Billy Joel's Longtime Agent Reflects On Career After Hall Of Fame Honor

OLD WESTBURY, NY — Dennis Arfa, Billy Joel's longtime booking agent, has worked in the music industry for decades, and the spotlight is shining on him now with his induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame this month.

Arfa, chairman of the Music Division at Independent Artist Group, was honored June 6 in Stony Brook Village, surrounded by music enthusiasts, including Billy Joel himself. The induction was part of the 2-day Billy Joel Symposium.

The Old Westbury resident said he got his start in the music and entertainment industry unintentionally: "It was kind of a fluke."

At 19, Arfa said he lost interest in college and was "directionless."

"I basically dropped out of one college and then went to the University of Rock 'n Roll," Arfa said.

He would visit a bar in Sea Cliff to see a cover band called the Salvation Navy. After meeting the band's guitar player, who attended the same college as he did, Arfa was offered a job as the band's road manager.

That became his first job in the industry. He set up equipment at clubs where the band performed, though it didn't take long for members to recognize his strengths.

"They realized I wasn't good with my hands, but I had a good gift of gab," Arfa said.

He eventually became their manager and agent, booking gigs throughout Long Island. At one of the gigs in the Hamptons, Arfa met Billy Joel, and he said they were both "lifers" for the industry.

"This is what we were going to do," Arfa said. "I wasn't going to do anything but work in this business."

In his early 20s, he gained experience by promoting concerts in New Paltz and learned an immense amount of knowledge about the industry, including how to sell out 2,000 seats at a venue.

He said being thrown into the live concert business "was really my education."

Although the two remained in touch, Arfa did not officially become the Music Man's agent until Aug. 16, 1976. Joel's team was looking for fresh ideas, people, and a new team, Arfa said.

"To represent someone you believed in is amazing," he said. "He is a brilliant artist, an amazing songwriter, and he sings great live. It was a blessing. It was a passion. When you can work with an artist whom you are really passionate about, it's amazing."

As part of their team dynamics, Joel doesn't have a manager, so Arfa would develop some plans and visions on where to play, strategies, etc., and collaborate with Joel.

"Billy Joel is the longest client of my life," Arfa said. "We've had so many great moments and nights."

He's been working in the industry for so long, seeing changes reshape the business, bands break apart, groups come back to life, and unforgettable live performances.

"It's a way of life," he said. "It's a culture. I feel very fortunate."

Although Arfa wouldn't have it any other way, he said the music business is not an easy industry to join, with plenty of challenges over the years.

"It's a unique business with many, many characters," Arfa said. "Success can be very fleeting for both the artist and representative. They move on, and relationships break up. There is a fragility to it. Success for a minute doesn't mean success forever. You have to be humble because you can always be humbled. That's the reality."

His day-to-day stays busy, and even the day after his induction, he flew out to Los Angeles for RUSH's first "Fifty Something" concert, the band's first tour since 2015. The performance marked their return to touring after years without performing following the passing of Neil Peart during his tenure.

When he received the call informing him he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Long Island, Arfa said he was overjoyed.

"It's kind of surreal," he said. "This is where my roots are."

Throughout the decades, Arfa has worked with various clients, including Rod Stewart, Def Leppard, RUSH, Mötley Crüe, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, and more, some for 10 to 40 years with him.

"I'm very proud of the longevity," he said.

Although most of his days involve emails, calls, and traditional work, Arfa gets to enjoy rock and roll live, even traveling the world to do so.

"The rush from the crowd is the best," he said. "If you can't enjoy the rush and roar of the crowd, if it doesn't get you excited, you're finished. That's the drug. It introduced me to this world. It's a wonderful way to live."

Of course, the live concerts are always a highlight, Arfa said, but he can't help but smile at the world of comedy that Rodney Dangerfield has brought to his life – all the humor and laughter, he said with pure bliss and nostalgia.

Looking back on a career spanning decades, Arfa said he remains grateful.

"I'm blessed to have found my calling," Arfa said. "It's a pinch me feeling."