Billy Joel has paid tribute to Jon Small, his longtime friend and former bandmate, calling him his “best friend” and saying he was “like a brother to me.”
Joel announced Small’s death on Sunday with a simple post on social media. On Thursday, the Piano Man followed up with a lengthy remembrance.
“Jon was like a brother to me. No matter the distance or how much time passed, we shared a bond that never changed,” Joel wrote.
“Jon and I were just kids when we decided we wanted to become professional musicians together. That decision became a turning point in both of our lives. We took a huge gamble on a life of creativity, without knowing where it would lead us.”
The Hassles and Attila
Joel and Small first played together in the Hassles in the Sixties. The two then formed the hard-rock duo Attila.
Attila released their debut album in 1970. At the time, Joel was living with Small and his wife, Elizabeth Weber.
That living situation became complicated. Joel fell in love with Weber, a situation examined at length in the recent documentary And So It Goes.
The affair led to Attila’s breakup. It also temporarily ended the best-friendship between Joel and Small, and Joel got evicted from Small’s house.
Joel and Weber eventually reunited and married. The marriage lasted from 1973 to 1982.
The affair and its fallout
The documentary And So It Goes examined the complicated history between Joel, Small and Weber.
Joel’s romance with Weber came while he was living under Small’s roof. It broke up the band and strained the friendship between the two men.
Joel was evicted from Small’s house. The friendship did not survive the immediate aftermath.
But the rupture was not permanent. Small and Joel eventually reconciled, and their bond was restored.
A bond that never changed
“What we shared went far beyond music or careers. Jon saved my life, metaphorically and physically. Our lives and families became intertwined in ways I could never have imagined when we first met,” Joel wrote Thursday.
The reconciliation allowed the two to work together again. Small went on to collaborate with Joel on several projects.
Small worked on Joel’s concert films, including Live From Long Island and Live at Shea Stadium. He also directed the “Baby Grand” video.
“Jon was like a brother to me. No matter the distance or how much time passed, we shared a bond that never changed.”
Losing Jon
Joel’s tribute closed with a raw expression of grief.
“Losing Jon has hit me in a way I have never experienced. It is difficult to imagine this world without him in it,” Joel added.
“Jon was kind, humble, and enormously talented. He will always be remembered for the art he created, but those of us who loved him will remember even more the love he left behind.”
A friendship that endured
The story of Joel and Small is not a simple one. It includes a breakup, an affair and an eviction.
But it also includes a reconciliation. Small’s work on Joel’s concert films kept the two connected professionally after their early band days.
The friendship survived the difficult years. Joel described it as a bond that “never changed.”
Small’s collaborations with Joel extended beyond the concert films. He directed the “Baby Grand” video, another mark of their lasting partnership.
What he left behind
Joel called Small his “best friend.” He said Small saved his life, “metaphorically and physically.”
Those were strong words from a man reflecting on a lifetime of shared history.
The two were kids when they decided to become professional musicians together. That gamble led to the Hassles, Attila, and a lifetime of music.
It also led to a friendship that Joel says never changed, no matter what happened.
Small’s death marks the end of that friendship in the physical world. But Joel’s tribute suggests it will live on in memory.
The love Small left behind, Joel wrote, is what those who knew him will remember most.
Source: rollingstone.com
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