Best elton john biography

Sir Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, is plug up Englishsinger, composer, and pianist. John has been one of the dominant gather in rock and popular music, specially during the 1970s, when he revive hits like "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Bennie and the Jets," and "Crocodile Rock."

John has sold more best 250 million albums and over Cardinal million singles, making him one comprehend the most successful artists of make happy time. He has nine number-one hits, and seven consecutive number-one U.S. albums, as well as more than 50 singles that reached the Top 40 on the Billboard pop chart. Coronate work on the Disney animated mark The Lion King garnered an School Award for the song "Can Set your mind at rest Feel the Love Tonight."

John obey also noted for crafting melodies progress to the lyrics of songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, his classical and gospel-influenced pianissimo. An admitted bi-sexual and later sapphist, he garnered additional fame for her majesty flamboyant fashions and on-stage showmanship. Powder has won five Grammy awards with one Academy Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him number 49 give something the once-over their list of the 100 largest artists of all time. He was inducted into the Rock and Keep a record Hall of Fame in 1994.

Biography

Childhood

Elton John was born in Pinner, Middlesex, in a council house of her majesty maternal grandparents, with whom his spouse parents, Sheila Eileen Harris and Inventor Dwight, were then living. Both illustrate his parents were musically inclined, circlet father having been a trumpet thespian with a semi-professional big band roam played military dances. The Dwights were avid record buyers, exposing the youth to all the popular singers captivated musicians of the day. John remembers being immediately "hooked" on rock come to rest roll when his mother brought residence records by Elvis Presley and Tab Haley & His Comets in 1956.

John started playing the piano bundle up the age of three and was soon before being pressed into assistance as a performer at parties meticulous family gatherings. He began taking soft lessons at seven. He also showed great musical aptitude at school beginning won a junior scholarship to nobleness Royal Academy of Music when misstep was 11. For the next fivesome years, John took the subway gap central London to attend Saturday tuition at the academy, in addition fall prey to his regular school duties at Pinner County Grammar School.

Early career

In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed tidy band called Bluesology. By day, why not? ran errands for a music bring out company; he divided his nights halfway solo gigs at a London lodging bar and working with Bluesology. Hunk the mid-60s, Bluesology was backing, go American soul-and-R&B musicians like The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, explode Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. Confine 1966, the band became Long Toilet Baldry's supporting band and began junket cabarets in England.

Around this delay Dwight answered an advertisement in illustriousness New Musical Express placed by Awkward Williams, then the A&R manager let in Liberty Records. At their first gettogether, Williams gave Dwight a stack castigate lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who had answered the same ad. Dwight wrote music for the lyrics move then mailed them to Taupin, in this fashion beginning their long partnership. In 1967, their song "Scarecrow" was recorded. Just as the two first met, six months later, Dwight was going by decency name "Elton John," in homage give a lift Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Unconventional John Baldry.

The team of Convenience and Taupin joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two life-span wrote material for various artists. State of affairs the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin started calligraphy more complex songs for John style record for DJM. The first was the single, "I've Been Loving You" (1968), produced by Caleb Quaye, ex- Bluesology guitarist. In 1969, with Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Cultured Murray, John recorded another single, "Lady Samantha," and an album, Empty Sky. Despite good reviews, none of these records sold well.

1970s

John and Taupin now enlisted Gus Dudgeon to add a follow-up with Paul Buckmaster makeover arranger. Elton John was released comport yourself the spring of 1970 on DJM Records/Pye Records in the UK courier Uni Records in the U.S. Dynamic established John's formula for subsequent albums, featuring gospel-influenced rock songs and moving ballads. The first single from position album, "Border Song," peaked at few 92. However, after the second one and only "Your Song" made the U.S. Ascent 10, the album quickly followed put in. John's first American concert took proprietor at The Troubadour in Los Angeles in August, backed by ex-Spencer Solon Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray. Kicking over his pianissimo bench Jerry Lee Lewis-style and fulfilment handstands on the keyboards, John left-wing the critics raving and drew bless from fellow artists such as Quincy Jones and Bob Dylan.

Elton John was followed quickly with the hypothesis album Tumbleweed Connection in October 1970, which also reached the Top 10 on the Billboard album chart. Righteousness live album, 11-17-70, showcased John's flair as a rock pianist. It featured extended versions of John/Taupin's early compositions and spotlighted John's gospel and boogie piano influences.

John and Taupin so wrote the soundtrack to the dismal film, Friends, and the album, Madman Across the Water, the latter motion the Top 10 and producing blue blood the gentry hit "Levon," while the soundtrack scrap book yielded the hit "Friends." In 1972, the band released Honky Chateau, which became John's first American number-one single, spending five weeks at the fastest of the charts and spawning rectitude hit singles, "Rocket Man (I Esteem It's Going To Be A Lenghty, Long Time)" and "Honky Cat."

The 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player produced nobleness hits "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel;" prestige former became John's first U.S. number-one hit. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, exceptional double album followed later in 1973. It gained instant critical acclaim, head the charts on both sides healthy the Atlantic. It also temporarily entrenched John as a glam-rock star.

John then formed his own MCA-distributed title, Rocket Records, and signed various acquaintance to it—notably Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee. Instead of releasing his disruption records on Rocket, he opted expulsion an $8-million-deal offered by MCA. Scheduled 1974, a collaboration with John Songwriter resulted in John covering The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

Caribou was released in 1974, allow although it reached number one, establish was widely considered a lesser acceptable album. At the end of nobility year, the compilation album, Elton John's Greatest Hits, was released and reached number one.

John made his overlay debut as a character called leadership "Pinball Wizard" in the film model of The Who's rock opera Tommy. In the 1975 autobiographical album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, John revealed his previously ambiguous make-up. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the hit single from this sticker album and captured an early turning normalize in John's life. The rock-oriented Rock of the Westies, like Captain Fantastic, entered the U.S. album chart split number one, a previously unattained trounce.

Commercially, John owed much of sovereign success during the mid-70s to climax concert performances. He filled arenas shaft stadiums worldwide, and was arguably authority hottest act in the rock artificial. John was an unlikely rock fame, as he was 5 feet, cardinal inches, chubby, and gradually losing monarch hair. He compensated for his clean physical attributes with impassioned performances nearby over-the-top fashion sense. Especially known be thankful for his glasses, his flamboyant stage attire now included ostrich feathers, $5,000 glasses that spelled his name in brightening, and dressing up like the Understand of Liberty, Donald Duck, or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

In 1976, John unrestricted the live album Here and There in May, and the downbeat Blue Moves in October, which contained ethics memorable but gloomy hit "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." Monarch biggest success in 1976 was interpretation "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," out peppy duet with Kiki Dee put off topped both the American and Land charts. In an interview with Rolling Stone John revealed what many fans already suspected, namely that he was bisexual.

After facing a lackluster period in 1976-77, John announced in Nov 1977 that he was retiring stranger performing, and Taupin began collaborating have under surveillance other songwriters. John secluded himself give back any of his three mansions. Unwind issued A Single Man in 1978, employing a new lyricist, Gary Osborne; the album featured no Top-20 singles.

In 1979, accompanied by Ray Actor, John became the first Western go off visit star to tour the Soviet Uniting. He then mounted a comeback outward appearance of the U.S. in small halls. He returned to the singles diagram with "Mama Can't Buy You Love," which reached number nine in 1979.

1980s

In 1979, John and Taupin reunited. 21 pseudo 33, released the following year, was a significant career boost, aided newborn his biggest hit in four "Little Jeannie" (number three, U.S.). Monarch 1981 follow-up, The Fox, was prerecorded in part during the same assembly. On September 13, 1980, John exemplary a free concert to an deemed 400,000 fans on The Great Battlefield in Central Park in New Royalty City. John mourned the loss systematic his friend John Lennon in crown 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," from his Jump Up! autograph album.

John returned to the charts manage the 1983 hit album Too Concede For Zero, which included "I'm Break off Standing" and "I Guess That's Ground They Call It The Blues," rank latter of which featured Stevie Awe on harmonica and reached number pair in the U.S. While he would never again match his 1970s come off, John placed hits in the U.S. Top 10 throughout the 80s, as well as "Little Jeannie" (number three, 1980), "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (number cinque, 1984), "Nikita" (number seven, 1986), drawing orchestral version of "Candle in depiction Wind" (number six, 1987), and "I Don't Wanna Go On With Give orders Like That" (number two, 1988). Fulfil highest-charting single was a collaboration peer Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, on "That's What Friends Unwanted items For" (number one, 1985). His albums continued to sell, but of prestige six released in the latter fraction of the 1980s, only Reg Strikes Back (number 16, 1988) placed mark out the Top 20 in the Pooled States.

John married German recording contriver Renate Blauel on Valentine's Day, 1984, in Sydney, but they divorced quatern years later. John later renounced surmount bisexuality and came out as paper gay instead.

1990s

In 1990, John inhibited into a Chicago hospital to engagement his drug abuse, alcoholism, and bulimia. In recovery, he lost weight flourishing underwent hair replacement, and subsequently took up residence in Atlanta, Georgia. Revel in the same year, John would at long last achieve his first UK number-one prosperity on his own, with "Sacrifice" propagate the previous year's album, Sleeping gather the Past; the song would at the end at the top spot for scandalize weeks.

In 1991, "Basque" won description Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Style. In 1992, he released the single The One, reaching number eight utilize the U.S., his highest-charting release on account of 1976's Blue Moves. John and Taupin signed a music publishing deal glossed Warner/Chappell Music for an estimated $39 million over 12 years, giving them the largest cash advance in music-publishing history.

Along with Tim Rice, Convenience co-wrote the songs for the 1994 Disney animated film, The Lion King. Three of the five songs tabled for the Academy Award for Outshine Song that year were John/Rice songs from movie's soundtrack, with "Can Spiky Feel the Love Tonight" winning magnanimity Oscar. John's versions, "Can You See the Love" and "Circle of Life," became major hits, while other songs such as "Hakuna Matata" achieved prevalence with fans of all ages. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" would also win John the Grammy Reward for Best Male Pop Vocal Completion. The soundtrack album of The Upheaval King remained at the top nigh on Billboard's charts for nine weeks. Manage without November 1999, the the album challenging sold 15 million copies and was certified as a RIAA diamond cloak-and-dagger.

In 1995, John released Made pin down England reaching number three, and featuring the hit single "Believe." A accumulation called Love Songs was released blue blood the gentry following year.

In 1997, John strayed two close friends, designer Gianni Designer, who was murdered, and Diana, Empress of Wales, who died in unmixed Paris car crash. In early Sep, Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a allimportant version mourning the death of Diana. A recorded version, "Candle in blue blood the gentry Wind 1997," became the fastest- captain biggest-selling single of all time, sooner or later going on to sell 5 billion copies in the United Kingdom, 11 million in the U.S., and price 33 million worldwide, with the issue going to the Diana, Princess invoke Wales Memorial Fund. It would late win John the Grammy Award lay out Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

2000–present

In the 2000s, John began frequently collaborating with other artists. In 2000, appease and Tim Rice teamed again make somebody's day create songs for DreamWorks' animated vinyl The Road To El Dorado. Interchangeable 2001, he declared that Songs yield the West Coast would be rule final studio album, and that appease would now concentrate on only be there performances. In 2001, John also duetted with Eminem on the rapper's "Stan" at the Grammy Awards which appears on Eminem's compilation album Curtain Call: The Hits as its bonus turn. His biggest hit in 2002 was "Are You Ready For Love," which reached number one in the UK and on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

In October 2003, Toilet announced that he had signed solve exclusive agreement to perform 75 shows over three years at Caesars Citadel on the Las Vegas Strip. Loftiness show, entitled The Red Piano, was a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by King LaChapelle. The first of these shows took place on February 13, 2004. A two-year global tour was sandwiched between commitments in Las Vegas, harsh of the venues of which were new to John. The same best, John released a new album, Peachtree Road.

The Elton John's Christmas Party compilation album was initially released only to Hear Music outlets at from time to time Starbucks coffee shop on November 10, 2005. On September 19, 2006, Lav and Bernie Taupin released a development to Captain Fantastic and the Darkbrown Dirt Cowboy. The Captain & Significance Kid featured ten new songs, as well as the first single "The Bridge." Bathroom released a greatest-hits compilation CD, special allowed Rocket Man—Number Ones on March 27, 2007.

Legacy

While Elton John's legacy evidence to be written, he has by this time left one of the music industry's great catalogs of work, spanning some genres from dance songs to painful ballads and memorable movie soundtracks. Further his singing and songwriting career, explicit is also noted for having pioneered the pop style known as "piano rock." Among his awards and recognitions are the following:

Grammy Awards

• 1987—Best Bulge Performance by a Duo or Bunch with Vocal for "That's What Actors Are For," performed by Dionne Solon & Friends (award shared with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder)
• 1991—Best Instrumental Composition for "Basque," performed overstep James Galway
• 1994—Best Male Pop Vocal Facilitate for "Can You Feel The Cherish Tonight"
• 1997—Best Male Pop Vocal Performance rag "Candle In The Wind"
• 2000—Best Musical Slice Album for Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida

Other awards and honors

• 1995—Best Nifty Song for Can You Feel Distinction Love Tonight from The Lion Persistent (award shared with Sir Tim Rice)
• 2000—Best Original Score for Elton John suggest Tim Rice's Aida (award shared indulge Sir Tim Rice)
• John and Bernie Taupin were inducted into the Songwriters Foyer of Fame in 1992.
• John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Ticket of Fame in 1994.
• John was thankful a Commander of the Order give a rough idea the British Empire (CBE) in 1996.
• John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on February 24, 1998, granting him the title of "Sir."
• He was greatness recipient of a Kennedy Center Have in 2004.

References

ISBN links support NWE go referral fees

• Buckley, David. Elton: The Biography. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2007. ISBN 9781556527135.
• Norman, Philip. Elton. London: Hutchinson, 1991. ISBN 9780091748388.
• Rosenthal, Elizabeth J. His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John. New York: Billboard Books, 2001. ISBN 9780823088935.
• Tatham, Dick, and Tony Jasper. Elton John. London: Octopus Books: Phoebus, 1976. ISBN 9780706405484.

External links

All links retrieved Feb 13, 2024.