Billy Joel and Elton John, Face to Face

If you were going to pick two of the worlds best musicians and entertainers to share a stage together, you could not go wrong with magnificent piano men Billy Joel and Elton John.  Separately, each man is an amazing showman in his own right.  Together, they are incredibly awesome.  Here’s a little info about each of these outstanding artists.  

Born in the Bronx and raised in Hicksville, New York, Billy Joel has been winning acclaim since the 70’s. Musical talent ran in his family. His father was a gifted classical pianist and his half-brother is an acclaimed orchestra conductor in Europe.

Joel began learning to play piano at an early age. The other boys in the neighborhood teased him because he was playing music instead of sports, so he took up boxing. He had a successful, but short, run on the Golden Gloves circuit, winning 22 bouts. His nose was broken in the 24th bout and he hung up his gloves shortly after.

When Joel saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, he knew he wanted to be a professional musician. He wanted to join a local band and when he was only 14 years old, he became a member of the Echoes.

Billy Joel worked hard to perfect his craft. Eventually he released such hits as “Piano Man”, “Only The Good Die Young”, “She’s Always A Woman” and “Just The Way You Are”. He has been a people’s favorite for more than 35 years. In 1999, he was inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame.

Born as Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Middlesex, England in 1947, Elton was destined for stardom from the beginning.  He was only four years old when he first began taking piano lessons.  By the time he was eleven, he had won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.  He studied piano there for several years.  He formed his first band, Bluesology, in 1961 and went professional in 1965.  Bluesology played as the backing band for Long John Baldry.    It was shortly after that that Reginald decided to change his name.  He chose Elton for his former band member Elton Dean and John in honor of  Baldry.  It was also around this time that he teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin.  They began writing steadily, creating songs for pop artists like Lulu and Roger Cook.  Soon, however, he began preparations to launch his solo performing career, though he did continue to write with Taupin.    The skyrocketing career of Elton John is history after that.  One hit followed another and awards began to pile up.  He was even knighted for his musical contributions and his tireless efforts to help AIDS victims and is now officially Sir Elton John.  Now you have the opportunity to see both of these legendary performers on one stage.  Get your tickets for their tour “Face 2 Face” and get ready for an evening of musical entertainment you’ll never forget.