The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame's exhibit Billy Joel: My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey will close Oct. 26, nearly two years after it opened at the Stony Brook venue.
Created by LIMEHOF’s Kevin O’Callaghan, an award-winning designer, the exhibit includes rare photos and videos, a 9-foot piano from Joel’s Face to Face tour with Elton John, the singer's motorcycle, vintage instruments and more. It is located at 97 Main St. in Stony Brook.
In an interview with South Shore Press, LIMEHOF Chairman Ernie Canadeo said, “He (Billy Joel) was at our grand opening, and he was blown away. He kept walking around saying, ‘Where did you guys find all the stuff? I've never seen so much stuff about me in one place. And it really had an impact because there's no artist from Long Island that has achieved the level of success internationally like Billy Joel and yet he's still a very down-to-earth guy yeah that’s really amazed at his own success.’”
The exhibit traces Joel’s life from baby photos through his early bands, including the Lost Souls, the Hassles and Attila, and showcases more than 140 awards.
“We have hundreds of items on display,” Canadeo said. “It’s really a way for someone to understand his growth and success, and then it ends with his residency at Madison Square Garden.”
Canadeo said LIMEHOF first proposed the exhibit to Joel backstage at Madison Square Garden.
“We actually presented our concept … and explained everything to him. We also included some of his influences, so you’ll see info about Paul McCartney, Ray Charles and Beethoven. And he loved it and he gave us the go ahead and allowed us to go into his archives and take the items that we were interested in.”
The exhibit opened Nov. 24, 2023, and has drawn visitors from across the country and abroad.
“We’ve had tens of thousands of visitors in two years—people coming from all over, even out of the country,” Canadeo said.
The multimedia display features a 20-foot screen playing continuous performance footage above a large turntable that holds the tour piano. More than 50 years of memorabilia are on view, including items Joel has personally kept.
Some materials from the exhibit will remain on display after the closing date.
“We will be keeping some items on display. I mean he’s a major artist in this area, so he’ll always be a part of our Hall of Fame, but the full exhibit and that experience will be closing Oct. 26,” Canadeo said.
LIMEHOF anticipates high demand for tickets in the exhibit’s final weeks. Information and tickets are available on the Hall of Fame’s website.
Founded more than 20 years ago, LIMEHOF opened its Stony Brook location in 2022. Canadeo said 140 musical artists and professionals have been inducted.
“The Hall of Fame is a great experience, and we will be opening two new exhibits later in the year after Billy Joel that we will be announcing late next month,” he said.