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The Piano Man himself, age 74, was on hand for a ceremony on Long Island Thursday, Oct, 19 in Oyster Bay, to unveil the new Billy Joel Way.
New signage will replace a section of Audrey Avenue, located in the downtown area in front of Joel’s shop “20th Century Cycles.”
Speaking to a large crowd gathered under the clear blue sky, Joel recalled how his mother would often bring him to Oyster Bay as a child growing up in the hamlet of Hicksville. He remembered thinking of the town as The Great Gatsby.
“There were all these beautiful houses and beautiful areas. It was all rich people,” he said. “I thought, ‘wow I’ll never live there because they never sell their stuff, they just keep inheriting things.’”
The six-time Grammy Award winner said he’s since bought three homes in town over the years and is getting ready to sell one property, he said.
“Now I’ve come full circle,” he said. “But I always appreciate being here. I think about it all the time, and this is where I want to be, mostly.”
Joel told the crowd he was approached by state lawmakers a couple years ago about naming a street after him, but his taste soured when he learned that he had to be dead first.
“I said honestly I’d rather still be alive and not have the street,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “But now I’ve got the best of both worlds: I’m alive and I have the street. This is very cool."
Also on hand for Thursday’s ceremony were band students from the James H. Vernon School, who had the honor of performing two songs for Joel, including his hit, “Piano Man.”
Joel told the students he played the French horn in sixth grade but was “terrible.” He also played in the marching band but dropped out after chipping his teeth on the instrument.
“Anyway, good luck,” he told them. “Watch out for your teeth.”
Afterward, sixth-grade flute player Shea O’Brian called the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity “amazing.”
“I was speechless,” she said. “I can’t believe we had the opportunity to do this.”
Erica Giglio-Pac, the school’s director of fine and performing arts, said she couldn’t be any prouder of the students and staff.
“You know you’ve made it when Billy Joel himself smiles ear to ear when your students are playing and singing,” she said.
“I imagine the students walking past ‘Billy Joel Way’ with their children one day and telling them the story of when they played for the piano man himself.”
In addition to his namesake street, Joel was also given a symbolic key to the city and officials issued a proclamation declaring it Billy Joel Day.
Considered to be one of the best-selling music artists of all time, Joel has sold over 150 million records worldwide.
He has released 13 studio albums, seven live albums, and 61 singles. Among his many hits are Piano Man, Uptown Girl, New York State of Mind, and Only the Good Die Young.
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