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

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/billy-joel-was-once-a-member-of-this-little-known-1960s-band-and-they-gave-him-his-start/
- Published: 2026-07-28T17:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-28T17:08:54+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/billy-joel-was-once-a-member-of-this-little-known-1960s-band-and-they-gave-him-his-start/
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Billy Joel's first band was 1960s Long Island group The Hassles.
- He was recruited via a fake "house band wanted" advert.
- He later formed metal duo Attila before going solo.

## Summary

Before becoming a solo superstar, Billy Joel got his professional start as the keyboardist for The Hassles, a Long Island band active in the 1960s. He joined an already-established line-up after the group's managers ran a fake "house band wanted" advert specifically designed to lure a new keyboard player away from rival local acts, with drummer Jon Small identifying Joel's talent despite some bandmates' initial scepticism about his stage presence.

Joel was performing with a different group, The Lost Souls, when Small spotted him and offered him a new Hammond B3 organ to switch bands, an offer Joel accepted. After his run with The Hassles, Joel and Small went on to form a short-lived heavy metal duo called Attila, which released a single album before Joel departed to launch the solo career that would establish him as a major rock and pop icon.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.