Jon Small was an American musician, music-video director and television producer best known for being the drummer and founding member of The Hassles, the Long Island rock-soul band that featured a teenage Billy Joel. Small later formed the short-lived hard-rock duo Attila with Joel before moving behind the camera and establishing himself as an influential director and producer during the rise of the MTV music-video era.
Although Small’s early musical partnership with Billy Joel is an important part of his story, his career eventually extended far beyond their teenage band years. He directed and produced videos, concert films and television projects for major artists including Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Run-DMC, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston, Van Morrison and others. His 1986 direction of the groundbreaking “Walk This Way” video helped create one of the most memorable intersections of rock and hip-hop in MTV history.
Small died on September 4, 2026, at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida, aged 79, according to his son Sean Weber-Small. Newsday reported that he died from cancer. His death prompted an emotional tribute from Billy Joel, with whom he had shared one of the most complicated friendships in the singer’s life. Small’s passing is particularly notable because the two men had reconciled after decades of personal and professional turmoil and had continued to work together.
Jon Small Profile Summary
| Fact | Details |
| Full name | Jon Small |
| Date of birth | 1947 |
| Age at death | 79 years old |
| Place of birth | New York, United States |
| Raised in | Jericho, Long Island, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Musician, drummer, director, producer |
| Known for | The Hassles, Attila, music videos and concert films |
| Years active | 1960s–2026 |
| Famous for | Directing “Walk This Way” by Run-DMC and Aerosmith |
| Former bandmate | Billy Joel |
| Education | Not publicly documented |
| Wife | Jeanine Small |
| Children | Sean Weber-Small and a daughter |
| Net worth | Not publicly disclosed |
| Height | Not reliably confirmed |
| Date of death | September 4, 2026 |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
Jon Small Early Life
Jon Small was raised in Jericho, Long Island, New York, in a musical family. His father was a professional trumpeter who had performed with major bandleaders including Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman. Small therefore grew up around professional music and developed an interest in performing at a young age.
His teenage years coincided with the rapid development of the Long Island rock and soul scene. Small became a drummer and helped establish what would become The Hassles in 1964. The original group included Small, guitarist Richard McKenna, vocalist John Dizek and Harry Weber, who played organ and bass pedals. The group initially rehearsed in the basement of Small’s mother’s wallpaper store in Syosset.
The Hassles eventually became successful enough to secure regular performances at the Plainview nightclub My House. Club owner Danny Mazur began managing the band, helping the young musicians progress from local performers toward a professional recording career. Their most consequential recruitment was Billy Joel, then a teenager who joined as keyboardist and vocalist in 1966.
Jon Small Education
There is little reliable public information about Jon Small’s formal education. His biographies and interviews focus primarily on his musical upbringing, his years with The Hassles and Attila, and his later career in television and music-video production rather than on schools or academic qualifications.
Small’s professional education was effectively shaped by the Long Island music scene. He began performing while still young and learned the realities of the music business through rehearsals, nightclub performances, recording sessions and touring.
His later transition into directing similarly appears to have been driven by practical experience rather than a publicly documented film-school background. By the time MTV transformed music promotion in the 1980s, Small had developed enough knowledge of performers, production and visual presentation to establish himself as a major director.
Jon Small Career
Jon Small and The Hassles
The Hassles were formed in 1964 and became one of Long Island’s prominent rock-soul groups. Small served as the band’s drummer and was one of its founding members. When Billy Joel joined in 1966, the group gained the young keyboardist and vocalist who would eventually become one of America’s most successful singer-songwriters.
The band signed with United Artists Records and released its self-titled debut album in 1967. A second album, Hour of the Wolf, followed in 1969. Although The Hassles never achieved major commercial success, their place in music history became much more important because of Joel’s later career and Small’s own development as a director.
The Hassles broke up in 1969. Joel and Small then embarked on another musical experiment that would become Attila, while the other members pursued separate careers. Decades later, the importance of the band was formally recognized when The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2025.
Jon Small and Attila
After The Hassles ended, Jon Small and Billy Joel formed Attila, a hard-rock duo consisting of Joel on keyboards and vocals and Small on drums. Their self-titled album was released in 1970.
Attila was an unusual project for Joel, who was still searching for the musical direction that would eventually lead to his solo success. The record has since become a curiosity in the history of Joel’s career, representing one of the most unconventional periods before he became a major pop-rock star.
The partnership did not last. The personal relationship between Small and Joel also deteriorated dramatically after Joel became romantically involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber. Weber later divorced Small and married Joel in 1973. The episode effectively destroyed the friendship between the two musicians for a period of time and became one of the most painful chapters in both men’s personal histories.
Jon Small and Billy Joel’s Complicated Friendship
The relationship between Small and Joel was unusually complicated because their professional and personal lives were intertwined from adolescence. They had played together in The Hassles, formed Attila together and developed a close friendship before the breakdown surrounding Elizabeth Weber.
Small and Weber had a son, Sean Weber-Small. During Joel’s relationship with Elizabeth, Sean remained part of their shared family environment. Decades later, Sean appeared in the HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, offering additional insight into the complicated history between his parents and Joel.
Despite everything that had happened, Small and Joel eventually reconciled. Their professional relationship resumed in the 1980s, when Joel asked Small to direct music videos for him. Their renewed collaboration demonstrated how completely the relationship had changed: the former bandmates who had once fallen out over a devastating personal betrayal were eventually working together again on some of Joel’s most important visual projects.
Jon Small’s Transition to Music-Video Direction
Small eventually left performing behind and became a director and producer. His knowledge of musicians and the entertainment business proved extremely useful as the music-video industry expanded, particularly during the MTV era.
He directed music videos for a wide range of major performers, including Billy Joel, Whitney Houston, Aerosmith, Run-DMC, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Sting and others. His work was not limited to conventional promotional clips; he also became heavily involved in concert films and long-form music productions.
This second career transformed Small from a musician remembered primarily as Billy Joel’s former bandmate into a respected visual director in his own right. By the late 1980s and 1990s, he was working with some of the biggest names in popular music.
Jon Small and “Walk This Way”
One of Jon Small’s most important achievements came in 1986, when he directed the music video for Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
The video famously portrayed the two groups performing on opposite sides of a wall before Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler broke through the barrier, allowing the rock and hip-hop performers to perform together. Small was responsible for the video’s central visual concept.
The video became a landmark of the MTV era and helped expose Run-DMC to a much wider mainstream rock audience. It also became an important moment in the growing relationship between hip-hop and rock music, helping demonstrate that the genres could successfully share the same commercial and cultural space.
Small’s direction of “Walk This Way” consequently became one of the defining accomplishments of his career. The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame specifically highlighted the video when celebrating his contribution to music-video history.
Jon Small and Billy Joel Music Videos
Small’s reconciliation with Billy Joel eventually led to an important second phase of their professional relationship. Joel asked Small to direct videos for his music, beginning with “Tell Her About It”, which became one of Joel’s three No. 1 singles. Small also directed Joel’s “Baby Grand” video.
The partnership extended beyond music videos into concert films. Small directed and produced Live at Yankee Stadium, a major Billy Joel concert production that received a 1992 Grammy nomination for Best Music Video—Long Form. The Grammy Awards database confirms Small as both director and producer of the nominated project.
Their collaboration ultimately became one of the clearest examples of their reconciliation. Small was no longer simply Joel’s childhood friend or former bandmate; he had become a professional creative collaborator whose visual work helped preserve important stages of Joel’s career.
Jon Small and Garth Brooks
Small also became heavily involved in country music and directed several important projects for Garth Brooks. His credits include “The Red Strokes” and “Standing Outside the Fire,” as well as other Brooks productions. IMDb identifies him as director of both videos.
His work with Brooks demonstrated his ability to operate beyond the rock-oriented world in which he had started. Small could adapt his visual style to different performers and genres while maintaining the performance-driven approach that had become characteristic of his work.
He also worked with Reba McEntire, further establishing his presence in the country-music television and video industry. His career therefore encompassed rock, pop, country and large-scale concert productions.
Jon Small’s Concert Films and Television Work
Small’s directing career extended into concert films and television specials. His credits include productions involving Van Morrison, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Highwaymen, the country supergroup featuring Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.
He also directed and produced Live: American Outlaws, a project centered on the Highwaymen, as well as Live at Shea Stadium and other major concert productions. AllMusic’s professional credits list Small as producer and director on several of these projects.
His work helped establish the concert film as more than a simple recording of a live performance. Small brought the techniques of music-video direction into large-scale concert productions, creating visual documents designed to capture the energy and personality of the performers.
Jon Small and His Grammy Recognition
Small received a Grammy nomination in 1992 for Live at Yankee Stadium. The Grammy Awards database lists him as the director and producer of the Billy Joel project in the Best Music Video—Long Form category. He did not win the award, but the nomination represented significant recognition from the recording industry’s most prominent awards organization.
The nomination also demonstrated how far Small had traveled professionally from his beginnings as a teenage drummer on Long Island. By this stage, he was being recognized not as a performer but as a creative force responsible for translating major musical performances into visual media.
His influence was particularly significant during an era when music videos and concert films were becoming increasingly important to how audiences experienced popular music.
Jon Small’s Later Career
Small continued directing and producing into the 2000s and 2010s. His later credits included projects involving Garth Brooks, Billy Joel, Blake Shelton and other major artists. TV Guide and AllMusic list him as director and producer on several prominent concert and television productions.
He also remained connected to emerging generations of artists. Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame material notes that he worked on projects involving artists including Taylor Swift, demonstrating the breadth of his career and the fact that his influence extended well beyond the original MTV generation.
Even in 2025, Small was still publicly discussing his career. He participated in interviews surrounding The Hassles’ induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame and reflected on his decades of work in music and television.
Jon Small and The Hassles’ Hall of Fame Induction
In June 2025, The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Small, as one of the band’s founding members and its drummer, was an important part of the recognition. He was the only surviving member of the original group to attend the induction ceremony.
The induction was significant because it formally recognized a band that had not achieved enormous commercial success but played an important role in the history of Long Island music and, indirectly, the development of Billy Joel’s career.
For Small, it also represented recognition of the beginning of a career that had taken him from playing drums in a local band to directing major music videos and concert films for some of the world’s best-known performers.
Jon Small Trending: Why Is Jon Small Famous?
Jon Small is trending in September 2026 because of news of his death at the age of 79. Billy Joel announced his death through social media, sharing photographs of the two men from their youth and later years. Newsday subsequently reported that Small died from cancer at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The news has attracted particular attention because of Small’s extraordinary connection to Billy Joel. Small was not merely Joel’s former drummer; he was one of Joel’s earliest musical partners, his bandmate in The Hassles and Attila, and the man whose wife Elizabeth Weber later became Joel’s first wife. Their story was revisited extensively in the 2025 HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes.
Small’s death has also prompted renewed recognition of his own career. Beyond Billy Joel, he directed the iconic “Walk This Way” video for Run-DMC and Aerosmith and worked with artists ranging from Whitney Houston and Garth Brooks to Reba McEntire and Van Morrison. His death has therefore brought attention not only to the complicated history of Billy Joel’s early life but also to a director whose work helped shape the visual language of popular music.
The timing is especially poignant because Small had been publicly honored only the previous year through The Hassles’ 2025 induction into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. His death has consequently prompted a retrospective look at both halves of his career: the teenage musician who helped launch Billy Joel and the accomplished director who later built a major career of his own.
Jon Small Personal Life
Jon Small’s personal life became inseparable from Billy Joel’s history because of his marriage to Elizabeth Weber. Small and Weber had a son, Sean Weber-Small, and Weber later became involved romantically with Joel while still married to Small. She eventually divorced Small and married Joel in 1973.
The affair caused a devastating rupture between Small and Joel. Joel later acknowledged the emotional damage surrounding the situation, while Small eventually reflected on the relationship and forgave his former friend. Their reconciliation became one of the more remarkable elements of their shared history, particularly because Small later agreed to direct Joel’s music videos and concert films.
Later in life, Small married Jeanine Small. According to Newsday, his survivors included Jeanine and a daughter, while his son Sean Weber-Small confirmed his death. Small therefore left behind a family that extended beyond the famous relationship that had made his name closely connected with Billy Joel.
Jon Small Age, Religion, Nationality, Height and Physical Appearance
Jon Small was 79 years old when he died on September 4, 2026. Newsday described him as a Jericho-raised drummer and reported that he died from cancer at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. His exact date of birth has not been reliably established in the major sources reporting his death, although the reported age places his birth around 1947.
Small’s religion has not been reliably documented in authoritative public biographies. His public interviews and profiles concentrated on music, directing, family and his relationship with Billy Joel rather than his religious beliefs, so no specific religious affiliation should be assumed.
Jon Small was American and was strongly associated with Long Island, New York, where he was raised and where The Hassles developed. His exact height has not been reliably published. Photographs from his youth with The Hassles and from his later career show his appearance across several decades, but numerical physical measurements are not well documented.
Jon Small Social Media Presence
Jon Small was not primarily a social-media personality. His public profile was built through music, television, music videos and concert films rather than through a personal social-media brand.
His name has nevertheless become highly visible online following his death. Billy Joel’s public tribute prompted renewed interest in their decades-long friendship, while news organizations and music publications have circulated photographs and archival material from The Hassles, Attila and Small’s directing career.
Small’s digital legacy is therefore largely represented by archival music videos, concert films, interviews and retrospectives. His work continues to circulate through platforms that preserve MTV-era music videos and live performances, ensuring that his influence remains accessible even after his death.
Jon Small Net Worth
Jon Small’s net worth was not publicly disclosed at the time of his death. Unlike major recording artists whose earnings can sometimes be estimated through album sales and touring revenue, Small’s career was primarily behind the camera, making reliable estimates of his personal wealth considerably more difficult.
His professional career nevertheless included decades of work with some of the largest names in music. He directed and produced music videos, concert films and television projects for artists such as Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Aerosmith, Run-DMC and Whitney Houston.
Because there are no reliable public records establishing his salary, investments, property holdings or accumulated production earnings, numerical estimates of his net worth should be treated as speculative. His actual wealth at the time of his death is best described as not publicly disclosed.
Jon Small Legacy
Jon Small’s legacy rests on two very different but interconnected careers. His first was as a musician who played drums in The Hassles and Attila alongside a young Billy Joel. His second, ultimately more influential career, was as a director and producer who helped define the visual presentation of popular music during and after the MTV era.
His direction of “Walk This Way” stands as perhaps his most recognizable individual contribution. The 1986 video visually brought together Aerosmith’s rock musicians and Run-DMC’s hip-hop performance, helping create a cultural moment that crossed genre and racial boundaries at a crucial point in MTV’s development.
Small’s relationship with Billy Joel is an equally memorable part of his legacy. Their story moved from teenage friendship and musical partnership to betrayal and estrangement, followed eventually by forgiveness and a second professional partnership. Small’s death in 2026 therefore represents the loss of not only an accomplished director but also one of the people who knew Billy Joel before he became the “Piano Man.”
Conclusion
Jon Small was a musician, director and producer whose life was closely intertwined with one of the most important figures in American popular music. As the drummer and founding member of The Hassles, he helped provide the environment in which a teenage Billy Joel began his professional musical journey, and the two later formed the short-lived duo Attila. Their friendship was shattered when Joel became involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber, but the two eventually reconciled and resumed their professional relationship. Small subsequently built an impressive independent career behind the camera, directing landmark music videos such as Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” producing concert films for Billy Joel and working with artists including Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire and Whitney Houston. His work earned a 1992 Grammy nomination for Live at Yankee Stadium, while The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2025. Small died from cancer at his West Palm Beach home on September 4, 2026, aged 79, leaving behind a legacy that extends far beyond his connection to Billy Joel and into the history of music television and visual culture.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jon Small
Who was Jon Small?
Jon Small was an American musician, drummer, music-video director and producer best known for The Hassles, Attila and his extensive work directing music videos and concert films.
How old was Jon Small when he died?
Jon Small was 79 years old when he died on September 4, 2026.
When did Jon Small die?
Jon Small died on September 4, 2026, according to reporting based on confirmation from his son, Sean Weber-Small.
What did Jon Small die from?
Newsday reported that Jon Small died from cancer at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Who was Jon Small’s wife?
Jon Small was married to Jeanine Small later in his life. He was previously married to Elizabeth Weber, who later became Billy Joel’s first wife.
Did Jon Small have children?
Yes. He had a son, Sean Weber-Small, with Elizabeth Weber, and Newsday reported that his survivors also included a daughter with his later wife Jeanine.
Who was Jon Small’s most famous bandmate?
His most famous bandmate was Billy Joel. They played together in The Hassles and later formed the duo Attila.
What was The Hassles?
The Hassles were a rock and blue-eyed soul band formed on Long Island in 1964. Jon Small was a founding drummer, while Billy Joel later joined the group as a teenage keyboardist and vocalist.
What was Attila?
Attila was a short-lived hard-rock duo formed by Jon Small and Billy Joel after The Hassles broke up. The pair released the self-titled album Attila in 1970.
Did Jon Small direct “Walk This Way”?
Yes. Jon Small directed the famous 1986 music video for Run-DMC and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.” The video became a landmark collaboration between hip-hop and rock.
What other artists did Jon Small work with?
Small worked with artists including Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Run-DMC, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston, Sting, Van Morrison, Meat Loaf and others.
Was Jon Small nominated for a Grammy?
Yes. He received a 1992 Grammy nomination for Live at Yankee Stadium, the Billy Joel concert film he directed and produced.
Why did Jon Small and Billy Joel fall out?
Their friendship was severely damaged when Billy Joel became romantically involved with Small’s wife, Elizabeth Weber. Weber later divorced Small and married Joel in 1973.
Did Jon Small and Billy Joel reconcile?
Yes. The two eventually repaired their friendship and later worked together professionally, with Small directing and producing several of Joel’s music videos and concert films.
Was Jon Small involved in Billy Joel: And So It Goes?
Small’s story was an important part of the 2025 HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, particularly because the film revisited the history involving Joel, Small and Elizabeth Weber.
Was Jon Small inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame?
Yes. The Hassles were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2025, with Small attending the ceremony as the surviving original member present.
What is Jon Small’s net worth?
His net worth was not publicly disclosed. There is no sufficiently reliable evidence to provide a precise figure.
What was Jon Small’s nationality?
Jon Small was American. He was raised in Jericho, Long Island, New York.
What was Jon Small’s height?
His exact height has not been reliably documented.
What was Jon Small best known for?
He is best remembered for two major achievements: being Billy Joel’s early bandmate in The Hassles and Attila, and becoming an influential music-video and concert-film director whose credits included the iconic “Walk This Way” video.