Sir Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, England on March 25, 1947, has had a career spanning decades. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music for several years in the late 1950s and early 1960s, though he was already a big fan of the rock and roll of the time. He is known for his percussive style of piano playing that was influenced by Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard as well as his flamboyant costumes that have often featured rhinestone sunglasses and feathers. His showmanship was influenced by Liberace, and his performances (and pianos!) were known for outrageousness.
In 1967, he started working with the lyricist Bernie Taupin. The first song they collaborated on had Elton John use the words that Bernie Taupin had already written, and this set the way he'd write their songs going forward. His first album, Empty Sky, was released in 1968. His first hit single, "Your Song, opens a new window," was included in his second album, Elton John, in 1970, and has since been covered by over 50 other musicians. The hits kept coming after that, with the next five years bringing out the songs "Rocket Man, opens a new window," "Crocodile Rock, opens a new window," "Candle in the Wind, opens a new window," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, opens a new window," "Bennie and the Jets, opens a new window," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, opens a new window," and "Philadelphia Freedom, opens a new window."
In 1979, he was the first Western pop star to tour the Soviet Union. His songwriting relationship with Bernie Taupin ended for a few years in the late 1970s, but the two paired back up in 1982 and created such hits as "Nikita, opens a new window," "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues, opens a new window," "Sad Songs (Say So Much), opens a new window," and "I'm Still Standing, opens a new window." In the 1990s, he had two big hits with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight, opens a new window" (from The Lion King, which won the Academy Award that year for the Best Original Song and a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and his reprise of "Candle in the Wind, opens a new window," rewritten for the funeral of Princess Diana.
He's never been one to shun an opportunity to share the spotlight with other performers, such as recently with Dua Lipa in "Cold Heart., opens a new window" He has also had duets with Miley Cyrus in "Tiny Dancer, opens a new window," Lady Gaga in "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, opens a new window," Rihanna in "The Bitch Is Back, opens a new window", Demi Lovato in "Don't Go Breaking My Heart, opens a new window," kd lang in "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, opens a new window," Jack White in "Two Fingers of Whiskey, opens a new window," Eminem in that performer's "Stan, opens a new window" and many, many more. He also had a star turn at James Corden's "Carpool Karaoke, opens a new window" and was featured in ads with Lil Nas X for Uber Eats, opens a new window.
Books
Printed Music
Elton John: Greatest Hits (1991)
Elton John: Classic Hits (2002)
DVD
Streamed Video
Streamed Audio
Honky Château [50th Anniversary Edition]
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (remastered)
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (remastered)
Too Low for Zero (remastered With Bonus Tracks)
Add a comment to: Elton John