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The following biography
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Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born March
25, 1947) is a highly successful British pop singer, pianist, and
songwriter. He has created a long string of hit records and musical
projects over a career that is well into its fourth decade. His
flamboyant fashion sense, on-stage showmanship, and public struggles
with his private life have combined with his talent to make him a
popular music icon.
John completely dominated the rock world in
the '70s, as evident by his seven consecutive albums that topped the
charts: Honky Château (1972, #1 for five weeks), 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's 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), and 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"), during that period.
* * * *
Biography
Early life
and career
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight
in Pinner, Middlesex, England, the son of Royal Air Force squadron
leader, Stanley Dwight, and his wife, Sheila Dwight. Reginald was raised
primarily by his mother, grandmother and aunt, and saw little of his
father during his childhood. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962, when
Reginald was 14.
Reginald 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, Reginald and some of his friends,
while still in school, formed a band called the Corvettes, which evolved
into Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring
American soul and R&B musicians like the Isley Brothers, Major Lance,
Doris Troy, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1966, two years
after Reginald 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, Reginald left and
started looking for other bands to join. After failing lead vocalist
auditions for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Reginald answered an
advertisement by Liberty Records. There he was given a stack of lyrics
by lyricist Bernie Taupin. Reginald 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, Reginald 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 live album was followed by the
soundtrack to the obscure film Friends and the album Madman Across the
Water, both 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 spawned the hit singles "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A
Long, Long Time)" and "Honky Cat."
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 gained instant critical acclaim. The Album
topped the charts and by many including himself, is considered the best
Elton John album. It contains the number 1 hit "Bennie and the Jets",
along with the popular title song, "Candle in the Wind" (which went on
to become the best selling song of all time), and the FM radio favorite
"Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting). It also contained gems such as
the track "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Grey Seal".
In 1974, Elton engaged in a noted
collaboration with John Lennon, resulting in Elton covering The
Beatles's "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 Beatles
classic "I Saw Her Standing There". Elton got Lennon to perform these
songs at Madison Square Garden in what would his last public
performance. The concert was recorded and released two years later with
another live concert recording on the album "Here & There". That year,
he also became director of a professional soccer team, the Watford
Football Club, and released the albums Caribou and Elton John's Greatest
Hits, both #1 hits, like their predecessors. Caribou was widely
considered a lesser quality album but demonstrated John's rocking
ability with "The Bitch Is Back" and his versatility in orchestral
ssongs with "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". Also in 1974, Elton John
was asked to play a character called the "Pinball Wizard" and perform a
song of the same name by the British band the Who for their rock opera
"Tommy". Drawing on powerchords, Elton's version was recorded and used
for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976. The song
charted #7 in England.
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.
He achieved yet another #1 single in the
UK, being featured on 2Pac's posthumous song "Ghetto Gospel" in 2005,
from the rapper's album, Loyal to the Game. The song sampled "Indian
Sunset" from John's 1971 album, Madman Across the Water.
In July of 2005, a 227 lb. statue of Elton
John was made out of delicious CADBURY CHOCOLATE was made by Madame
Tussauds. It took more than 1,000 hours to create and was made to Sir
Elton's measurements.
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".
* * * *
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Date Article Copied:
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