaim ownership of his music.
The Stranger was Joel’s first critically acclaimed record, while 52nd Street was his second. Through the release of 52nd Street, Joel won a new Grammy for the category “Record of the Year”. Joel became famous and wealthy thanks to these records. While some were good, none were better than his Greatest Hits CD. As expected from a famous artist like Joel, his collection CD has racked up over eleven million sales.
Growth of fortune after 1993
Joel declared his departure from the music industry in 1993. Nonetheless, Billy Joel remained actively involved in the music industry despite it. Joel has been a regular Madison Square Garden (MSG) performer since 2014. He makes a minimum of $2 million per performance. Joel amassed an astonishing $150 million between 2014 and 2019. This also featured his concert for the New Year’s celebration in 2019. A profit of $4.6 million was made. On the other hand, Joel announced that his tenure at MSG would end in 2023. In July of 2024, he will perform his last concert.
Early Life
Billy was born on 9th May 1949. The singer’s birthplace is New York. He came from a long line of successful German businessmen and professional pianists. His family escaped the Nazis by way of the island of Cuba and the Swiss nation before they arrived in America.
Joel’s mother lived in the English county of Kent before her marriage. His mother met his father for the first time in the 1930s. At that time, they were attending a Gilbert & Sullivan concert at City College of NYC. Later, when he was a little boy, his family uprooted and settled in Hicksville, Long Island.
As a child, he and his sister Judy lived there. In 1957, his parents sought a dissolution of their marriage. Thereafter, his dad went back to Europe. His father eventually rebuilt his life in Austria and wed again. Joel’s half-brother Alexander Joel followed in his footsteps and became a musician as well. Between 2001 and 2014, he served as the principal conductor of the “Staatstheater Braunschweig”.
Education
At his mother’s request, Joel enrolled in piano classes when he was four years old. As a result, he formed an enduring devotion to music from classical traditions that continues to this day. He joined his first music group, The ‘Echoes’ when he was only fourteen years old, motivated by a passion for music in general. Billy was a student at Hicksville High. He failed to graduate due to insufficient credits. Instead of taking summer courses to complete school, he decided to be a full-time musician.
Joel has written a memoir titled “The Book of Joel” in addition to his musical works. It came out in 2011. In 2010, Joel did more than just write a book; he also opened a motorbike gallery. Joel let people peek inside his bike collection, which he named twenty-first-century Cycles, because of his passion for bikes. Joel enjoys a wide variety of water sports, including boating and fishing, in addition to his passion for motorbikes.
Career
In 1967, Joel decided to leave his band The ‘Echoes’, and join the Hassles instead. Their record company was United Artists Recordings. They put out several records and singles, but none of theirs got any airplay. Jon Small, the band’s drummer, and Joel both departed in 1969. Together, they became the Attila duet. In July 1970, they released their self-titled album.
However, due to Joel’s involvement with Elizabeth, Small’s wife, their relationship did not survive for all that long. After signing with Family Productions, Joel embarked on a solo career in 1971 with the publication of “Cold Spring Harbour” (1971). Columbia Records noticed him despite the album’s lack of success and signed the singer in 1972.
List of Billy Joel’s Solo Albums
| Year | Albums |
| 1973 | Piano Man |
| 1974 | Streetlife Serenade |
| 1976 | Turnstiles |
| 1977 | The Stranger |
| 1978 | 52nd Street |
| 1980 | Glass Houses |
| 1982 | Nylon Curtain |
| 1983 | Innocent Man |
| 1986 | The Bridge |
| 1989 | Storm Front |
| 1993 | River of Dreams |
Billy Joel net worth Over the years
| Year | Billy Joel net worth |
| 2023 | 225 million USD |
| 2022 | 210 million USD |
| 2021 | 190 million USD |
| 2020 | 170 million USD |
| 2019 | 150 million USD |
| 2018 | 140 million USD |
Source of income
Global record sales for Billy Joel exceeded 150 million copies worldwide. Because of it, he became one of the most successful artists in the history of music. He won six Grammys and was nominated for twenty-three. Two prestigious music halls have inducted him: the Songwriters Hall of Honour and the Rock & Roll Hall of Honour. In 1993, Joel decided to step away from actively making music. In the time after, Joel has done occasional solo tours and smaller tours with musicians like Elton John.
The artist performs often in Madison Square Garden. On January 25, 2020, it was his 72nd straight monthly performance there. Because of his immense popularity, Joel released a best-hits collection CD. It quickly rose to the ranks of the charts in the United States. In 2013, he received an honor with the Kennedy Centre Honours.
Billie Joel made $46 million from June 2017 to June 2018. He amassed a total of $50,000,000 in earnings throughout the same time frame (2017–2019). With residency programs like the ones he’s had at Madison Square Garden for years, Billy can easily make two to three million dollars per performance. His 2019 NYE performance brought around $4.6 million. From its inception in 2014 to its conclusion in 2019, Billy’s MSG residency generated a total of $150,000,000 in Billy Joel net worth.
Real Estate
In 2002, Billy bought a 15000 sq. ft. land. Over time, he expanded the property to 20,000 sq. ft. There are two swimming pools, an oceanfront house, and a helicopter landing strip on the grounds. Billy put this home on the market for 49 million bucks in May of 2023. Sag Harbour, New York is home to Billy’s second piece of real estate.
A little under 12 million dollars was the price he paid for the two adjacent homes in 2014. Its land area in Florida is four acres. Two properties were available; one was vacant and the other had a mansion of about nine thousand square feet. In 2015, he offered the United Complex for 29 million dollars. He made an independent bid of 19 million dollars for the estate. In January 2020, he finally took $10.3 million. He chose not to sell its unfinished portion of the land, which included about three-quarters of the five acres. Billy purchased a home in New York State for five million and ninety thousand dollars in 2006. As part of their divorce settlement, this property went to his former spouse Katie Lee.
Billy Joel’s real estate deals
Throughout his career, Billy Joel has amassed a stellar portfolio of real estate holdings, both purchased and sold. Sting, J Seinfeld, and Drexler were among his prior property buyers. He jokes about being the realtor for Hollywood A-listers. Billy purchased the Middlesea estate for twenty-two million in 2002. It occupies fourteen acres of private island space in NYC. After a while, he bought a few more acres, bringing the total to 25 acres.
Philanthropic activities
Billy enjoys giving back to the community and has done so via several different organizations over time. Among Billy Joel’s many charitable endeavors is the establishment of “Charity Begin At Home”, an organization that distributes aid to those in need. Along with his other accomplishments, Joel established The Joel Foundation to support musical training, sustainability, and medicinal trials. St. Jude’s Children’s Medical Hospital, the Olympics for Children, and the US Red Cross have all received donations from him.
He has also donated over half a million dollars and more to Long Island’s Coalition to Help the Homeless, which is a huge amount of money. We may assume he is a wonderful human being who wants to help make a difference in the world since he donates to causes that concern schooling, civil liberties, and disaster relief. For a detailed account of his professional accomplishments, please continue reading.
Personal Life
Elizabeth Weber Small was Billy’s first spouse. It all began as an affair between them. Elizabeth’s marriage to Jon Small had not yet ended when Billy dated her. Joel included him among his musical colleagues. In 1973, Joel and Elizabeth finally tied the knot but they got separated in 1982. Due to Elizabeth’s brother’s careless handling of the family finances, almost 30 million dollars were lost. In addition, Billy was on the verge of bankruptcy when he filed for a divorce due to a several million dollar compensation.
His financial situation was precarious when he wed US supermodel Christie Brinkley for the second time. He was always on a musical tour to make money. Serious adultery accusations and a schism ensued as a result of it. They tied the knot in 1985 until 1994. Together, they became parents to Alexa Ray Joel.
In 2004 Billy married the chef Katie Lee. Their marriage lasted for 5 years. Alexis Roderick is Billy’s fourth partner. In 2015, he tied the knot with Roderick. However, they started dating in 2009. They are parents to two children, Remy A. Joel and Della R. Joel.
Controversies
Joel lost his steering control and collided with a tree in 2003 while controlling his luxurious Mercedes Benz. The emergency medical services took the artist to a healthcare facility. The doctors treated him for some moderate head trauma. East Hampton was the scene of Joel’s second crash in 2004, when he crashed into a fire reservoir and pole. He was hurt slightly but chose not to get medical help.
The artist entered into treatment for the following week, but the Breathalyser results are unknown. Substance addiction, particularly drunkenness, was something Joel eventually discussed. Throughout his career, the singer admitted himself to rehabilitation twice. During a conversation, Billy shared his long-held belief that drinking hindered his ability to reach his full potential. Joel opened up about his battles with mental illness and his past suicide attempt.
FAQs
Q1. Are Billy Joel’s assets worth a billion dollars?
By the end of 2023, Billy Joel’s wealth can reach nearly 230 million dollars. Although Joel’s record-breaking sales account for a significant portion of his riches, one of the most popular artists of the century, his numerous performances also contribute significantly to Billy Joel net worth.
Q2. What is Billy Joel’s record sales total?
The singer Billy Joel is amongst the best-known and well-respected performers in the musical history, with record sales of over 150 million albums worldwide.
Q3. Does Billy Joel rank among the all-time greats?
Billy Joel is a multi-talented artist who has performed extensively throughout his life. The New York City native remains the most successful musician of all time, with over 150 million copies of album sales, many Grammy wins, and a 1999 induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Q4. Did Billy Joel have a decent boxing career?
Joel used to be an accomplished boxer from Long Island; he had a 22–24 record. When he was a kid, he took boxing classes to protect himself from the bullies in his neighborhood. He decided to pursue music instead of boxing after breaking his nose during his twenty-fourth match.
Conclusion
Billy Joel became a multi-talented American musician. He has an estimated wealth of 225 million dollars. He has always been considered a top vocalist in his field. Throughout the years, he produced a plethora of music. In 1971, Billy’s first record came out. The music label producing the album was The Family Production. He was nominated for and won many accolades, like the prestigious American Music Award.
The recording and musical career of the legendary Billy Joel evolved throughout the years. His discography is extensive. Billy Joel net worth came from endorsement deals with music publishers and other music businesses. His recordings were so successful that he became a household name. Following his meteoric rise to fame, he began demanding premium rates for his records.
