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BILLY JOEL
Joel had humble beginnings, both personally and musically. Born in 1949, he dropped out of high school just short of graduation to follow his love of music. Joel decided to go it on his own as a singer-songwriter. He unknowingly signed a lifetime contract with the financially struggling Family Productions and recorded the album Cold Spring Harbor in 1971. After hearing a live version of the song "Captain Jack" on the radio, Columbia Records bought out Joel's contract and shortly after released his 1973's Piano Man. The title track made it to the Top 40, thus beginning Joel's rise to the top. Trouble with his producer and management company led Joel to enlist the help of producer Phil Ramone, known for his work with such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra. The switch gave Joel the commercial and creative jumpstart he needed and resulted in the brilliant 1977 album The Stranger, highlighted by the Top 40 Joel's album, 1981's Songs in the Attic, revisited some old material from early in his career. Joel rounded out this phase of his career with a double-album greatest hits collection and the 1986 album The Bridge. Joel made an easy transition into the '90s with River of Dreams, a more whimsical, poppy number that cemented Joel's success as an enduring chart-topper.
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