Biography
Early life and career
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, England, the son of a squadron
leader in the Royal Air Force named Stanley Dwight, and his wife
Sheila Dwight. Reggie was raised primarily by his mother, grandmother and aunt, as Stanley was away most of the time. Stanley and
Sheila divorced in 1962, when Reginald was 14. Sheila would later marry a man named Fred
Farebrother.
Reggie began playing piano when he was four, and when he was 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He previously attended Pinner County
Grammar School. He stayed at the Academy for six years, before leaving to start a musical career.
In 1960, Reggie and some of his friends, while still in school, formed a band called the
Corvettes, which became Bluesology, a more serious group. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and
R&B musicians like Major Lance,
Doris Troy, and the Bluebells. In 1966, two years after Reggie left school,
the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band and
began touring cabarets with him throughout England. When Baldry's control over the
band greatly increased, Reggie left and started looking for other bands to join. After failing lead vocalist auditions for both
King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Reggie answered an advertisement by Liberty Records. There he was given a stack of lyrics by lyricist Bernie Taupin. Reggie then wrote music for the lyrics, and got in touch with Bernie through the mail. Thus
began a partnership that continue to this day. When they met six months later, Reggie had changed his name to Elton John, by
deed poll, in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.
Elton and Bernie, now working together, joined Dick James's DJM Records as
staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years, wrote songs for pop singers like
Roger Cook and Lulu, while also recording their own songs. In June 1969, Elton released his first album Empty Sky for DJM, without any success.
1970s success
Elton's self-titled second album was released in the
summer of 1970, and started to sell well in the U.S., where it was released on the MCA's Uni subsidiary. "Your Song", a single from the
album, helped the album greatly by reaching the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and it reached the Top Ten on the Billboard 200. Elton performed his first American concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California, around that time, and got mostly positive reviews.
Elton John was followed quickly with the concept album Tumbleweed Connection in February 1971. It reached the Top Ten on the Billboard
200 like its predecessor, and got heavy airplay on album-oriented radio stations in the U.S., which most likely played a part
in its success. Tumbleweed Connection was followed
by the live album 11-17-70, an ambitious and largely underrated album
showcasing Elton's considerable talent as a rock pianist, with great interaction between Elton and bassist Dee Murray. Extended
versions of his early compositions clearly illustrate the gospel and boogie-woogie influences on Elton's piano playing, as the
lead instrument in a successful, yet unusual (for Rock) trio format. The soundtrack to the obscure film Friends followed,
and the album Madman Across the Water, that
same year. Madman Across the Water reached the
Top Ten, and produced the hit “Levon†while the soundtrack album produced the hit "Friends". In 1972, Elton released Honky Chateau, which became
his first American number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts, and produced the hit singles "Rocket Man" and "Honky
Cat."
Honky Chateau was the first in a series of American number one
albums for Elton - Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973, #1 for two weeks), Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road (1973, #1 for eight weeks), Caribou (1974, #1 for four weeks), Elton John – Greatest Hits (1974,
#1 for ten weeks), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975, #1 for seven weeks) and Rock of the
Westies (1975, #1 for three weeks). During that period, Elton also had 15 hit singles, including six that went to #1
("Crocodile Rock," "Bennie and the Jets," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Island Girl," "Don’t Go
Breaking My Heart") and three that reached #2 ("Daniel," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on
Me").
In 1973, Elton started his own label, Rocket Records. That year, Elton released the pop album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano
Player which produced the hits "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel", and the more thoughtful, album-oriented double LP Goodbye Yellow Brick Road which produced the hits "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Saturday
Night's Alright for Fighting."
In 1974, Elton engaged in a noted collaboration with John Lennon, resulting in Elton covering "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Elton being featured on Lennon's
"Whatever Gets You Through the Night", and a surprise joint concert performance of these two No. 1 hits along with the early
Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There". Elton also got Lennon to perform at
Madison Square Garden in what would his last public
performance. That year, he also became director of a professional soccer team, the Watford Football Club, and released the albums Caribou and Elton John – Greatest Hits.
With the release of the 1975 autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and the
Brown Dirt Cowboy Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality,. In the album, Taupin and John describe their
early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in London and its environs. The
lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that would otherwise be rare in John's
music. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life. His
next album, the rock-oriented Rock of the Westies
entered the Billboard 200 chart at #1, a previously unattained feat.
Elton, in a way, owes his success at that time to his concert performances. His flamboyant stage wardrobe that included
ostrich feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, a Statue of
Liberty costume and more, and his dressing up like Donald Duck or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart among others at his concerts made
them a success and created interest for his music.
Elton's career slowed down somewhat after 1976. That year he stated in a interview with
Rolling Stone that he was bisexual, which caused a drop in record
sales the following years. The decline in his record sales was also probably due to his exhaustion. He cut his performance
schedule after that year, and retired from live performances in 1977 and started recording
only one album per year.
1980s and on
His biggest 1980s hits included, among others, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the
Blues", "I'm Still Standing", and a 1986 live recording of "Candle
in the Wind" which he recorded with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The song, which was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, was originally recorded in 1973 on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. In 1997, he
updated the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and this became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually
going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.
In 1992 he performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Show Must Go On" with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, an
AIDS charity event held at Wembley Stadium, London.
In each of 30 consecutive years, from 1970 through 1999, John appeared with at least one single on the "Top 40" of Billboard magazine's pop record chart, the "Hot 100" -
a feat unmatched by any other recording artist.
In 2000, he recorded his One Night
Only album over a two-night concert recorded from Madison
Square Garden. His band included long-time members Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson, as well as the internationally renouned John Jorgenson, Bob Birch, John Mahon, and Curt Bisquera. The concert also featured
duets with Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel, Ronan Keating, Bryan Adams, Kiki Dee, and Anastacia.
In 2003, he reached number one in the United Kingdom with a rerelease of the single "Are You Ready For Love" which had been only a minor hit when
first released in 1979. In 2004, he released the
album Peachtree Road, which met some
critical success. The same year, John expanded his musical theatre
repertoire by composing songs for the musical adaptation of Billy
Elliot, which opened in London in May 2005 to rave reviews. John is also working on the a musical adaptation of Anne
Rice's work entitled Lestat. It marks the first time he has worked on a musical with his longtime collaborator Bernie
Taupin. Later in December of that same year, John received the Kennedy Center Honor for a lifetime of contribution to entertainment.
He continues to release new material to commercial success, and tours extensively, despite being fitted with a pacemaker. His face-to-face tours with fellow pianist Billy Joel have been a fan favourite throughout the world since the mid-1990s. Elton
also has a multi-year contract to perform at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The show, entitled The Red Piano, is a
multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by David LaChappelle.
Personal life
John has had a complicated personal history. Coming out first as bisexual in
1976, he married (1984) and quickly divorced
(1988) Renate Blauel. He
subsequently stated that he was gay and has lived with his partner David Furnish for a number of years. He
plans to marry Furnish after the British civil partnership law
comes into effect in December 2005. He has occasionally battled addictions to cocaine
and financial difficulties caused by his profligate spending.
In 1976 Elton John became involved in Watford Football Club and fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming chairman and director. He resigned in
2002 when the club needed a full time chairman. He remains lifelong president.
John has long been associated with AIDS charities after the death of his friends
Ryan White and Freddie
Mercury, raising large amounts of money and using his public profile to raise awareness of the disease. For example, in
1986 he joined with Dionne
Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to record the single "That's What Friends Are For", with all profits being donated to the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The song won Grammy awards for "Song of the Year" and for "Best Pop Performance, by a Duo or Group".
John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 as a charity to fund programs for HIV/AIDS prevention, for
the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals, and for providing services to people
living with or at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.
Currently, John lives in the Atlanta area, a fact that the city mentions freely in
its promotional materials.
Film work
He has also done work both for and in films. In 1971, he wrote original songs for the
movie Friends. In 1975, he appeared as the Pinball Wizard in the movie version of
the rock opera Tommy. Then, in 1994, he
(along with Tim Rice) wrote the songs for the Disney animated film The Lion King (John and Rice
subsequently won a Best Original Song Oscar for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"). Rice was reportedly stunned by the rapidity
with which John was able to set his words to music. Five years later, John wrote the score for The Muse, and a year later
composed songs for another animated film, DreamWorks' The Road to El Dorado. In 2001, his 1970s hit, "Tiny Dancer" was featured on the Almost Famous soundtrack, and his most recent movie song was "The Heart of
Every Girl" (the end title song from 2003's Mona Lisa Smile).
Musical style
In the 1970s, Elton John's sound was immediately set apart from others by being
piano-based in a rock world dominated by guitars. Another early characteristic was a set of dynamic string arrangements
by Paul Buckmaster. Coupled
with Taupin's often opaque but emotionally resonant lyrics, the results were unique for their time. Songs in this style included
"Sixty Years On", "Burn Down the Mission", "Take Me to the Pilot", "Tiny Dancer", "Levon", and "Madman Across the Water".
"Your Song", one of his earliest and most popular hits, incorporates some other features found in many of his songs:
- It is in binary form, with the verse repeated before the chorus
begins;
- The piano accompaniment is prominent, though the song also features an orchestra;
- It uses a slowly-building crescendo that brings the song to a tutti climax. Other songs that follow this pattern include "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"
and "Rocket Man".
Quotations
- "I've always had a body-image problem. No self-esteem. And that will never leave me."
Discography
For a detailed discography, see Elton John
discography.
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