Billy Joel took a few moments out of a recent concert to offer musical tribute to Joe Cocker -- and surprised the audience with some unhappy news about the singer's health.
"I realize that ivory piano keys are preferred by some pianists," says Billy Joel. "But a preference for ivory keys does not justify the slaughter of 96 elephants every day."
Billy Joel is filling out his his recently announced hometown concert residency with a series of tour dates throughout 2014. Scattered among the New York City shows Joel has lined up in 2014 are a bunch of new concerts that will keep him busy across the U.S. through summer.
Billy Joel has long taken an interest in educating younger generations of musicians. This runs from his acclaimed Evening of Questions and Answers and a Little Bit of Music series to today’s news that he has given a piano to the music department of Stony Brook University on his native Long Island.