Título: Billy Joel
Seção: 1965-1970: Early career
Background: William Martin Joel was born in the Bronx on May 9, 1949, and was raised in Levittown, New York in the town of Oyster Bay. In 1963 when zip codes were assigned, the section of Levittown in Oyster Bay was given a Hicksville, New York zip code and has since been part of Hicksville. Joel's father, Howard (born Helmuth) Joel, a classical pianist, was born in Germany, to a Jewish family, the son of a merchant and manufacturer, Karl Amson Joel. Howard emigrated to Switzerland and later to the United States (via Cuba, as immigration quotas for German Jews prevented direct immigration at the time) to escape the Nazi regime.

Conteúdo: Influenced by early-rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues artists, including groups such as The Beatles, The Drifters and The Four Seasons, he favored tightly-structured pop melodies and down-to-earth, unpretentious songwriting.  After seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Joel decided to pursue a career in music. In an interview he said of the group's impact, "That one performance changed my life ... Up to that moment I'd never considered playing rock as a career. And when I saw four guys who didn't look like they'd come out of the Hollywood star mill, who played their own songs and instruments, and especially because you could see this look in John Lennon's face - and he looked like he was always saying: 'F--- you!' - I said: 'I know these guys, I can relate to these guys, I am these guys.' This is what I'm going to do - play in a rock band'."  Joel joined the Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. The Echoes began recording in 1965. Joel (then 16) also played piano on several records released through Kama Sutra Productions and on recordings produced by Shadow Morton. Joel played on a demo version of "Leader of the Pack", which would become a major hit for the Shangri-Las. Joel states that in 1964 he played on a recording of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" but he is unaware of whether he played on the demo or master version; The released single included a co-producer credit for Artie Ripp, who later was the first to sign and produc

user: What was he doing musically in 1965?

assistant: Joel joined the Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. The Echoes began recording in 1965.

user: What was the name of the first recording by the Echoes?

assistant: Joel played on a demo version of "Leader of the Pack",

user: Did they do mostly covers?

assistant: Joel states that in 1964 he played on a recording of the Shangri-Las' "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"

user: What other songs did The Echoes do?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: What did he do after being in The Echoes?

assistant: Joel left the band in 1967 to join the Hassles, a Long Island group that had signed with United Artists Records.

user: What style of music did The Hassles play?

assistant: Influenced by early-rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues

user: What was their first record?

assistant: Over the next year and a half they released four singles and two albums (The Hassles and Hour of the Wolf).

user: Did they have any success with those records?

assistant: All were commercial failures.