
The name "Billy Idol" was coined due to a schoolteacher's description of Idol as "idle". He then went on to join the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, a loose gang that travelled to wherever the band played. In October 1975, he attended the University of Sussex to pursue an English degree and lived on-campus (East Slope), but left after year one in 1976. His family later moved to the Worthing suburb of Goring-by-Sea in West Sussex, where he attended Worthing High School for Boys. In 1971, the family moved to Bromley in southeastern London, where Idol attended Ravensbourne School for Boys. The family returned to England four years later and settled in Dorking, Surrey. His younger sister, Jane, was born during this time. They also lived in Rockville Centre, New York. In 1958, when he was two years old, he moved with his parents to the US and settled in Patchogue, New York. His parents were devout Anglicans and attended church regularly. Idol was born William Michael Albert Broad on 30 November 1955 in Stanmore, Middlesex, England.

In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded.

With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea. The name "Billy Idol" was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as "idle". Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven " Second British Invasion" in the United States. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer who holds dual British and American citizenship.
