Billy Joel is one of the most popular and most talented singer-songwriters alive today, and he’s been in this business for more than four decades now. He is the sixth best-selling recording artist, and the third best-selling recording artist in the country, and this did not happen by chance. Billy Joel is a hit songwriter pure and simple. His album Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2 was one of the top selling albums in history. He’s had thirty-three hits in the top 40, and he wrote all of them himself.

Fans and peers alike acknowledge Joel’s talent. He’s had nominations for twenty-three Grammy Awards, and he won six times. In 1992, he became an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. He was an inductee to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

He was not always the solo songwriter and entertainer we know today though. He actually started in a group he formed called the Echoes in 1965. They changed their name to the Emeralds and then the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left and joined a group called the Hassles, which was a part of United Artists Records. In 1969, he and Jon Smalls left to form Attila. A year later, they broke up. It was only a few years later that he would release one of his most famous songs, “Piano Man”, which helped to launch him to superstardom.

When you see Billy Joel live, you can be sure you will get the chance to hear all of the most popular songs, including the aforementioned “Piano Man”. You can also hear some of the biggest hits, such as “New York State of Mind”, “She’s Always a Woman”, “Only the Good Die Young”, “My Life”, “She’s Got a Way”, and “Goodnight Saigon”.

Whether you are a diehard fan or you are just starting to explore the music of Billy Joel, you will have a fantastic time at one of his shows. He sounds great, and you will know all of the songs. Get your tickets to see Billy Joel today.

It’s been a long four years for Jonas Brothers fans, but their fifth studio album is finally “completely finished” and ready to be released. We’ve already heard some of it with “First Time,” the first track that was dropped on June 25. But Kevin Jonas says that this time around, the brothers used different inspirations and influences so that they could bring fans a completely different sound.

While the group relied on sounds from the Beatles and the Jackson 5 in the past, Kevin said, this time around they tried “new music, influences that were happening for us now.” Those include the likes of Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Calvin Harris among others. The results are a sound that’s different from what the band has produced in the past.

Kevin says those inspirations “really adapted to the way we were thinking and where we were at. We were just trying to be who we were and who we are, and I think that really helped.”

The brothers needed that help, too. After releasing “Lines, Vines, and Trying Times” in 2009 they went back into the studio almost immediately wanting to get to work on their next album. But it just wasn’t happening.

“We got in the studio and starting writing and it didn’t feel right, so we took some time off,” continued Kevin.

The album, while fully inspired and completely finished, still doesn’t have a release date, nor does it have a name. But the brothers think that it will “definitely” come out in the fall.

Who were the big winners at the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday night? The audience! While there was no one artist that took home the majority of the trophies, there were a lot of different musical styles and genres represented. Of course with MuchMusic calling Toronto home, Canada was largely represented throughout the show; but there was great representation from all corners of the world.

Vancouver natives Classified were one of two groups or artists to take home more than a single award, with his song Inner Ninja taking home prizes for both “Muchfact Video of the Year” as well as the highly coveted “Video of the Year.”

Marianas Trench were the other double winners, winning in both the “Your Fave” and “Pop Video of the Year” categories for their song Desperate Measures. During the show they also performed that song, pantless and with the letters “MMVA” scrawled across their backsides.

Another big hip hop act during the show was homegrown rapper Drake, who wasn’t expected to appear at the awards, but showed up to accept the trophy for his song Started From the Bottom, which won in the “Best Hip Hop Music Video” category.

Avril Lavigne, who was in attendance with her fellow Canadian fiancé, also scooped up a trophy, for her song Never Growing Up, which won in the “Best International Video by a Canadian” category.

But it wasn’t just Canadians that picked up a coveted VVMA. There was plenty of international presence too, mainly from the show’s co-host, Psy. Not surprisingly, after a brilliant opening number he won “Viral Video of the Year” for Gangnam Style, which reached more than 1.65 billion views on YouTube.

Taylor Swift also picked up a prize for the fan-voted “Your Fave for International Artist,” her first MMVA ever. During her acceptance speech she thanked the Canadian fans for their continued support, and MuchMusic for giving artists a reason to put together great videos.

Swift spent the weekend playing for two sold-out crowds at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, and was festively clad in a white and black mini-dress made by Canadian designer, Vawk.

In his newest video for his song Bang Bang, will.i.am takes you back to a time when swing was king and women weren’t afraid to wear boas wherever they went. It’s a video that seems to be set in the Roaring Twenties and it should be. The track appears on the Great Gatsby, as well as on Will’s own album #willpower.

It begins with Will sitting among a brass band. After the band spends some time providing the trumpet and horn accompaniment in the song, they then break out into some hip hop moves, keeping this song and dance still grounded in the 21st century. For the vocals Will steps out onto the dance floor and shows the moves that he’s got, which are also a combination of classy yet unconventional. Joan Sebastian, who’s vocals are featured on the track, joins Will on the dance floor and watching the two of them makes you want to break out into your Jig Walk!

The entire video is shot in black and white, and with a monotone filter that gives the entire thing an even older and more vintage look and feel. To see all the roaring fun for yourself, and to hear a great will.i.am song if you haven’t already, you can check it out here.

Having just been released in April, this is one of what’s sure to be many singles from #willpower, Will’s fourth studio album.

This year’s CMT Music Awards will be held Wednesday, June 5 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and fans can not only vote on these awards, they can also be in attendance to enjoy the evenings festivities. The show includes performances by Taylor Swift, Hunter Hayes, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and the Pistol Annies. Jason Aldean and Kristen Bell will host the evening’s proceedings.

In addition, more performers could be announced in the coming days. Aldean has been honored as a CMT Artist of the Year for three straight years and has 11 number one hits in his career, while Bell is an actress with a number of movie and television credits. Among her best-known work is Forgetting Sarah Marshall, When in Rome, Couples Retreat, and House of Lies.

Some of the nominees for the biggest awards include Video of the Year, which is being contested by Brad Paisley with “Southern Comfort Zone,” Carrie Underwood with “Blown Away,” Eric Church with “Springsteen,” Florida Georgia Line with “Cruise,” Hunter Hayes with “Wanted,” Jason Aldean with “1994,” Kenny Chesney with “Come Over,” Little Big Town with “Tornado,” Luke Bryan with “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,” Miranda Lambert with “Mama’s Broken Heart,” Taylor Swift with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and Tim McGraw with “One of Those Nights.”

The combination of the performances by so many top artists and the award presentations and speeches should make for an exciting and entertaining night, and you never know what’s going to go down during an award show.

It’s a safe bet that Swift rocks the stage with one of her recent hits, such as “I Knew You Were Trouble,” or “22.”

Luke Bryan has plenty of hits to choose from, including last year’s number one US Country Airplay hit, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye.” He could also perform the more recent “Crash my Party,” which is number two on United States Country charts.

With so many performers and so many hits, fans will enjoy a memorable evening in Nashville. Don’t miss out on your chance to be in attendance. Get your tickets now!

It’s been 20 years since Rod Stewart last released any new, original music. And while other artists may be struggling with personal issues and band’s may be challenged by dissent within, there’s a very simple reason why Stewart hasn’t been in the news as much lately. He had writer’s block. And luckily now, he’s over it.

Stewart says that it was writer’s block stemming from a lack of self-confidence that made his stop releasing music, but that when he wrote his autobiography, Rod, it all came flowing back to him.

“It was probably the longest writer’s block in history, you know, 20-odd years. But it wasn’t self-imposed. It was maybe a lack of confidence,” he said. “I’d sort of given up, let’s put it that way. But because of the autobiography, it inspired me. And I had a lot to write about. Probably I was in the right state of my life to start writing these very personal songs.”

He also says that the process for his newest album, Time, was much easier and much more enjoyable for him than song writing has been in the past. Before, he said, he hated it and viewed it as a chore. With this record though, he’d be so inspired he’d get up in the middle of the night to scrawl down his next lyric.

Both Rod and Time should be considered as companion pieces, Rod said when speaking about his two latest projects. But while Rod is more about his evolution into the mega rock star he is today, on Time you’ll hear about how happy he is with his current life, and stories that are much more personal and revealing than what you’ll find in the book.

Both the album and the book are available in stores and online now.

Stephen King and John Mellencamp are going on the road together in one of the most unlikely pairings you would dream of when you consider a musical meant for the stage. But after Ghost Brothers of Darkland County opened in Atlanta and seeing huge success, it’s clear that when two great minds come together, great things happen.

The story is a tale of two brothers, long gone from this Earth and returning to guide their surviving younger brother on the right path as he now raises his own sons; definitely a King-influenced story mostly taking place in the supernatural world. But throughout, 15 cast members portray the story on-stage through music, ranging from folks and blues to rock and roll; with definite John Mellencamp nuances and influences throughout.

After seeing such huge success at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, it was assumed that the musical would be headed for Broadway, the way that so many hit musicals go. Instead, Mellencamp and King have decided to turn it into a concert and take it on the road instead.

The concert will tell the same story as the musical, but will travel around to 20 different cities in the United States, staying mostly to the Midwest and Southeast. The show will kick off on October 10 in Bloomington, Indiana and will run until November 6 where it will wrap up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can find a full listing of dates and times here.

If you can’t make it to the show, make sure to pick up the accompanying album that features Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Ryan Bingham, along with narration provided by Matthew McConaughey, Samantha Mathis, and Meg Ryan.

As we’re just entering the busiest concert season of the year, there’s a lot going on and a lot of people are getting out to see some great shows. If any of these top four highest-grossing concerts of the week are coming to your area, you’d be doing yourself a favor by getting a ticket today!

4.) The Killers
Battle Born World Tour
Gross: $5.7 million
Their stop in Hamburg, as well as two stops in Mexico helped this rock band land in fourth place on the list of the hottest tours of the week. Currently on tour to promote the album of the same name, this week wrapped up The Killers’ international legs of the tour, and the North American run will begin on April 27.

3.) Jason Aldean
Night Train Tour
Gross: $8.4 million
This is the first time Aldean has topped out on the highest-grossing concert list, and he earned every part of that third spot. The fact that he’s selling out stadiums of 60,000 people or more; as well as his supporting acts, Luke Bryan and Jake Owen, all contribute to Aldean finding his way into the highest-grossing concerts.

2.) Luis Miguel
Gross: $9.6 million
This Latin American singer kept his millions close to home, performing mainly at the Auditoria Nacional in Mexico City. He has even more planned, and there’s no doubt that all future shows will be just as successful — and just as sold out.

1.) Cirque de Soleil — Michael Jackson
The Immortal World Tour
Gross: $19.4 million
Maybe it’s the fact that it has Michael Jackson’s name attached to it; or that the show is full of many of his incredible number one hits. Or maybe it’s simply the fact that this show runs in multiple venues and sees many performance within the same day. Whatever the actual reason is, there’s no question that Cirque de Soleil’s “The Immortal World Tour” wins the top spot on the highest-grossing concert tours list by a landslide!

It all started with Rock in Rio which is to be held on September 22, but Iron Maiden isn’t prepared to let it stop there. On their way to that festival they’re going to be playing a string of concerts, and they’re bringing Megadeth along as the supporting act!

The tour only includes seven dates, but they all dot the route that Iron Maiden will be taking on the way to Rio. Starting in Raleigh, North Carolina, a city that Maiden has never played before, they’ll kick off the tour on September 9 at the Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion. From there they’ll travel to Nashville, Kansas City, St. Louis, Austin, and Las Vegas. Then just before Maiden heads down to Rio, they’ll team up with Megadeth one last time at the Battle of San Bernardino festival in California on September 13.

“As Maiden fans know, we’re going back to Brazil to headline Rock in Rio again, so we thought that on our way down south we should certainly stop off and do a few more shows in the U.S.,” said Maiden’s frontman, Bruce Dickinson. “We especially wanted to try and play some more cities we’ve not visited for a while, so we’re really excited about seeing our fans again in places we’ve not been to in over a decade, and in some cases even longer! We hope they will remember us!”

We don’t think that will be a problem, do you?

It was five years ago that Deftones former bassist, Chi Cheng, was in a car accident with his sister. While she was wearing a seatbelt and walked away with only minor injuries, Cheng wasn’t so lucky. Not being buckled in, he was thrown from the car and had spent the last five years trying to recover. Last week, on Sunday, April 14 his battle finally came to an end, after he passed away at the age of 42.

Cheng’s life was very full, co-founding the Deftones with Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, and the band’s frontman, Chino Moreno in 1988. The group spent the next two decades recording hit after hit, and were working on their latest collection of hits when Cheng was in the accident. The album was naturally put on hold, but after Cheng was in a coma for a year, and then a semi-conscious state for the remainder of his life, the band started playing with backup bassist Sergio Vega.

The news of Cheng’s passing was first announced on the website, oneforlovechi.com, a website that had been set up by fans to provide updates on Cheng’s status, show support, and collect donations for his care. It was his mother who posted to the site on Sunday saying,

“He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear.”

The website has currently been shut down due to a large volume of traffic received since news of Cheng’s passing broke. The band has not yet officially commented on losing their former band member.