Billy may sing about coal fight

PIANO man Billy Joel's next big hit could be about the gritty plight of South Yorkshire's former pit families.

He's reading up on the closure of Grimethorpe Colliery, as our exclusive photo reveals backstage at Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena..

Joel has sung about the demise of the Pennsylvania steel industry in Allentown and the struggle of Long Island's fishermen, in The Downeaster Alexa.

Now he's planning to read Energy Is Coal - Grimethorpe Pit Closure, written more than 10-years ago by former Barnsley miners, families and school children.

The book, amongst presents sent backstage by fans, struck a chord with the music legend, who is regarded as one of the greatest social observation songwriters of all time. "I'm a history buff and I'll certainly look forward to reading this. My wife is from Virginia, which is also a coal mining area,'' said Joel, who is keen to explore his UK roots. His mother, Rosalind, was born in England and his father, Howard, was a Jewish holocaust survivor from Germany.

Mel Dyke, the former Willowgarth High School deputy head, was behind the Grimethorpe book-in-a-day project. She said: "Billy's hit, Allentown, inspired what we did. He's the greatest songwriter since Cole Porter.

"I don't know if anything will come of the present, but he sings about social issues in his homeland so it's just great to share our history with him.''

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