William Michael Albert Broad, better known as Billy Idol, is known as a rock singer and guitarist mainly during the 1970s and 1980s. He was born in 1955 in England. Idol’s music career began when he joined a band called Bromley Contingent, which featured members of the Clash and Siouxsie and the Banshees. After that, he created Chelsea, a punk band with lyricist and bass guitarist Tony James. After they both left, they came together again to form a band under the name Generation X. The band released a self-titled debut album in 1978, "Valley of the Dolls" in 1979, and "Kiss Me Deadly" in 1981. After the release of their album, the band unfortunately broke up because of internal management issues.

Billy Idol decided to start his solo career and move to New York. He met with KISS’s former manager, Bill Aucoin, to build his new music career. Idol got a solo deal with Chrysalis Records and began to write songs with guitarist Steve Stevens.

Idol had a huge breakthrough with the help of MTV. His songs “White Wedding” and a remake of the Generation X song “Dancing With Myself” had interesting music videos and they were promoted a lot on MTV. Idol’s bad-boy persona, attractive edgy appearance, and catchy music helped him gain celebrity status during his solo debut. Idol was known by his fans for his bleached blonde spiky hair, intimidating smirk, and punk attitude, which was effectively communicated with the help of American television in the 1980s. His debut went Gold and made audiences anticipate his next huge album, "Rebel Yell."

"Rebel Yell" (1984) was Idol’s most successful album and went Double Platinum. Songs from the album like “Eyes Without a Face” and “Flesh for Fantasy” were highlighted on MTV and on the radio. “Rebel Yell” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Idol was nominated for the same honor a second time for his "Whiplash Smile" which also sold well with hit songs including “To Be a Lover” and “Sweet Sixteen.”