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Mention the phrase "The Piano Man" and most people will immediately know you're
referring to Billy Joel, the sixth best selling artist in the United
States; Six Grammy Awards; over 150 million
records sold worldwide; Songwriters Hall of Fame; Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame; The Long Island Music Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. This is only the short list of the honors bestowed on this artist that has entertained millions for over three decades. And now, you can own the piano he played during his "Nylon Curtain" tour. |
| First, let's take a moment and return to the year 1982. Joel completes work on his eighth studio album, despite a serious motorcycle accident that injured his hands and put in him in the hospital for over a month. It was called his most ambitious album to date - "The Nylon Curtain". To promote the release of the album, Sam Goody record stores held a raffle. One lucky winner would walk away with Billy's grand piano from the upcoming tour. This is that piano. I was the recipient. |
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clip from "Billy Joel Live From Long Island" CBS/Fox Video 1983 |
I have been the sole owner of this piano ever since it was delivered to me shortly after Billy's last performance on it. That final show just happened to be Billy's first sold out New Year's Eve show at New York's Madison Square Garden, on December 31, 1982. Two days earlier, he had played to a packed house at Long Island's Nassau Coliseum. It was at that concert that he taped his award winning video "Billy Joel Live From Long Island". The piano is clearly visible on the right side of the stage throughout the video. If you've seen the video, then you've seen this piano. (How could you miss it when Billy is standing on top of it during "Big Shot"?) It's also the same piano he's playing in the live video of "Goodnight Saigon", taped at Madison Square Garden on that New Year's Eve. |
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The final set-list is still firmly attached to the lid, revealing the
following favorites (true fans will likely hum a few bars as each is read - I know I do): |
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Set list on lid - click to enlarge |
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It's condition is what one would expect of any piano taken on tour
throughout the world. (As far as I know, Billy bought it new in 1979
and toured with it through Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Japan)
You can still see faded writing on the soundboard. It reads:
Adelaide 5/4/81 C48 D28 Melbourne 5/7/81 E32 Brisbane 5/13/81 G14 These cities indicated to me that this piano was not only used in the "Nylon Curtain" tour, but also in the "Glass Houses" tour, which went through Japan, Australia and New Zealand in April/May 1981. |
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| The outside of the cabinet is somewhat rough in appearance, primarily due to it having been painted flat black prior to the Nassau Coliseum show. This, I was told, was to minimize reflections during the filming of the videos. (what appears to be white marks on the top of the piano are actually light reflecting from where the flat paint was rubbed off). There are small spots of paint flaked off here and there due to age and extensive travel, in addition to numerous spots of black paint that covered up other nicks and dings prior to the videos. Underneath, next to each leg, and on each leg, is a small square of orange tape with each leg's number (1,2,3), used to quickly match each leg to it's socket. Numerous strips of black "roadie" tape adorn the underside where wires were presumably held in place. A two foot strip of veneer is peeled off one of the main structural beams underneath, which in no way compromises the integrity of the frame. (one sixteenth inch deep (veneer thickness), two feet long, tapering from two inches high down to a point). | ||||
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The internal "action" is in very good condition. The hammers were re-voiced (lightly sanded) after the move to Denver and have now broken back in, with minimal grooves (sixteenth inch deep) One string (C2, right side) was replaced after it broke during it's first post-Billy tuning. There is some staining inside the cabinet, under the keys where Billy poured beer(?) during his New Year's Eve show (I was there and watched him do it!).
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And now we come to the most unique feature: the hand drawn "Kill Count" stickers on the right side of the lid. |
 "Kill Count" stickers on right side of lid - click to enlarge |
According to Billy's managment, every time he would successfully kill a fly on his piano, someone would make a "kill count" sticker, (like WWII pilots put on their plane), and stick it to the top of the piano. (looks like our "Ace" got 28 flies on the tour...)
The first two stickers are drawn on white duct tape, the remainder are on silver duct tape. As far as I know, Billy has never done this before, or since. The stickers were carefully painted around with the flat black paint (before the videos), forever framing his tally at 28. No further stickers were added. (I wonder if he got any flies during the last two concerts...) |
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After that final show, the piano was returned to Baldwin Piano in NYC to be tuned and regulated. When the Baldwin rep called me to ask if I wanted the outside refinished while they had it, I politely replied "No thanks", but I didn't know exactly what I'd be preserving.
Baldwin was nice enough to include a music desk, which was not part of the original concert equipment. I also received Billy's autograph, which was duplicated onto a small brass plate (exactly 3"x6") and is now attached to the right side of the desk (I didn't want to alter the original equipment's condition - but this could easily be relocated to a more prominent position). The original autograph on plain white paper is also included. Shortly after taking ownership of the piano, I asked for, and was promptly sent, a "Letter of Authenticity" from Frank Management, Inc - Billy's management company at the time. It was signed by his Director of Marketing, Jeff Schock. It comes with the original envelope, post-marked 3 Aug 1983 from Hicksville, LI. Both the envelope and the letter prominently display the Frank Management, Inc letterhead. The lyre, which houses the foot pedals, was missing the two wooden side supports when I received the piano. These have been replaced with solid brass rods that match the pedal rods. |
 Letter of Authenticity from Frank Management, Inc - click to enlarge |
magnificent instrument, or you're trying to figure out how to rearrange your living room furniture to fit it, this piano has many years of music and enjoyment left in it.
Just imagine - you can watch Billy Joel play this piano in "Live From Long Island" If you believe, as I do, that Billy Joel will forever remain a music icon, then place your bid now! |
| Additional detailed pictures at BillyJoelsPiano.com |
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Please click on the pictures within the description to see the high resolution versions. Know what you're bidding on. This piano is sold AS IS. |
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I will accept:
Cashiers Check (certified from US bank)
Shipping:
Varies by location.
(For reference, it cost about $1800.00 to ship from NYC to Denver in 1999)
Buyer to arrange for and pay all shipping and insurance costs