Piano Man - The origins...

Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos plays shows up and down the East Coast, from NYC down south to the Carolinas and up through New England. Every bar has its own story, its own legacy, its own special flavor.

Last night, we played our first show at Bootleggers, in Troy, New York. That bar exists inside what was a famous old hotel, the Hendrick Hudson Hotel.

Many locals believe, quite steadfastly, that Billy Joel wrote his eponymous PIANO MAN when he performed at the hotel as a piano player.

I suppose that's much like the famous restaurants, like DelMonico's in Manhattan, who lay claim to originating the Baked Alaska or Lobster Newberg at their facility.

What bar wouldn't want that famous rock n roll pedigree associated with their venue?

History, and anecdote, seem to indicate that Billy wrote the song while out in LA, at a bar called the Executive Room. But who are we to trample on a good yarn? As the stories drift into rock n roll legend, and urban myth becomes a larger-than-life wives' tale, perhaps some rumor or kernel of truth can grow and spread until a generation later, people lay claim to their own piece of the rock n roll dream.

For a time, last night, we enjoyed being a part of that dream. Oh, la la la ditty da.