Billy Idol's Birthday: 11/30
 Posted
11/30/2012 12:00:00 AM
Billy Idol’s Birthday – November 30th, 1955
Conversation Starters
- Happy Birthday to Billy Idol! What is your favorite song from Billy?
- Today is Billy Idol’s Birthday! Which of his albums do you have in your collection?
- Billy Idol celebrates a birthday today! If you could place Billy into any band as their new front-man, which band would you choose?
Personal Information
- Date of Birth: November 30th, 1955
- Age: 57
- Location: Stanmore, Middlesex, England, UK
- Full Name: William Michael Albert Broad
- When Billy was three his family moved to Long Island, New York but returned back to the UK four years later
- Has a son, Willem Wolf Broad in June of 1988
Fast Facts
- Billy got the name “Idol” from a school teacher that described Billy as “Idle”
- Billy joined the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans in 1976-1977; he would travel from town to town watching the band play
- In the 1977, Billy joined the band Chelsea as a guitarist; the band didn’t last long and soon Billy and band mate Tony James left to form the group Generation X
- Idol became the frontman of the group, and Generation X became one of the first punk bands to appear on the BBC music program Top of the Pop
- Generation X signed a record deal with Chrysalis Records and released three albums together; they also performed in the film D.O.A.
- After Generation X disbanded, Idol moved to New York in 1981 and started his solo career at working with ex-Kiss Manager, Bill Aucoin
- In 1981, Idol released his first solo EP Don’t Stop on Chrysalis Records with the help of Steve Stevens, Steve Missal and Phil Feit
- The EP included the hit track “Dancing with Myself,” which was originally meant for Generation X’s last album. Idol’s cover of “Mony Mony” was on the EP as well
- Idol released his first full-length solo album Billy Idol in July of 1982
- As part of a “second British Invasion” run by MTV, Idol became popular with his hits “Dancing with Myself” and “White Wedding”
- In 1983, Billy was being introduced to American audiences when “Dancing with Myself” was released with a music video in the US and played on MTV non stop
- Rebel Yell, Idol’s sophomore album, was released in 1983, which featured the hit tracks “Eyes Without a Face” and “Flesh For Fantasy”
- Idol took some time to release his next album Whiplash Smile in 1986; the album sold well with tracks like “Sweet Sixteen,” “ Don’t Need a Gun” and “To Be a Lover”
- Billy recorded the music video for “Sweet Sixteen” in Coral Castle in Florida, the song was about the builder of the castle and his lost love
- Guitarist Steve Stevens left Idol after the release of Whiplash Smile
- In 1989, Idol appeared as cousin Kevin as part a of the live version of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, which aired on HBO; Idol also guest performed with the Who on “Bell Boy” from the album Quadrophenia
- In February of 1990 in Hollywood, CA, Billy was in a bad motorcycle accident which almost resulted in the loss of his leg
- Idol release Charmed Life in May of 1990 and a music video was made for “LA Woman” even though Billy was still having trouble walking at the time
- Idol released Cyberpunk in June of 1993; the album was recorded using a Mac computer and was the first to list the artist’s e-mail (idol@well.sf.ca.us) on the cover
- Billy made a cameo appearance in the film The Wedding Singer in 1998; he also had a small part in the movie The Doors
- In April of 2001, VH1 aired Billy Idol – Behind the Music; Idol and Stevens also took part in VH1’s Storytellers and the two reunited and played a series of shows before recording the special
- Billy released Devil’s Playground in March of 2005; it was his first studio album in 12 years and he played at a variety of shows including the Warped Tour, Download Festival and Voodoo Music Experience to promote it
- Idol made an appearance on Viva La Bam in 2006 when he helped Bam Margera put a sunroof in his Lamborghini and performed live for Bam’s mother‘s birthday
- In December of 2006, Billy released a Christmas album entitled Happy Holidays: A Very Special Christmas Album
- In July of 2009, Idol performed at Congress Theater in Chicago for the TV series Soundstage; the performance was released on DVD in November of that year
- In July of 2012, Idol performed with his band in Portugal, along with the Cult, Garbage, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Gogol Bordello at Marés Vivas festival
Awards/Honors
- 1985 – “Rebel Yell” – Nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
- 1987 – “To Be A Lover” – Nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
- 1991 – “Cradle of Love” – Nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Discography
- Don’t Stop – October, 1981
- Billy Idol – July, 1982
- Rebel Yell – November, 1983
- Whiplash Smile - September, 1986
- Charmed Life – May, 1990
- Cyberpunk – June 29th, 1993
- Devil’s Playground – March 22nd, 2005
- Original Sound – September 18th, 2006
- Happy Holidays: A Very Special Christmas Album – December 4th, 2006
Chart History
-Billboard Hot 100
- “Mony Mony” – #1 – November, 1987
- “Cradle of Love” – #2 – August, 1990
- “Eyes Without a Face” – #4 – July, 1984
- “To Be a Lover” – #6 – December, 1986
- “Sweet Sixteen” – #20 – July, 1987
- “Hot in the City” – #23 – September, 1982
- “Flesh for Fantasy” – #29 – October, 1984
- “White Wedding” – #36 – July, 1983
- “Don’t Need a Gun” – #37 – March, 1987
- “Rebel Yell” – #46 – March, 1984
- “Catch My Fall” – #50 – December, 1984
- “L.A. Women” – #52 – October, 1990
- Billboard Top 200
- Rebel Yell – #6 – January, 1985
- Whiplash Smile – #6 – December, 1986
- Vital Idol – #10 – November, 1987
- Charmed Life – #11 – June, 1990
- Devil’s Playground – #46 – April, 2005
- Cyberpunk – #48 – July, 1993
- Greatest Hits – #74 – May, 2001
RIAA
- January 18th, 2005 – Greatest Hits – Platinum
- October 2nd, 1990 – Charmed Life – Platinum
- January 19th, 1988 – Vital Idol – Platinum
- January 13th, 1987 – Whiplash Smile – Platinum
- January 14th, 1985 – Rebel Yell – 2x Platinum
- June 28th, 1984 – Billy Idol – Gold
Links
Videos
Sources
Check out the top 10 Billy Idol songs at Ultimate Classic Rock
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