Elton John

English pop pianist, singer, and songwriter

• Born: March 25, 1947
• Place of Birth: Pinner, Middlesex, England

John redefined the worlds of pop and rock with his innovative piano-playing techniques and flamboyant presentations. Throughout his career, the singer set trends and produced a streak of hit singles and sold-out concert tours.

The Life

Long before taking the stage name Elton John, the singer was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex (a suburb of London), England, to parents Stanley and Sheila Eileen Dwight. His father was a onetime Royal Air Force trumpeter, and his mother was an avid record buyer, often exposing her son to top stars of the era (including Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and His Comets). John followed in similar artistic footsteps, playing piano at age four and winning a scholarship by age eleven to the Royal Academy of Music. However, once hitting his teen years, the hopeful star became disenchanted with studying, and, despite his father urging him to choose a more conventional path, he left school to pursue a career in the music business full time.

John pursued music in local clubs, joining the band Bluesology in 1961. The band backed everyone from the Isley Brothers to Long John Baldry and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. After breaking from the group in 1966, the solo star changed his name to Elton John, taking his first name from Bluesology saxophone player Elton Dean and his last name from John Baldry, in the hope of creating a flashy stage appeal.

The new moniker heralded a songwriting partnership with the like-minded hopeful Bernie Taupin, and it paved the way for John’s debut album Empty Sky in 1969. John consistently recorded albums and became a top draw at the concert box office over the next several decades. He also continued to record prolifically, releasing a total of thirty-one studio albums by the time he retired from touring in July 2023.

His flamboyant concert garb fostered his glitzy stage persona and raised questions about his sexual orientation. In 1976 John announced he was bisexual, and in 1984 he married Renate Blauel. They divorced four years later. Soon after, John announced that he was gay, and in 2005 John and David Furnish were united in a civil partnership. The couple had two sons, born in 2010 and 2013, by surrogate.

Throughout his career, John promoted LGBTQ+ rights, formed the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and supported the Gus Dudgeon Foundation (providing students with artistic opportunities in the recording studio). Queen Elizabeth II knighted John in 1998 in recognition of his charitable efforts and career.

The Music

Early Works. After breaking away from Bluesology, John auditioned for the popular British acts King Crimson and Gentle Giant, but he was not hired. He responded to an ad to join the Liberty Records roster. Although he did not score a record deal, he was introduced to developing songwriter Taupin. In 1968 the pair joined the staff of DJM Records, collaborating on several easy-listening tunes for other artists. Eventually they wrote more complex material, which yielded John’s 1969 solo debut Empty Sky. Though the concept did not rate a lot of attention, there was enough interest to warrant another album, a self-titled project, in 1970. The first single, “Border Song,” barely cracked the Top 100, but its follow-up, “Your Song,” quickly soared to the Top 10 and pushed John to stardom. An American tour to promote the project was met with rave reviews, thanks to John’s energetic performance, his unpredictable outfits, and his remarkably different blend of piano pop with old-fashioned rock and roll.

Tumbleweed Connection. John on piano and Taupin in the lyric-writing seat continued their prolific pace by releasing Tumbleweed Connection in 1971, another landmark underscored by unconventional song presentations. The album’s most popular track, “Burn Down the Mission,” was an example of John combining ballad and up-tempo contexts in the same tune, a catalyst for the revolutionary streak that followed.

Honky Chateau. The momentum continued, and 1972’s Honky Chateau was John’s first album to reach the top slot in America, fueled by the success of “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time).” The well-rounded album combined his usual fare with elements of psychedelic rock, blues, and a bit of country, igniting an eclectic craze that led to a string of number-one albums and top singles hits. For the next few years, the pair (with a generally consistent backing band) had seemingly endless radio-play success, with the upbeat “Crocodile Rock,” the irreverent “The Bitch Is Back,” and the tenderhearted “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Additional album triumphs included 1973’s double effort Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which yielded “Candle in the Wind” and “Bennie and the Jets,” and 1975’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, a concept album that rated commercial success and critical kudos.

Rock of the Westies. Four months after releasing Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, John surprised fans with the follow-up Rock of the Westies, switching to a new studio band and tweaking his sound yet again to incorporate harder guitar sounds, along with the dance-laden sounds of “Island Girl.” Though it was met with enthusiasm from fans and critics alike, the significant changes developed over the next several projects, generating a fair amount of scrutiny along the way. The next year was a major turning point for the performer, including the relatively poor performance of 1976’s bleaker Blue Moves (with only “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” standing out as a single) along with the highly publicized announcement that he was bisexual.

A Single Man. At the time, John’s admission had a polarizing effect on his fan base. As a result, he lay low for the next two years, temporarily severing ties with Taupin and indulging in increased substance abuse. The subsequent A Single Man was written with onetime Vigrass and Osborne member Gary Osborne. Because it broke with John’s previous formula and because the music industry was shifting toward disco, the album had no notable hits. A year later, John’s Victim of Love attempted to capitalize on dance trends of the time, but it proved to be another poorly received project. Those outdated sounds permeated 1980’s 21 at 33, but the album earned some attention, since Taupin contributed a trio of tracks. However, the pair split again, with John’s next two releases getting little notice.

Too Low for Zero. Perhaps prompted by his recent commercial failures, John reunited with his long-standing band from the 1970’s and Taupin on 1983’s Too Low for Zero. The resulting publicity and return to his classic sound shot the star right back onto the charts, thanks to the rollicking “I’m Still Standing” and the soulful “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” This period marked an upward trend for John that continued through the late 1980s, ably documented in 1987’s concert comeback album and television special Live in Australia and 1989’s Sleeping with the Past, anchored by “Sacrifice.”

The One. Even with the resurgence, John took the next three years off for much-needed rest (and recovery from drug and alcohol abuse). He bounced back in 1992 with The One, marked by a more mature adult rock pattern and without the influence of drugs. Though he did not match his chart-topping success of the 1970s, the 1990s found John earning the highest concert grosses of his career. Several additional studio albums had a handful of singles that made the charts, but novelty projects such as 1993’s Duets and 1999’s musical Aida kept him in the headlines.

Songs from the West Coast. To coincide with a tour featuring fellow piano man Billy Joel, John entered the new millennium with the critically acclaimed Songs from the West Coast, which harked back to his early composing days and planted the seeds for 2004’s Peachtree Road. The trend would continue into 2006, when The Captain and the Kid served as the stylistic and conceptual sequel to 1975’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The nostalgic turn of events also inspired John to set up shop in Las Vegas, performing a series of Red Piano concerts that encapsulated his entire career to that point.

The Union. In 2010 John and Leon Russell released a duet album The Union, produced by T Bone Burnett. As he continued to perform in Las Vegas from 2011 to 2014, he also worked on other projects including the publication of his autobiography, Love Is the Cure (2012), and a new album, The Diving Board (2013). John and his touring band reunited, along with Burnett, to release Wonderful Crazy Night in 2016.

The Lockdown Sessions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many live music shows and other events were canceled, John remained busy, collaborating virtually with other artists to produce new work. The resulting album, called The Lockdown Sessions, was released in 2021. It included songs recorded with Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder, and Lil Nas X, among other artists.

Musical Legacy

When John burst on the music scene in the late 1960s, he brought a completely different artistic formula to the stage and studio. Outside his progressive merging of piano pop with rock and roll, his visual appearance and performance energy throughout the 1970s cemented his reputation as an all-around entertainer. John was a model for success for many performers, from modern-day troubadours such as Rufus Wainwright and Ben Folds to the dance band the Scissor Sisters.

Part of John’s longevity came from his ability to adapt to the times, and while some of his sonic decisions resulted in a career detour, he always got back on track. Another key factor was John’s partner Taupin; their creative relationship was the perfect template for composer-lyricist collaboration. Although music was his ultimate priority, John used his tremendous popularity to promote several humanitarian causes, including LGBTQ+ rights.

John began his final tour, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, in 2018. The tour was announced to span multiple years, consisting of more than three hundred shows across five continents. In 2019 John was the focus of the film Rocketman, a biopic about his rise to fame starring Taron Egerton. That same year John published a new memoir titled Me, and in 2020 he released a box set called Jewel Box that contained several previously unreleased songs.

After experiencing cancellations, reschedulings, and delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic of the early 2020s, John resumed touring in April 2022. By the time of his final show, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 2023, he had played a total of 330 shows as part of the tour. While he insisted the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour would be his last formal tour, John expressed a desire to perform live in the future on select occasions. The service Disney+ livestreamed a 2022 concert on the tour, titled Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium, that secured John an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) in 2024. With that win, he became part of a small group of entertainers who had claimed an Emmy, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award (EGOT).

Principal Recordings

ALBUMS: Empty Sky, 1969; Elton John, 1970; Friends, 1971; Madman Across the Water, 1971; Tumbleweed Connection, 1971; Honky Chateau, 1972; Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, 1973; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973; Caribou, 1974; Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 1975; Rock of the Westies, 1975; Blue Moves, 1976; A Single Man, 1978; Victim of Love, 1979; 21 at 33, 1980; The Fox, 1981; Jump Up!, 1982; Too Low for Zero, 1983; Breaking Hearts, 1984; Ice on Fire, 1985; Leather Jackets, 1986; Live in Australia, 1987; Reg Strikes Back, 1988; Sleeping with the Past, 1989; The One, 1992; Duets, 1993; Made in England, 1995; Big Picture, 1997; Aida, 1999; Songs from the West Coast, 2001; Peachtree Road, 2004; The Captain and the Kid, 2006; Elton John’s Christmas Party, 2006; The Union, 2010; The Diving Board, 2013; Wonderful Crazy Night, 2016; The Lockdown Sessions, 2021; Regimental Sgt. Zippo, 2021

Bibliography

Buckley, David. Elton: The Biography. Chicago Review Press, 2007.

Cassata, Mary Anne. The Elton John Scrapbook. Citadel Press, 2002.

“Elton John.” Eltonjohn.com, www.eltonjohn.com. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “Elton John.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/elton-john-mn0000796734/biography. Accessed 3 July 2024.

Jacobs, Julia. "Elton John Secures EGOT with Emmy Win." The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/arts/television/elton-john-egot-emmys.html. Accessed 3 July 2024.

John, Elton, and Bernie Taupin. Elton John and Bernie Taupin: The Complete Lyrics. Hyperion Books, 1994.

Peebles, Andy. The Elton John Tapes: Elton John in Conversation with Andy Peebles. St. Martin’s Press, 1981.

Rosenthal, Elizabeth J. His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John. Billboard Books, 2001.

"‘You’re in My Head, Heart and Soul’: Elton John Thanks Fans at Farewell Show." The Guardian, 8 July 2023, www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/08/youre-in-my-head-heart-and-soul-elton-john-thanks-fans-at-farewell-show. Accessed 23 Aug. 2023.