By Joe Puccio

Long Island is known for many things. Between beautiful beaches, sizeable mansions, scenic vineyards, and fresh seafood, the largest island in the contiguous United States certainly isn’t lacking in its vast array of comforting and appealing aspects that seem to draw more and more tourists each year. But as attractive as the aforementioned features are, they pale in comparison to its true crown jewel, William Martin Joel.

“Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey,” an exclusive exhibit dedicated to the Hicksville-raised musician, spans Joel’s entire life and career beginning with his upbringing in the town of Oyster Bay all the way through his legendary, record-setting run of 150 performances at Madison Square Garden, arguably the most famous arena to ever exist. Since launching in November of 2023, the display has seen fans from all over the world flock to browse items ranging from rare photographs, historic video and audio recordings, dozens of awards, iconic outfits, and even concert-used instruments played by Joel himself.

Housed at the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook, the museum was initially earmarked to run for less than a year. But the constant flow of Piano Man aficionados to the stunning museum altered those plans. “At this point, we’re looking at it being open through the rest of the calendar year,” said Jeffrey James, a member of the Board of Directors for 20 years, in a recent chat with Generation X Wire. “Although there’s some possibility that we may switch over to something else in the fall. We tend to like to keep things fluid, which is not the worst way for a museum to be.”

Ideas for LI-centric post-BJ attractions that have been floated around include a history of comedy as well as a wing dedicated to the many prominent theaters in the area. “We’re considering expanding beyond music,” James shared. “But we’re also looking to extend what we currently feature. Two people that we haven’t inducted yet, bringing film and music together, are John Williams, who was born here, and John Barry, who wrote the music for the James Bond films and lived in Oyster Bay for many years. And one of our permanent residents is Bernard Herrmann, who wrote the scores for almost all of Alfred Hitchcock’s great films, like Psycho and North by Northwest. There are so many great connections.”

To be clear, while the LIMEHOF is certainly planning for the future, Joel followers still have plenty of time to get their pictures taken in front of life-sized, classic album covers like 52^nd Street and Glass Houses (while holding a trumpet and a rock, respectively) and read about the creative process behind pivotal records such as The Stranger and Storm Front while simultaneously listening to key tracks with the number of headphones available for visitors to use.

For sonic lovers interested in a deeper dive of Long Island musicians, the upstairs area features an extensive collection of key commodities, including drum sets belonging to A. J. Pero of Twisted Sister, dresses worn by Debbie Gibson, and autographed guitars of Steve Vai.

As for what the most cherished object on public display at the exhibit is, James has little doubt on its identity. “It’s called Billy’s Bible,” he offered. “The book of his printed lyrics that we have on top of the piano is likely the single most important item. Billy had it with him for a very long time,” he continued. “Now everything’s digital.”

“One of the nicest things is the international reach this exhibit continues to have,” James explained. “We recently had visitors from Germany. And we had a couple here about a year ago from Denmark. The husband said, ‘We may not be the biggest Billy Joel fans in Denmark, but we are in Copenhagen,” he laughed. “People hear about it, and they are still coming.”

For tickets and more information about “Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey” and the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) (97 Main Street, Stony Brook, NY 11790 | Email: info@limusichalloffame.org | Phone: 631-689-5888), click here.