Q 01/05

In which New York City borough was Billy Joel born in 1949?

A) Brooklyn

B) Queens

C) Manhattan

D) The Bronx

Answer · why

D) The Bronx

The family moved to Hicksville on Long Island when he was one, and his mother insisted on piano lessons. His father Howard was a German-born amateur c...

Q 02/05

Which sport did the teenage Billy Joel compete in on the amateur Golden Gloves circuit?

A) Wrestling

B) Fencing

C) Judo

D) Boxing

Answer · why

D) Boxing

He fought as a welterweight and has said a broken nose ended his interest. He was also baptized in a Church of Christ at age 11.

Q 03/05

How did Billy Joel finally receive his Hicksville High diploma in 1992, 25 years after leaving?

A) He sat the exam he had missed

B) The requirement was waived by the state

C) He completed a night course

D) He submitted essays to the board

Answer · why

D) He submitted essays to the board

He had told the school that if he wasn't going to Columbia University he was going to Columbia Records, where no diploma was needed. He got it at the ...

Q 04/05

With drummer Jon Small, Billy Joel formed which heavy-rock duo in 1969?

A) The Hassles

B) The Echoes

C) Hour of the Wolf

D) Attila

Answer · why

D) Attila

Their one album came out in July 1970. Small later directed Joel's music videos, and Joel eventually married Small's ex-wife Elizabeth.

Q 05/05

What went wrong with Billy Joel's 1971 debut album Cold Spring Harbor?

A) The tapes were lost in a fire

B) It was released only in Puerto Rico

C) The label folded before shipping it

D) It was mastered at too high a speed

Answer · why

D) It was mastered at too high a speed

Family Productions' Artie Ripp said he spent $450,000 developing Joel. 'She's Got a Way' and 'Everybody Loves You Now' were largely ignored until live...