In which country was Billy Joel's father born?

Billy Joel’s father was born in Germany. Howard Joel, originally named Helmut Joel, was born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1923. He was the only child of Karl Amson Joel, a German-Jewish textile merchant and manufacturer, and grew up in a family deeply affected by the rise of Nazism.

Karl Amson Joel was forced to sell his successful textile company in 1938 under Nazi Aryanization policies. The family left Germany for Switzerland and later traveled through Cuba before reaching the United States in 1939, partly because strict American immigration quotas made direct entry difficult for German Jewish refugees. Howard later became an engineer in New York and retained a strong interest in classical music.

A common mix-up is confusing Germany with Austria, because Howard eventually settled in Vienna after Billy Joel’s parents divorced. Another is confusing Howard’s birthplace with his father Karl’s birthplace: Karl was born in Colmberg, Bavaria, while Howard was born in Nuremberg. Billy Joel’s German family history helped shape the later discovery of his Jewish heritage.