Published: 12:00 AM, 12 December 2015
Fascinating facts about Elton John
Few pop stars have been so successful for so long as British rocker Elton John. Since bursting onto the music scene with his album Elton John in 1970, the flamboyant singer has placed 24 albums on the charts over a 15-year period while also generating 30 Top 40 hit singles. He has released at least one Top 40 single every year from 1970 to 1997. Only Elvis Presley rivaled John for popularity as a solo act in the United States, and John has managed to keep audiences coming back for more even as he evolved from the outrageous stage persona that earned him the nickname "rock's Liberace" to a more sedate performer in recent years.
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in a North London suburb, John was an only child who showed early musical talent. He learned to play piano by ear at the age of four, and soon became adept at playing a wide range of classical pieces. His talent won him a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, which he attended on weekends from the age of eleven to 16. Music proved more than just a talent for John; it was also a refuge from a rather sad childhood. He suffered from a terrible inferiority complex and had a poor relationship with his father, who was a Royal Air Force squadron leader. "He never let me do anything that I wanted," John told the New York Times in 1971. "I couldn't even play in the garden … I used to pray that my father wouldn't come home at the weekends."
After his parents divorced when John was a teenager, his father tried to talk his son out of pursuing a career in pop music while his mother fully supported his quest. John's mother fueled his interest in rock music by bringing home records by Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and other American rock and roll stars of the time. In 1961 he joined Bluesology, the group that backed singer John Baldry. As a teenager John also performed solo at a local hotel. (John's later changing of his name was the result of his combining the names of John Baldry and Bluesology's saxophonist Elton Dean.)
John quit school at age 17 so that he could focus completely on his music, and he played in various rock and blues bands during the next several years. During the day he found employment as an errand boy for a London publishing house. As John's musical talent grew, he became frustrated with Baldry's domination of Bluesology. He tried out for lead vocalist positions with King Crimson and Gentle Giant, but was rejected by both bands.
A crucial juncture in John's career was when he answered an ad for songwriters run by Liberty Records. Answering the same ad was Bernie Taupin, who Liberty teamed up with John to write commercial jingles as well.
Here, we share some unkown facts about Sir Elton John - some of which you might not know…
Goodbye Reggie Dwight: Everyone knows Elton was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, but did you know his middle name is Hercules? He named himself after Blues legends Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. And the Roman god of hitting things.
Candle in the Wind: Originally written for Marilyn Monroe, Elton reworked Candle in the Wind as a tribute to the late Princess Diana. It immediately replaced Puff Daddy's I'll Be Missing You as THE real-life-tragedy-hit of 1997, going on to become the second best-selling single of all time. Bing Crosby's White Christmas still holds the number one spot.
Every day is all right for fighting : Elton has had some of the most celebrated spats in the music industry. His sparring partners have included Madonna and David Bowie, who called the Rocket Man "the token queen of rock". Here's Elton and Lily Allen managing to fall out spectacularly (albeit in a stagey way). It seems that, for Elton, sorry really is the hardest word.
Reggie and Bernie: Most of Elton's famous songs were written with lyricist Bernie Taupin: the pair met after both failed an audition for Liberty Records. They don't collaborate as such. Bernie writes the lyrics, gives them to Elton, who goes away and writes the tune. Here's Elton, midway through writing the song that would become Tiny Dancer.
Sir Elton Tear Down This Wall: Sir Elton toured the Soviet Union in 1979, the first western pop star to do so. For many Russians, it was the first time they had seen a rich westerner. Believing we all dressed and acted this way, the gaudy Russian luxury industry was born.
He has an enormous closet: Elton John started his career in the closet, but you would too if you had so many amazing clothes in there: regency wigs and Donald Duck costumes, tiaras and corsets, boaters and braces and loafers and really naff glasses. His wardrobe is like a Pride march in Narnia. He and Rod Stewart should just get a room already: The two aging rockers have a playful rivalry. At the Brits Icons, Rod Stewart presented Elton with his award, while simultaneously plugging his own autobiography. Previously, Rod gave Elton the nickname 'Sharon'. Elton responded by shooting a balloon promoting Rod's concert out of the sky, because when you throw down with Elton HE WILL MAKE YOU HURT.
Special Guest Star: For such a grump, Elton plays surprisingly well with others. He has collaborated with everyone from Tupac to Five, and just finished working on a new album from Queens of the Stone Age. Not all of these collaborations have been out in the open. John Lennon and Gary Barlow have secretly contributed to his records, while Elton played piano for the Scissor Sisters on I Don't Feel Like Dancin'. He's also great friends with Eminem.
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in a North London suburb, John was an only child who showed early musical talent. He learned to play piano by ear at the age of four, and soon became adept at playing a wide range of classical pieces. His talent won him a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, which he attended on weekends from the age of eleven to 16. Music proved more than just a talent for John; it was also a refuge from a rather sad childhood. He suffered from a terrible inferiority complex and had a poor relationship with his father, who was a Royal Air Force squadron leader. "He never let me do anything that I wanted," John told the New York Times in 1971. "I couldn't even play in the garden … I used to pray that my father wouldn't come home at the weekends."
After his parents divorced when John was a teenager, his father tried to talk his son out of pursuing a career in pop music while his mother fully supported his quest. John's mother fueled his interest in rock music by bringing home records by Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and other American rock and roll stars of the time. In 1961 he joined Bluesology, the group that backed singer John Baldry. As a teenager John also performed solo at a local hotel. (John's later changing of his name was the result of his combining the names of John Baldry and Bluesology's saxophonist Elton Dean.)
John quit school at age 17 so that he could focus completely on his music, and he played in various rock and blues bands during the next several years. During the day he found employment as an errand boy for a London publishing house. As John's musical talent grew, he became frustrated with Baldry's domination of Bluesology. He tried out for lead vocalist positions with King Crimson and Gentle Giant, but was rejected by both bands.
A crucial juncture in John's career was when he answered an ad for songwriters run by Liberty Records. Answering the same ad was Bernie Taupin, who Liberty teamed up with John to write commercial jingles as well.
Here, we share some unkown facts about Sir Elton John - some of which you might not know…
Goodbye Reggie Dwight: Everyone knows Elton was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, but did you know his middle name is Hercules? He named himself after Blues legends Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. And the Roman god of hitting things.
Candle in the Wind: Originally written for Marilyn Monroe, Elton reworked Candle in the Wind as a tribute to the late Princess Diana. It immediately replaced Puff Daddy's I'll Be Missing You as THE real-life-tragedy-hit of 1997, going on to become the second best-selling single of all time. Bing Crosby's White Christmas still holds the number one spot.
Every day is all right for fighting : Elton has had some of the most celebrated spats in the music industry. His sparring partners have included Madonna and David Bowie, who called the Rocket Man "the token queen of rock". Here's Elton and Lily Allen managing to fall out spectacularly (albeit in a stagey way). It seems that, for Elton, sorry really is the hardest word.
Reggie and Bernie: Most of Elton's famous songs were written with lyricist Bernie Taupin: the pair met after both failed an audition for Liberty Records. They don't collaborate as such. Bernie writes the lyrics, gives them to Elton, who goes away and writes the tune. Here's Elton, midway through writing the song that would become Tiny Dancer.
Sir Elton Tear Down This Wall: Sir Elton toured the Soviet Union in 1979, the first western pop star to do so. For many Russians, it was the first time they had seen a rich westerner. Believing we all dressed and acted this way, the gaudy Russian luxury industry was born.
He has an enormous closet: Elton John started his career in the closet, but you would too if you had so many amazing clothes in there: regency wigs and Donald Duck costumes, tiaras and corsets, boaters and braces and loafers and really naff glasses. His wardrobe is like a Pride march in Narnia. He and Rod Stewart should just get a room already: The two aging rockers have a playful rivalry. At the Brits Icons, Rod Stewart presented Elton with his award, while simultaneously plugging his own autobiography. Previously, Rod gave Elton the nickname 'Sharon'. Elton responded by shooting a balloon promoting Rod's concert out of the sky, because when you throw down with Elton HE WILL MAKE YOU HURT.
Special Guest Star: For such a grump, Elton plays surprisingly well with others. He has collaborated with everyone from Tupac to Five, and just finished working on a new album from Queens of the Stone Age. Not all of these collaborations have been out in the open. John Lennon and Gary Barlow have secretly contributed to his records, while Elton played piano for the Scissor Sisters on I Don't Feel Like Dancin'. He's also great friends with Eminem.
