Christie Brinkley Biography (Model) Best known as: Sports Illustrated cover girl and former wife of Billy Joel Name at birth: Christie Lee Hudson Robust and athletic with a California-girl smile, Christie Brinkley was the first woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition for three consecutive years (1979-81). Christie Brinkley was studying art in Paris when she was discovered by a fashion photographer early in the 1970s, and she soon joined the Ford modelling agency. Her career really took off with her first Sports Illustrated cover in 1979. She had a cameo role in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and married superstar singer Billy Joel in 1985. A top model, she appeared in Joel's videos for "Uptown Girl" and "Keeping the Faith," and created the cover art for his 1988 album River of Dreams. Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel divorced in 1994 and she married architect Peter Cook in 1996.

She left him in 2006 and their bitter divorce reached its pop culture peak in 2008, with news of Cook's affair with an 18 year-old and his expensive internet porn habit. Their legal battles were settled in July of 2008, with Brinkley getting custody of their children, Jack and Sailor Lee. Extra credit: Christie Brinkley, like Cheryl Tiegs , was a longtime spokesmodel for Cover Girl cosmetics… Brinkley was raised in Malibu, California, and some sources say she was born there as well… Christie Brinkley’s husbands: Jean Francois Allaux (1973-81); singer Billy Joel (1985-94); real-estate magnate Richard Taubman (1994-95); and architect Peter Cook (1996-2008). Her children: Alexa Ray (with Joel, b. 1985); Jack Paris (with Taubman, b. 1995); Sailor Lee (with Cook, b. 1998). Copyright © 1998-2016 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.

Billy Joel Biography Billy Joel Biography Find Billy Joel on Amazon.com Born William Martin Joel on May 9, 1949, in Hicksville, Long Island, NY; son of Howard (an engineer and classically trained pianist) and Rosalind (a homemaker) Joel; married Elizabeth Weber (his business manager), 1973 (divorced, 1982); married Christie Brinkley (a model), 1985 (divorced, 1994); married Kate Lee, 2004; children: (second marriage) Alexa Ray. Addresses: Record company--Columbia Records/Division of Sony Music, 2100 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404. Website--Billy Joel Official Website: With a career spanning more than three decades, Joel has proven his musical range to his loyal audience with a diverse collection of pop and rock hits that have become American standards.

Perhaps best known for his soulful ballads, the multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning singer/songwriter rose to mega-stardom during the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and continued his successes well into the next millennium. His albums have been among those decade's biggest sellers: singles like "Piano Man," "Just the Way You Are," "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," "An Innocent Man," and "We Didn't Start the Fire" have garnered much commercial and critical acclaim. William Martin Joel was born on May 9, 1949, and grew up in a comfortable Long Island suburb during the years following World War II. His German-born father, Howard Joel, who was imprisoned by the Nazis at Dachau during the war, moved to America after his release, to begin a new life in New York. That new life included adopting a new faith for his son---although Joel Sr. was Jewish, young Billy was raised in a predominately Catholic neighborhood and frequently attended mass and confession.

One of Joel's future hits, "Only the Good Die Young," would feature lyrics about a Catholic girl's reluctance to engage in premarital sex. Musical Training Began Early Joel's father secured work as an engineer with General Electric while his mother, Rosalind, set to work raising Billy and his sister Judy. Both of Joel's parents provided early musical influences: his father was a classically trained, self-disciplined pianist, and his mother had once sung in the chorus for Gilbert and Sullivan. Billy began piano lessons at age four and continued until he was 14, though he disliked learning classical music, theory, and the endless hours of practice. In 1957, Joel's parents divorced; his father returned to Europe, and his mother supported the family by becoming a secretary and bookkeeper. Joel's maternal grandfather, Philip Hyman, became the primary father figure in Joel's life. As a teenager, Joel began skipping school, running with a less-than-tough street gang, and engaging in Bantam-weight boxing. Though he scored well on tests, his teachers refused to graduate him from high school due to his many absences. It was also during these years that Joel discovered the power of music.

In 1962, Joel saw a live performance for the first time when he went with friends to hear James Brown at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Other early influences included Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. Joel was deeply affected by the British invasion, so much so that he modeled his own budding style after the Beatles' Paul McCartney. Ironically, Joel also admired the hard-rock, psychedelic sound of Jimi Hendrix. In 1964, Joel joined his first band, the Echos (later known as the Lost Souls), on the organ and vocals and began composing simplistic songs. His fate as a musician was sealed after the band's first paid gig at a Hicksville church. A short-term recording contract with Mercury Records was offered later, but nothing came of the demo versions of two of Joel's songs recorded by the band. In 1967, Joel and drummer Jonathan Small left the Lost Souls to join the Hassles, another Long Island pop band with more exposure. At age 18, Joel's career was officially launched, though just barely.

The group recorded two albums for United Artists that elicited a lukewarm reception from fans, 1967's The Hassles and Hour of the Wolf released in 1969. Yearning for something better than the "bubble-gum" rock produced by the group, Joel and Small left in 1969 to form the duo Attila. They released one "incredibly loud" self-titled album on the Epic label in 1970 before disbanding. Experienced Setbacks Discouraged both by the failure of his first attempts as a professional musician and the end of a serious romantic relationship, Joel slid into a depression that included a half-hearted attempt at suicide. A very brief self-imposed stay at a psychiatric hospital convinced him that his problems were minor.

As he told Debbie Geller and Tom Hibbert in their 1985 biography, Billy Joel, An Illustrated Biography, "I got out and the door closed behind me and I walked down the street and said, 'Oh, I'll never get that low again.' It was one of the best things I ever did, because I've never gotten to feel sorry for myself, no matter what's happened...." Joel's 1985 song, "You're Only Human," would focus on the problem of teen suicide. Having decided that his future lay in writing songs for others, Joel began composing material for a demo album in 1971. He was soon signed to producer Artie Ripp's Family Productions, a Los Angeles label, and Joel moved to California to record his first solo album. Cold Spring Harbor, originally intended simply as a vehicle to showcase his songs, was released in 1972.

The album was technically inferior due to problems during the mastering stage of production; Joel's voice was speeded up and sounded, in his words, "like a chipmunk." His association with Ripp would prove to be financially disastrous for the singer, who unfortunately signed away all publishing rights, copyrights, and royalties to his producer/manager for a period of 15 years. This deal reportedly cost millions to break later in Joel's career. After a six-month tour to promote the ill-fated album, Joel married Elizabeth Weber, ex-wife of fellow Attila member Small. Weber would eventually manage her husband's career and become the model for many of his songs about women. It was "Captain Jack," one of the songs Joel had performed live while on tour to promote Cold Spring Harbor, that indirectly gave him the break he needed. After hearing the song during Joel's set at the Mary Sol Rock Festival near San Juan, Puerto Rico, and later on East Coast FM radio stations, Columbia Records executive Clive Davis tracked Joel down, helped extricate him from his contract with Ripp, and signed him to the Columbia label.

"Piano Man" Hit Top 40 Joel's first Top 40 hit single, "Piano Man," the title track from his second album released in 1973, was based on his experiences in Wilshire Boulevard's Executive Lounge. The album also contained, appropriately, "Captain Jack," Joel's song about a rich young heroin addict. Because of its mellow, narrative style, "Piano Man" was immediately compared to Harry Chapin's "Cat's In the Cradle" and Don McLean's "American Pie." By the end of the year, Joel had been named Cash Box's best new male vocalist, and the album had been named record of the year by Stereo Review. "Piano Man" was eventually certified platinum. Indeed, the single would become so synonymous with the singer that Joel would select it as the final song at all of his concerts for the next 30 years. In an interview for Entertainment Weekly's Linda Sanders, Joel reflected on his music. "I was surprised the title song "Piano Man" was a hit. In a way, that's the story of any hit record I've had---they're all bizarre, strange, novelty numbers, and not particularly definitive of my work....

My problem is that people tend to define me in terms of my hits and may not know the substantive elements of my composition." Joel began recording Streetlife Serenade, his follow-up to Piano Man, in the summer of 1974. With the exception of the single, "The Entertainer," the album was not a success. "Interesting musical ideas, but nothing to say lyrically," was how Joel explained the album's weaknesses in Entertainment Weekly. "I was trying to be Debussy in the title track---it didn't work." After three years on the West Coast and the letdown following dismal sales of his third album, Joel and his wife returned to their roots in New York. With his creative juices flowing once again, Joel began working on what would be his next album, 1976's Turnstiles. This was the first album Joel produced himself using musicians of his choosing, rather than those hired by Columbia executives. Joel recruited drummer Liberty DeVitto, bass player Doug Stegmeyer, and tenor saxophonist Richie Cannata, three men who would remain with Joel's backing band for years.

Although Turnstiles, like its predecessor, was not a spectacular seller, the album contained good material, including "New York State of Mind," a standard that would later be covered by Barbra Streisand. The Stranger Became a Best-Seller Although Joel began to feel pressure from Columbia Records to record more than one album a year and to replicate his early success with "Piano Man," he refused to produce formulaic music. Fortunately, he struck much-needed gold with his next album, The Stranger, released in 1977. Produced by Phil Ramone, the album was recorded during five weeks of enthusiastic studio sessions full of improvisations by Joel and his band. In addition to the immense appeal of the title track, The Stranger included four hit singles: "Just the Way You Are," "She's Always a Woman," "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," and "Only the Good Die Young." Joel's international reputation was now firmly established, and his national renown was reinforced as The Stranger won Grammy Awards for record of the year and song of the year.

The album went on to become Columbia/CBS's biggest seller prior to the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller, even surpassing Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water. With the public---if not the critics---lapping up his work, Joel consolidated his reputation with the 1978 release of 52nd Street. The music was very well received, and the first single, "My Life," zoomed to number three on the Billboard charts. The album became Joel's first to reach number one in the charts and went on to sell millions of copies. Three years later, Glass Houses, Joel's second platinum album, heralded a change in the singer's image as a pop stylist. With New Wave replacing disco as the musical fad du jour, Joel jumped on the bandwagon and infused the album with more hard-hitting rock songs. His goal, apparently, was to throw figurative stones at his image. The singles "You May Be Right," and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" did well with commercial audiences but left the critics cold. Reviews were relentless, and Joel's attempt to be taken seriously as a modern rock performer failed.

Although he supposedly scorned the critics, he had a simultaneous need for their approval and was hurt by their dismissal of Glass Houses. "I think there was a perception that I was trying to pose as a New Wave guy, and that wasn't in any way my intention," he told Entertainment Weekly. "My intention was to write bigger stuff we could play in arenas." In 1981, Columbia released the platinum-certified Songs in the Attic, a collection of new live recordings of material written in Joel's early days. The album included songs from Cold Spring Harbor that had never been properly recorded. Joel had already begun studio work on his next album when he was involved in a motorcycle accident in the spring of 1982. His left wrist was broken and his hand badly damaged. Following surgery, production of the album was temporarily shut down while Joel recovered. An additional obstacle for the singer was the breakdown of his marriage to Weber, an event partially blamed on the stress created by Weber's management of her husband's career. By the end of 1982, the couple divorced. When she left, Joel's wife took half of the singer's assets with her.

Joel's soul-searching paid off with the release of The Nylon Curtain in 1982, Joel's first combined commercial and artistic success. It contained several sobering "message" songs about society including "Allentown," the rhythmical tune about the plight of unemployed Pennsylvania steel workers, and "Goodnight Saigon," a slow, mournful look at Vietnam and its veterans. Joel called The Nylon Curtain "the album of which I'm most proud." As he told Entertainment Weekly, the album was not as fun to make as Glass Houses because it was so difficult. "It was an ambitious undertaking---I wanted to create a masterpiece. I remember listening to `Allentown' and thinking, `This is good,' and that I had somehow created the feelings I had when I listened to Beatles albums." Found an "Uptown Girl" With "Allentown," Joel made his first transition from vinyl to video to promote his music and gained an even larger following. When his next album, An Innocent Man, was released in 1983, the MTV video era was in full swing and the upbeat, platinum-certified An Innocent Man featured several studies in romance that lent themselves to an MTV format.

Joel's girlfriend, supermodel Christie Brinkley, appeared in the hit video "Uptown Girl," the perfect counterpart to Joel's small-time tough guy. The couple was married in 1985, and later had a daughter, Alexa Ray. Joel scored big with the title song from his new album. However, An Innocent Man was significant as more than a collection of catchy tunes. The album was Joel's tribute to and re-creation of some of the sounds of America's favorite pop stylists, including Little Anthony and the Imperials and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was also the last album on which Joel would use his tenor falsetto. "I knew it was the last time I was going to be able to hit certain notes," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I was waving goodbye to the boy voice." In early 1984, Joel's first concert video, Billy Joel: Live From Long Island, was released. The inevitable Greatest Hits Volume I and II followed in 1985, a move by Columbia that Joel viewed as a time-stalling technique.

The Bridge, his first studio album in three years, appeared in 1986 but failed to garner the huge reception from critics and fans Joel had hoped for. "Not a happy album," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I wasn't simpatico with the musicians, some of whom I'd been working with a long time. I don't think the material was good; I was pressured by management to put it out too fast. By the end, I sort of gave up caring, which for me was unusual." In 1987, Joel performed to great acclaim in Leningrad and Moscow in what is now the former Soviet Union. His Leningrad concert was broadcast via some 300 radio outlets. Both concerts were recorded and released later that year as Kohuept, the Russian translation of "In Concert." Two years later, Joel worked with female musicians for the first time on 1989's Storm Front, his triple-platinum comeback album with a nautical bent. A seasoned sailor, Joel spends much of his free time aboard a 36-foot fishing boat near his home in Easthampton, New York.

Storm Front's cultural critique, "We Didn't Start the Fire," quickly became a Number One Billboard hit single along with the album itself. Joel received five Grammy nominations for the album and completed a 15-month world tour to promote it. 4.3 million fans saw him during 174 shows in 16 countries, including a performance in Berlin the day after German reunification. He also performed in the United States at Yankee Stadium's first rock concert. River of Dreams Ran Smoothly Four years after the Storm Front tour de force, Joel released River of Dreams, an album that again garnered critical praise. With the cover art for the album provided by Brinkley and a song ("Lullabye [Goodnight My Angel]") dedicated to their daughter, the album appeared to be a family affair. Fans were eager for a new release from Joel and the album hit the charts at Number One in its first week. It was certified multi-platinum by the spring of 1994. The genesis of River of Dreams began in 1992 while Joel was in Southampton with producer Danny Kortchmar where he recorded two Elvis Presley songs for the soundtrack of the movie Honeymoon in Vegas.

During that time an early version of the album was written and recorded as "The Shelter Island Sessions." Joel later re-recorded the songs in Long Island and New York studios. According to Time's Richard Corliss, River of Dreams is "not just a cohesive concept album but also a bunch of damn fine songs with heart and hook." Including such diverse melodies as "No Man's Land," "The Great Wall of China," "Blonde Over Blue," "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)," "Shades of Grey," and "It's All About Soul," the album may be Joel's most significant artistic achievement yet. It represents a move into a more philosophical form of songwriting and a return to his early classical music influences. In the fall of 1993, Joel launched what he claimed would be his last marathon world tour to promote the new album. Then, the following spring, he and Brinkley announced their separation. Rumors that the split occurred because of Joel's constant absences while on tour surrounded the breakup.

1994 started out with a bang as Joel was nominated for four Grammy Awards, all for River of Dreams, including Record of the Year, Pop Male Vocal of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. Another big event in that year was the Face to Face Tour which teamed Joel with another top piano man, Elton John. Their tour was the hot ticket to have in 1994. However, there was also sadness for Joel, as he and Brinkley divorced in August. Joel was performing a concert in Osaka, Japan in 1995 when the Kobe earthquake hit, registering 7.2 on the Richter scale. The earthquake killed over 6,000 people. Joel donated the proceeds from his concert to earthquake relief. He also toured again that year with Elton John. Joel presented a lecture series at 32 schools in 1996, titled "An Evening of Questions, Answers...and a little Music." With the proceeds of these lectures, he established the Rosalind Joel Scholarship for the Performing Arts at City College in New York City, honoring his mother.

He also honored another love of his life, boats, by joining forces with Peter Needham to found the Long Island Boat Company. Achievements Merited Great Awards In 1997, Joel released Billy Joel: Greatest Hits Volume III. He also won the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Founder's Award for lifetime achievement. In 1999, he received the American Music Awards "Award of Merit." He also was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Joel rang in the year 2000 by paling to a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The performance was recorded for his 17th album, Billy Joel: 2000 Years - The Millenium Concert. In March of 2000, he received the Smithsonian Institute's James Smithson Bicentennial Medal. In May, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music for Southampton College.

In 2001, Joel performed a 25 city tour with Elton John, and was honored by the Songwriter's Hall of Fame with the "Johnny Mercer" Award." He released two albums, Fantasies and Delusions, and a compilation album, The Essential Billy Joel. In the fall, he gave a series of Master Classes. One of the classes was recorded in Philadelphia, and was aired as an A&E Special, "Billy Joel: In His Own Words." Following the tragedies of 9/11 in the United States, Joel performed in many conferences to raise money for the September 11th relief fund, including participating in America: A Tribute to Heroes special that aired on 31 networks on September 21, 2001. 2004 brought great changes for Joel. He signed a book contract with Scholastic to release two children's books. The first, Goodnight My Angel: A Lullabye, was released, with the second book, based on his song "New York State of Mind" was scheduled for release in the fall of 2005. Hollywood also recognized Joel, by placing a star for him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.

In October, he married for a third time to twenty-three-year-old Kate Lee, a restaurant correspondent for PBS. by Mary Scott Dye and Sarah Parkin Billy Joel's Career Performed at Hicksville High School with teenage group the Echos (later known as the Lost Souls) c.

1965; worked as housepainter and oyster harvester, late 1960s-early 1970s; joined rock group the Hassles, Long Island, NY, and recorded two albums for United Artists, 1967-68; formed Attila (organ and drum duo) with Jonathan Small, 1970; signed with Columbia, 1972; teamed with Elton John for tours in 1994, 1995, and 2001; formed the Long Island Boat Company, 1996; presented lecture series at 32 schools, "An Evening of Questions, Answers...and a Little Music," 1996; presented Master Class series, which later aired as an A&E special, "Billy Joel: In His Own Words," 2001; signed a book contract with Scholastic, 2004.

Billy Joel's Awards Cash Box, Best New Male Vocalist, 1974; Stereo Review, Record of the year for The Stranger, 1977; Grammy Awards, Best Album for The Stranger and Best Song for "Just the Way You Are," 1978; ASCAP Awards, Song of the Year and Artist of the Year, 1978; Grand Prix Award (Japan), 1978; Billboard Music Awards, Number One Pop Album, Pop Album Artist, Male Pop Album Artist, and Male Pop Artist, 1979; Grammy Legend Award, 1990; Humanitarian Award, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1990; Century Award, 1994; ASCAP Founder's Award for lifetime achievement, 1997; American Music Awards "Award of Merit", 1999; Smithsonian Institute's James Smithson Bicentennial Medal, 2000; "Johnny Mercer Award," Songwriter's Hall of Fame, 2001; Star placed on Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2004.

Famous Works Billy Joel | Jewish Virtual Library Tweet Billy Joel is an American musician, pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. He is the sixth best-selling recording artist and third best-selling solo artist in the United States . William Martin Joel was born on May 9, 1949, in the Bronx, New York , to Howard Joel and Rosalind Nyman, both Jewish . Joel grew up in the Levittown section of Hicksville on Long Island and began studying piano in 1953. He attended Hicksville High School but did not graduate as scheduled in 1967 because he overslept on the day of an important exam, since he played late at a piano bar the night before. In 1992, he submitted essays to the school board and was awarded his diploma at Hicksville High's annual graduation ceremony. In 1963, Joel joined his first band, The Echoes, later known as The Lost Souls. He left the band in 1967 to join The Hassles, a Long Island band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records.

Over the next year and a half, they released The Hassles in 1967, Hour of the Wolf in 1968, and four singles, all of which failed commercially. In 1969, after The Hassles broke up, he formed the duo Attila with their drummer Jon Small. They released an album in July 1970 and disbanded the following October. The reason for the group's break-up has been attributed to Joel's affair with Small's wife, Elizabeth, whom Joel eventually married. Joel signed a solo recording contract and released his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971. He then moved out to Los Angeles as a result of a contractual dispute and started performing in piano bars under the name Bill Martin. In 1972, a Philadelphia radio station played a recording of his song "Captain Jack," prompting Columbia records to track him down and offer him a recording contract. In 1973, he was signed to Columbia Records by the legendary Clive Davis and recorded the album Piano Man. In 1974, the song "Piano Man" became his first top 20 single and first gold album.

In 1977, Joel began collaborating with producer Phil Ramone and wrote, recorded and released The Stranger. From the time of its release until 1985, the album was Columbia Records' biggest selling album and featured four Top-25 hits on the Billboard charts: "Just the Way You Are," "Movin Out (Anthony's Song)," "Only the Good Die Young" and "She's Always a Woman." Joel released 52nd Street in 1978 and it became his first #1 album. Joel has been married three times. He married married his business manager, Elizabeth Weber Small on September 5, 1973, and the couple divorced on July 20, 1982. From March 23, 1985, to August 25, 1994, Joel was married to model Christie Brinkley. Their daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, was born on December 29, 1985. On October 2, 2004, Joel married Katie Lee but the couple split after five years of marriage on June 17, 2009.

Joel was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1992, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2009 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. Over the course of his career, he has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards, is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over 150 million records worldwide.

Discography 1981 - Songs in the Attic (live album) 1982 - The Nylon Curtain 2000 - 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert (live album) 2001 - Fantasies & Delusions 2006 - 12 Gardens Live (live album) 2011 - Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert (live album) Billy Joel - Bio, Facts, Family | Famous Birthdays Billy Joel Taurus Singer#28 About Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and pianist who gained fame for his song "Piano Man" and became the third best-selling solo artist in the United States. Before Fame He learned boxing to defend himself from bullies, and won 22 bouts in the amateur Golden Gloves circuit. He played the piano at bars to help support his mother while in high school. Trivia From 1973 to 2013, he wrote 33 top forty hits, including "Just the Way You Are," which hit #3 in 1977.

Family Life He married Elizabeth Weber on September 5, 1973, Christie Brinkley on March 23, 1985, Katie Lee on October 2, 2004 and Alexis Roderick on July 4, 2015. He has a daughter named Alexa. Christie Brinkley Biography (Model) Best known as: Sports Illustrated cover girl and former wife of Billy Joel Name at birth: Christie Lee Hudson Robust and athletic with a California-girl smile, Christie Brinkley was the first woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition for three consecutive years (1979-81). Christie Brinkley was studying art in Paris when she was discovered by a fashion photographer early in the 1970s, and she soon joined the Ford modelling agency. Her career really took off with her first Sports Illustrated cover in 1979. She had a cameo role in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and married superstar singer Billy Joel in 1985.

A top model, she appeared in Joel's videos for "Uptown Girl" and "Keeping the Faith," and created the cover art for his 1988 album River of Dreams. Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel divorced in 1994 and she married architect Peter Cook in 1996. She left him in 2006 and their bitter divorce reached its pop culture peak in 2008, with news of Cook's affair with an 18 year-old and his expensive internet porn habit. Their legal battles were settled in July of 2008, with Brinkley getting custody of their children, Jack and Sailor Lee. Extra credit: Christie Brinkley, like Cheryl Tiegs , was a longtime spokesmodel for Cover Girl cosmetics… Brinkley was raised in Malibu, California, and some sources say she was born there as well… Christie Brinkley’s husbands: Jean Francois Allaux (1973-81); singer Billy Joel (1985-94); real-estate magnate Richard Taubman (1994-95); and architect Peter Cook (1996-2008).

Her children: Alexa Ray (with Joel, b. 1985); Jack Paris (with Taubman, b. 1995); Sailor Lee (with Cook, b. 1998). Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. Advertisement Advertisement Billy Joel Biography (Singer/Songwriter) Birthplace: The Bronx, New York Best known as: Pianist and singer of the tune Piano Man Name at birth: William Martin Joel Billy Joel's first major album, Piano Man, was released in 1974. It showcased his gift for writing ambitious pop tunes that were both catchy and sentimental. Expansive singles like New York State of Mind (1976) and Scenes From an Italian Restaurant (1977) cemented Joel's position as a blue-collar New York troubadour and helped make him one of the decade's most popular touring acts. His 1977 album The Stranger was packed with hit singles, including Movin' Out, Just the Way You Are and Only the Good Die Young, and was perhaps the height of his fame.

Billy Joel continued to produce hit singles like Uptown Girl throughout the 1980s, though critics carped that he had replaced his early passion with nostalgic ditties and highfalutin message songs. Still, by the turn of the 21st century he had sold over 100 million records and was one of the most successful recording artists in history. Joel's albums include Turnstiles (1976), 52nd Street (1978), Glass Houses (1980), An Innocent Man (1983), River of Dreams (1993) and My Lives (2005). Movin' Out, a dance musical based on his songs and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, played on Broadway from 2002-2005. Joel was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Extra credit: Billy Joel was married to supermodel Christie Brinkley from 1985 to 1994; their daughter, Alexa Ray, was born in 1985… He married the former Katie Lee in 2004; she’s a TV food critic and reporter who was born in 1981. They divorced in 2009 that after five years of marriage… Joel was previously married to the former Elizabeth Small from 1973-82… Billy Joel was born in the Bronx but grew up in Levittown, the planned community on Long Island. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved. Christie Brinkley biography | birthday, trivia | American Model | Who2 Christie Brinkley Biography Name at birth: Christie Lee Hudson Robust and athletic with a California-girl smile, Christie Brinkley was the first woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition for three consecutive years (1979-81).

Christie Brinkley was studying art in Paris when she was discovered by a fashion photographer early in the 1970s, and she soon joined the Ford modelling agency. Her career really took off with her first Sports Illustrated cover in 1979. She had a cameo role in National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) and married superstar singer Billy Joel in 1985. A top model, she appeared in Joel’s videos for “Uptown Girl” and “Keeping the Faith,” and created the cover art for his 1988 album River of Dreams. Christie Brinkley and Billy Joel divorced in 1994 and she married architect Peter Cook in 1996. She left him in 2006 and their bitter divorce reached its pop culture peak in 2008, with news of Cook’s affair with an 18 year-old and his expensive internet porn habit. Their legal battles were settled in July of 2008, with Brinkley getting custody of their children, Jack and Sailor Lee.

Extra credit Christie Brinkley, like Cheryl Tiegs , was a longtime spokesmodel for Cover Girl cosmetics… Brinkley was raised in Malibu, California, and some sources say she was born there as well… Christie Brinkley’s husbands: Jean Francois Allaux (1973-81); singer Billy Joel (1985-94); real-estate magnate Richard Taubman (1994-95); and architect Peter Cook (1996-2008). Her children: Alexa Ray (with Joel, b. 1985); Jack Paris (with Taubman, b. 1995); Sailor Lee (with Cook, b. 1998). [PHOTO] Billy Joel Married: Weds Alexis Roderick In Surprise 4th Of July Wedding - Hollywood Life 3 Photos Billy Joel and Alexis Roderick surprised family and friends at their annual 4th of July party by getting married! The couple is also expecting their first child together this summer. Congrats to the newlyweds! Billy Joel , 66, is a married man again!

The music legend wed his longtime girlfriend Alexis Roderick , 33, in a surprise ceremony on July 4. The couple said “I do” in front of family and friends at Billy’s Long Island estate. This is a special time for Billy and Alexis — they will also be welcoming a baby in the coming weeks. Looks like we’ve got a new set of newlyweds on our hands! Billy and Alexis “surprised guests at their annual July 4th party by exchanging vows in front of their family and close friends,” the singer’s spokeswoman told HollywoodLife.com. The ceremony took place at Billy’s residence on Long Island and was presided over by close friend and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo , 57. Billy’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel , 29, and actor Kevin James, 50, were among the guests at the surprise wedding. The couple has been together since 2009. Alexis said they met at a restaurant in Long Island, according to New York Daily News . Alexis is a former Morgan Stanley executive and a skilled equestrian. Billy and Alexis announced they were expecting a child , a baby girl, in April 2015. This is the fourth marriage for Billy.

The “Piano Man” singer was married to Elizabeth Weber from 1973 to 1982. He married model Christie Brinkley , 61, in 1985. They had one child together, Alexa Ray. They divorced in 1994. Billy then married food critic Katie Lee, 33, in 2004. Their divorce was finalized in 2009. We are so happy for Billy and Alexis. We wish them all the happiness as they start this new chapter in their lives. HollywoodLifers, are you surprised Billy and Alexis got hitched? Do you think this marriage will last? Let us know! — Avery Thompson Billy Joel - Biography - IMDb Billy Joel Biography Showing all 61 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (4) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (35) | Personal Quotes (15) Overview (4) 5' 5½" (1.66 m) Mini Bio (1) Billy Joel was born on May 9, 1949 in The Bronx, New York City, New York, USA as William Martin Joel.

He has been married to Alexis Roderick since July 4, 2015. They have one child. He was previously married to Katie Lee , Christie Brinkley and Elizabeth Weber . Spouse (4) Often writes songs about New York City Goatee Trivia (35) Began in the group the Echoes (later known as the Lost Souls). Also a member of the Hassles (who performed at Westchester, New York's famous Riviera Lounge in 1967) and Attila. Grammy award-winning singer. Alexa Ray Joel , Billy Joel's daughter with Christie Brinkley , was named after piano legend Ray Charles . He appeared in the music video and sang in the choir on the song "We Are the World". Billy went by the name Bill Martin when he played the Executive Room in Los Angeles while running from his contract after the failure of Cold Spring Harbor. Joel was once a successful Long Island boxer, winning 22 out of 24 fights. He had taken boxing lessons because he was frequently beaten up by neighborhood bullies. He left his boxing career and went into music when his nose was broken in his 24th fight.

His song "Just the Way You Are" (1977) is one of the most covered and radio-played songs of all-time. His album "The Stranger" (1977) was the most successful album in Columbia Records history at the time. Because of bad management, he only made $3,000 from the album. Writes all of his songs single-handedly. With 77.5 million units sold in the United States to date, he is the third highest selling solo artist of all time after Garth Brooks and Elvis Presley . Seven consecutive albums have made the Top 40. The Hassles hit #112 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1967 with "You've Got Me Hummin'" (United Art. 50215).

His and Twyla Tharp 's hit musical "Movin' Out" received 10 Tony Award nominations for the 2003 Tony Awards including: Best New Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. Out of the 10 nominations "Movin' Out" received two Tony Awards, one went to Tharp for Best Choreography, and the other went to Joel himself for Best Orchestrations. Classically-trained pianist. Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1992) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999). Ditched writing new pop music to compose classical music instead during the mid 1990s. Still performs pop songs at his concerts. One of the very few artists to have top ten hits in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

First gig he received with playing his piano was when he was age 15 to play at a piano bar close to his neighborhood. He loved this so much that he quit high school at age 17 to pursue a full fledged music career. Ironically, he worked at a piano bar later in his music career, out in Los Angeles with the name Bill Martin, trying to make ends meet before he released "Piano Man". Family Records, the first label that Joel signed with back in the early 1970s, had a lifetime clause in their contract with Joel. This clause came back to haunt him when he signed with major label Columbia Records a few years later. Up until the end of the 1980s, every Joel album sold by Columbia, 25 cents would be paid to Family as a royalty for each album sold. Also, Columbia had to put the Family name, logo, and copyright on every Joel album they produced. He played piano on The Shangri-Las ' hit single, "Leader of the Pack" (1965). He was 16 years old at the time.

Son of Rosalynd Nyman, born in England to an agnostic Jewish family, and Howard Joel, a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Germany, whose family owned the fourth largest mail order company in Germany before dispossessed by the Nazis. After his divorce, Howard returned to Europe and married again. Billy's half-brother is the famous concert pianist Alexander Joel . Some of his countless hits are "Piano Man" (1973), "She's Always a Woman" (1978), "My Life" (1979), "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" (1980, first US #1) "Allentown" (1982), "Uptown Girl" (1983, first UK #1), "Tell Her About It" (1983, US #1), "The Longest Time" (1983), "We Didn't Start the Fire" (1989), "Leningrad" (1989), "The Rivers of Dreams" (1993) and "All About Soul" (1993).

Called "Joe" by Christie Brinkley because, when she first met him, she was not sure whether Billy Joel was just his first name and she decided that he looked like he could be a Joe. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 20, 2004. In the late 1970s with the worldwide success of his albums "Turnstiles" and "52nd Street" and many hit singles, he gave televised concerts on "The Old Grey Whistle Test" and "Music Laden". Has played in two bands with Jon Small : The Hassles and Attila. His first wife, Elizabeth Weber , was his business manager and the ex-wife of Jon Small . On November 24, 2010, he underwent double hip surgery in a Long Island, New York hospital to treat a congenital hip ailment. His album "52nd Street" (1978) was the first album to be released on compact disc in 1982. Inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006.

He did all the lead and backing vocals on "The Longest Time" himself. Did not graduate high school as he did not have enough credits and decided to pursue his music career rather than attend summer school. Billy Joel is a New Dad at 66 Billy Joel is a New Dad at 66 Duration: 00:53 EMAIL Newlywed rock icon Billy Joel has become a father for a second time. The 66-year-old’s fourth wife, Alexis Roderick, gave birth to daughter Della Rose Joel in New York in the early hours of Wednesday, his representative reveals to People.com. The baby’s arrival comes just weeks after Joel and Roderick tied the knot during a surprise ceremony on America’s Independence Day. The “Piano Man” hitmaker is also dad to singer Alexa Ray Joel, 29, his only child with model Christie Brinkley, who he was married to from 1985 until 1994. READ MORE

Question: Which model was married to singer Billy Joel for 9 years, from 1985?
Answer: Christie Brinkley