Titled “Piano Man,” a forthcoming Billy Joel biopic will follow Joel’s early years, from being discovered by his first manager Irwin Mazur at age 16, to playing in a Long Island cover band in the 1960s, to his breakout performance in 1972 that captured the attention of Clive Davis.
In an interesting twist, a representative for Billy Joel stated that the musician will not involved with this film project, and that no rights in music, name/likeness or life story will be granted. Instead Jaigantic Studios has acquired the life rights to Mazur, who managed Joel from 1965 to 1972, the year before his commercial breakthrough. Joel’s hit album and song “Piano Man” were released in 1973.
“Piano Man” will be executive produced by Jaigantic Studios with producers White, Mayne Berke and Donovan de Boer, along with Mazur and Ripp, whose father Artie Ripp signed Joel to his first record deal as a solo artist and produced his debut album, “Cold Spring Harbor.” Adam Ripp’s previous credits include producing 2012’s “Gambit” and directing “Devil’s Whisper” in 2019.
In a statement about the movie Ripp said “Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old; his music is ingrained in my DNA and it’s been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man.”
Mazur added: “What a dream come true! These are the real-life events I witnessed first-hand that shaped Billy from a keyboard player in the local Long Island band, The Hassles, into the iconic musician, singer-songwriter, and entertainer who thrills audiences around the world, today.” And White said, “As a lifelong fan of Billy Joel, I am elated to be part of the team to produce his biopic. Billy Joel is the key figure on the Mount Rushmore of American Music.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo; slgckgc