William Joseph Martin -Billy- Joel (born May 9; 1949) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. He released his first hit song; -Piano Man-; in 1973. According to the RIAA; he is the sixth best-selling recording artist in the United States.Joel had Top 10 hits in the -70s; -80s; and -90s; is a six-time Grammy Award winner; and has sold in excess of 150 million albums worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriter-s Hall of Fame (Class of 1992); the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Class of 1999); and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006). Joel -retired- from recording pop music in 1993 but continued to tour. "Leningrad" is a 1989 song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Billy Joel. The song was originally released on his album Storm Front on the Columbia Records label, and went on to be released as a single, and was also released on his Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 compilation. The song title is derived from the former name of St. Petersburg, Russia (see Leningrad).William Joseph Martin -Billy- Joel (born May 9; 1949) is an American pianist and singer-songwriter. He released his first hit song; -Piano Man-; in 1973. According.