Billy Joel Was Once a Member of This Little-Known 1960s Band (And They Gave Him His Start)

We all know Billy Joel, but do you know the band that gave him his start? The Hassles are a 1960s Long Island outfit that featured Joel as their keyboardist. Find out more about how Joel found his way into this band and eventually his way into a solo career.

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The Long Island Band That Gave Billy Joel His Start

The Hassles were a fully formed outfit before Joel joined their ranks, featuring John Dizek on vocals, Richard McKenna on guitar, Jon Small on drums, and Harry Weber on organ. While performing as the house band at a local club in Long Island, the group found itself in need of a keyboardist. They saw many options, but unsurprisingly, Joel stood out from the crowd.

“We had a search for a new keyboard player,” Small once said. “Our managers at the time, Danny Mazur and Irwin Mazur, owned a club called My House, and we were the house band. It was a great club, and we were building a following.”

“Danny came up with this great idea,” he continued. “He said, ‘We’ll put an ad in the paper that My House is looking for a new house band, and all the Long Island bands will come in. You just sit there, and you’ll steal the keyboard player!’”

Billy Joel’s Audition for The Hassles

Plenty of keyboardists were on display, but Joel’s talent stood out to Small, even if the rest of the bandmates couldn’t see it. Apparently, Joel really hammed it up, turning off some of the other Hassles.

“They thought he was too short,” Small added. “He wore a beret, and it was just very kind of corny; he sang on one knee! But he had ‘it’; I saw it. I came from a family of musicians, so I could see past the dust, and I knew he had it, so I asked him to come into Danny’s office, and I made him an offer to join The Hassles.”

Even Joel had to be convinced that he was a good fit for the band. He felt tied down to the band he was in before The Hassles poached him, The Lost Souls. He had been with them for a while and felt that leaving them now would be a disservice. Small found his pressure point.

“I said, ‘So look, if you join The Hassles, I’ll give you this brand-new B3 Hammond,’” he continued. “He said, ‘Fu** those guys!’”

After a run with The Hassles, Small and Joel formed a heavy metal duo called Attila. It’s not exactly the musicality Joel has been known for in his solo career. They released only one album before the “Piano Man” headed out on his own and became the rock icon we know him as today.

(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)