billy Joe 是犹太人，他的爸爸是德国犹太人，妈妈是英国犹太人。本人在纽约出生。但他听了甲壳虫的音乐后，得到很多启发，最后决定选择音乐生涯。他的成名作应该是piano man。 他九十年代初的The river of dreams很有特色，特别是有美国南方乡村风味。这首歌也反映了他日渐成熟的风格。这首歌主要描述他在半夜梦中，做灵魂的探索。 93年在主要音乐市场一炮打响：
Peak positions
Chart (1993)↓ Peak position↓
Australian Singles Chart 1
Austrian Singles Chart 2
Canadian Singles Chart 2
Dutch Top 40[1] 5
French Singles Chart 4
German Media Control Charts 4
Irish Singles Chart 2
New Zealand Singles Chart 1
Norwegian Singles Chart 8
Swedish Singles Chart 8
Swiss Singles Chart 2
UK Singles Chart 3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 3
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay 1
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 1
Lyrics of the River of Dreams：
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred i lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I've been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I've been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I'd never lose
Something somebody stole
I don't know why I go walking at night
But now I'm tired and I don't want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I've been looking for
(Three beat Pause)
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night (break)
I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is runnin' through the promised land (Long Five beat Pause)
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night
