Billy idol biography personal life

English singer and songwriter (born 1955)

Not to be confused with Billie Idle.

Musical artist

William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English punk singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the US.

Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea; he left the group after a few weeks. With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded. In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. His

•

Billy Idol Biography

Date of Birth:
Nov 30, 1955Birth Place:
Stanmore, Middlesex, England, UK

Biography

Part of the British punk explosion with Generation X, singer Billy Idol became a surprise commercial success in America afterwards. Born William Broad in Middlesex, England, Idol lived in New York as a child when his parents moved there. After returning to England he completed high school and dropped out of the University of Sussex, becoming part of the "Bromley contingent"-a group of diehard fans who followed Sex Pistols gigs. Taking his stage name from a teacher who called him an idler, he briefly joined Chelsea as a guitarist and then cofounded Generation X with ex-Chelsea bassist Tony James. Flashy and hedonistic, the grupp specialized in shout-along anthems including "Wild Youth," "Ready Steady Go" and the Who comeback "Your Generation," all of which were UK hits. The grupp also got to work with one of its heroes, Ian Hunter who produced their more thoughtful secon

•

Billy Idol

William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English rock musician and singer-songwriter. He became famous in the 1970s as a member of Generation X. He later began a solo career which led to international fame and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the United States.^[2]

Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face". In 1986, he released Whiplash Smile. Idol then released two studio albums, Charmed Life (1990) and the concept albumCyberpunk (1993). The latter was a commercial and critical flop. A year later, he recorded and released the single "Speed". The song was featured as first track in the homonymous movie soundtrack album.

Devil's Playground, which came out in March 2005, was Idol's first new studio album in nearly 12 years. The album reached No. 46 on th