The song Piano Man came from the inspiration Billy Joel got while avoiding legal and financial problems caused by mismanagement of funds and contracts by his trusted advisor. In 1973, Billy Joel went to Los Angeles and played in piano bars under the pseudonym Bill Martin. He tried to keep a low profile but the song Captain Jack prompted Columbia Records to track Billy down and offer him a recoding contract. Within a year he released Piano Man, which sold over a million copies by the end of the year. From this contract, Billy Joel earned $7,763.