Rocker Billy Idol visits Downey middle school to promote music education

Students at Griffiths Middle School in Downey tooted their own horns as they welcomed 80's rocker Billy Idol with a rendition of "Rebel Yell."

The singer visited the students as part of a nationwide initiative with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Save the Music Foundation, and iHeartMedia to promote music education.

The initiative launched last year with the goal of funding at least 25 new music education programs in public schools across the country over several years.

As part of the effort, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees visit schools to inspire the next generation. Idol is among the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2026 inductees.

In a question-and-answer session, Idol answered an array of student questions.

"Every weekend I'd do a couple of paper rounds so I could go buy an album or I could see a band," Idol said. "And that's all we did, we went, and we saw music, we lived for music."

Idol, 70, first fronted the British punk band Generation X during the 1970s. The punk band released three albums before Idol launched his solo career that made him a chart-topper in the 1980's.

His live cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Mony Mony" held the No. 1 spot for one week in 1987.

His 1983 album "Rebel Yell" produced some of his best-known songs, including "Eyes Without a Face" and "Flesh for Fantasy."

Save The Music is the inaugural recipient of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's first-ever grantmaking initiative, with programming planned in multiple communities, including Los Angeles and Compton.