Where does elton john live. Elton John (Elton John) - biography, information, personal life

1947 in north London in the town of Pinner. This event was as ordinary in its scale as the birth of a child in the most ordinary family can be. And only many years later we can talk about the significance of this event not only for the parents of our miracle, but for the whole world ...

Music prodigy

Reginald Kenneth Dwight, as Stanley and Sheila Dwight christened their child when he was born. From an early age, Reggie showed an interest in music. This was facilitated by the mother, who often worked with the child on the piano. His father was a military musician, playing the trumpet in the Royal Air Force Band. But he did not want Reggie to follow in his footsteps, so his son's hobbies did not please dad.

However, Reginald's interest in music only increased. Already at the age of four he could play by ear; which was facilitated by frequent listening to records with popular performers at that time.

When the talented Reginald was 12 years old, the Royal Academy of Music offered free tuition. He regularly attended classes on Saturdays. And a year later, the parents divorced, because of which the young man was very worried. At the same age, Reggie began to wear glasses, copying the famous artist Buddy Holly. As expected, Reggie became short-sighted and could no longer do without glasses.

Future Elton John chose music

Reginald's stepfather supported the child's beginnings in music. He first came out to the public at the age of 16. He sang and played the piano every weekend. And his mother always sat in the corner. For the performance, Reg received a pound per evening and was able to save up for an electric piano.

At that time, the young man was busy at once in three jobs. In the morning, he acted as a courier in a music publishing house. During the day he played the piano in a restaurant. Finally performed in the evening and rehearsed with the group Bluesology, which he organized with his schoolmates. They managed to release two singles, but both were unsuccessful.

Reggie never graduated from high school. He left her for a job at the music publishing house Mills. However, the work had to be abandoned when the group went on tour in Britain in the accompanying line-up of one singer.

In 1967 - again touring. At this time, Reggie fell in love with a girl named Linda and sought her attention for a long time. But she forced him to make a choice: "It's either me or the music." The guy desperately wanted to commit suicide. But, fortunately, he changed his mind and chose music.

Failed first step

After learning about the competition for young talents, which was held by Liberty Music, Reggie hurried to audition. He performed a couple of other people's songs ... and failed. But fate turned out to be favorable to him: the organizer of the competition, Ray Williams, gave the “unfortunate musician” the poems of one poet. Without knowing it myself Ray formed the creative union of Elton John and Bernie Taupin for more than three decades.

All the same Ray Williams introduced Reginald to Dick James. He used to publish songs. Now, at Ray's request, he has to record Reggie's first song. Dick James signed a publishing contract with Reginald. And Bernie Taupin moved to London.

At first, Reggie and Bernie had to work on a social order. But later Dick James agreed to record and release Reginald's own record. So it's time to change his name. And became Reginald Dwight Elton John.

The failure, success and tour of Elton in the United States

First plastic Elton"I've Been Loving You" was released in March 1968 but was not successful. And not by accident. The fact is that Elton wrote a song in the then popular style only to become famous. Moreover, he wrote the words himself, and gave Topin the right to be considered the author of these poems. As a result, I had to return to my previous work.

The head of one of the departments of the publishing house began to persuade the director to give free rein co-authors in their work. Dick James agreed. It allowed Elton make your name in the world of music.

And that's real luck. The novice English musician was noticed in America and invited on tour. In September 1970 Elton went to the USA. He was given a good reception. At the same time, Elton and his team, which included drummer Nigel Olson and bassist Dee Murray (a little later guitarist Davey Johnston joined them), recorded the music for the film Friends. By the end of 1971, Reginald Kenneth Dwight officially changed his name and became Elton Hercules John.

Sample yourself

Once Davey Johnston said that he would like to release his solo album. Elton and his manager, John Reed, took it upon themselves to help a friend. But all negotiations with the studios were in vain. Then it was decided to open their own company, which would help young talents make their way to fame.

In 1974 career Elton failure awaited. His next album was poorly received. Stepping back a little from this beat switched to other areas of activity. He bought the Watford football team and later became president of that club.

Succeeded Elton John be an actor on stage. In 1975, the rock opera "Tommy" was being prepared by Ken Russell. The director wanted musicians to play the main roles. That's Elton got a role, though very small, only 4 minutes of being on stage. This year Elton invited to record his record. Elton in turn suggested Lennon play on his record. He agreed. When the song took first place Lennon spoke with Elton at Maddison Square Garden.

Elton John Family Life

By 1976, turbulent times had begun in the world, such as the punk revolution in England. Music Elton turned out to be alien and unnecessary. Soon his alliance with Bernie. During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the singer declared his bisexuality. Fame Elton because of his long absence from music, she floated away from the musician, so he decides to tour in countries where he has never performed: France, Spain, Israel, the USSR.

In 1980 Elton, appreciating old friendship and affection, returns Dee Murray and Nigel Olson to his team. And with his songwriter Elton resumed full-time collaboration in 1984. At the same time Elton started a family: married Renate Blauer. She was a sound engineer and collaborated with him in Germany. really wanted to have children, but time passed, and his marriage to Renata remained fruitless and broke up after four years.

A little later there was a statement Elton John about being homosexual rather than bisexual. He suffered from constant depression. began to abuse alcohol and drugs and was repeatedly treated for drug addiction.

with David Furnish

In 1993 he met David Furnish, who helped him get rid of bad habits, and in 2005 John and Furnish entered into a prenuptial agreement. Only close friends and relatives were invited to the wedding ceremony.

December 25 2010 Elton and David became fathers: their son was born from a surrogate mother from California, and January 11 In 2013, the second was born. Exactly nine years after entering into a civil partnership, on December 21, 2014, David Furnish officially married. The wedding ceremony took place at the Windsor estate near London. According to an already established tradition, only the closest people were invited to the wedding. There were 50 of them. Among the guests were also the sons of John and Furnish - three-year-old Zachary and two-year-old Elijah.

Charity

with David Furnish and sons

After the death of the vocalist of the most popular group, Elton created his own fund to fight AIDS. Since then, he often gives charity concerts for the benefit of the foundation.

In 1995, he received an Oscar for his performance of the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" - the soundtrack to the cartoon "The Lion King". And two years later, during the funeral of Princess Diana, he performed his old song "Candle in the Wind", which he and Bernie rewrote. After this event, Queen Elizabeth dedicated Elton John into knights.

Now - one of the most popular and rich performers in the world. He has over 30 albums and 500 songs. He boasts that for 30 years there has not been a case when his songs were not present in the charts. And it is not surprising, because he is.

FACTS

Wunderkind Reginald Kenneth Dwight won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 11, where then studied for six years.

Over the course of his career, he has sold more albums in the US and UK than any other British solo artist.

The singer's personal fortune is estimated at $ 265 million, he donated about $ 1 billion to charity.

Updated: April 12, 2019 by: Elena

Sir Elton John is a cult British musician, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Knight Bachelor. His albums are sold in millions of copies, clips daily collect tens of thousands of views on the Internet, and his fortune is estimated at $ 270 million. The title holder of the most commercially successful singer of the 70s.

The best-selling British pop singer, whose seven discs started from the first lines of the Billboard 200. According to the musician, he began his creative career as a pianist who sings, and eventually turned into a singer playing the piano.

Childhood and youth

Elton John (at birth - Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947 in the northern area of ​​London - Pinner. Since childhood, Reginald began to get involved in music thanks to creative parents - mother Sheila played the piano with her son, and father Stanley served as a military musician in the Air Force.

At the age of four, the future musician could already pick up melodies on the piano by ear and listened to records by the best musicians of the twentieth century. Stanley Dwight was not impressed. Father was not pleased with Reginald's hobbies - he considered his music lessons stupid. Even after his son became a recognized celebrity, Stanley did not attend any of his concerts.

Reginald's parents divorced when he was 13 years old. At the same time, he began to wear glasses, trying to be like his idol. Subsequently, because of this, the boy's eyesight deteriorated - tangible myopia developed, and glasses from a stylish accessory turned into a mandatory necessity.

At the age of eleven, Reginald won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied for free for six years. He went to classes there on Saturdays, combining them with his studies in high school. Four years after that, his mother remarried, designer Fred Fairbrother became the chosen one, who supported the teenager's passion for music.

For the first time, Reginald spoke to the public at the age of 16. Since then, he has played piano at a local club and sang every week. Mom tried not to miss any of his performances. For one evening of work, a novice musician received about a pound - good money for a schoolboy. He soon had enough money to buy an electric piano.

In 1960, Reginald, together with school friends, founded the group The Corvettes, which at first performed the works of Jim Reeves and (at that time rhythm and blues was the most popular direction in music). The guys released two single-sided records, both of which did not gain popularity. A year later they changed their name to The Bluesology.

Music

In 1964, Reginald Dwight left school to work in the sales department of Mills Music. After some time, he also decided to leave work for the sake of the tour of The Blusology group in the UK, which was engaged in accompaniment for popular bands (The Isley Brothers, The Bluebelles and others).

In 1967, Reginald fell in love with Linda Woodrow and sought her favor for a long time. As a result, the couple even got engaged, but after a while the girl put him before a choice: "Either me or music." Reginald, out of desperation, was ready to commit suicide, but changed his mind in time. At this time, he takes the pseudonym Elton John - in honor of the musicians Elton Dean and Long John. Thus began the creative biography of the British star of the pop scene.

In the late sixties, Liberty Music held a talent competition, and Elton John decided to test his strength. He sang a number of songs from someone else's repertoire, but the audience did not appreciate this. However, competition organizer Ray Williams gave him a book of poems by Bernie Taupin. Thus, he became the initiator of their creative union, which will last for more than thirty years.

Ray Williams introduced Elton John to Dick James, who allowed him to use his recording studio, DJM Records. At one time, legendary hits were published here. At Williams' request, Dick allowed Elton to record the first record. Here, for the first time, poet Bernie Taupin will meet a rising rock star.

Elton's debut album "I've Been Loving You" went on sale in the spring of 1968 and even received positive reviews, but did not bring money. The new head of one of the main departments of DJM Records, Steve Brown, began to persuade Dick James himself to once again give the young co-authors freedom in their creative self-expression, to which he agreed.

Elton John. Song "I've Been Loving You"

In 1970, the album "Elton John" was released. Some time after that, Steve Brown quits, realizing that he cannot cope with his position at the required level. He returned to his former position - in the advertising department of EMI on radio, where he continued to promote the work of Elton John.

In the wake of the success of British music, the aspiring English musician was noticed in the United States and invited Elton on a trial tour. In the fall of 1970, he flew to the United States, where he was given a warm welcome. The singer's main concert then took place inside the Troubadour club. After a three-week life in America, Elton and Bernie just a month later again went to the United States.

In the early seventies, Elton John and his team, which included drummer Nigel Olson, bassist Dee Murray, and guitarist Davey Johnston, recorded the soundtrack for the movie Friends. This music was loved by most American audiences. At the same time, the singer bought himself a small bungalow.

One day, Elton's friend Davey Johnston spoke about his dream of releasing a solo album. Upon learning of this, Elton John, together with manager John Reid, tried to help him, but absolutely all negotiations with the studios were in vain. Then they decided to open their own enterprise, the main goal of which was then to help a mutual friend.

Elton John. Hit "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"

In the spring of 1973, Elton John, in the company of all his friends and just acquaintances, celebrated the creation of his own recording company (“Rocket Record Company”). In its first year, the label released Elton's album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, which made it to the top of the UK charts.

The next success was the next album - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", which contained songs of different genres. In the texts, Bernie Taupin expressed his wildest literary ambitions. World critics call this collection the most important in Elton's career. At the same time, the performer finds himself at the heart of the glam movement, and the singer's personality becomes more and more popular.

In 1974, Elton John released the album "Caribou", which was able to climb to number one in the US, but received extremely negative reviews. Trying to recover a little after the devastating reviews, the musician decided to take a break and move on to other areas of activity. A longtime football fan, he purchased the Watford club and became its president.

In 1974, Pete Townshend invited him to sing a role in Ken Russell's rock opera Tommy. The director wanted musicians to play as many roles as possible in it. Elton gladly accepted the offer and appeared on stage in the form of "Local Guy", however, the role was very small, in total he spent about four minutes on stage.

At the same time, he was invited by the ex-Beatle to record the Walls and Bridges solo album. Their joint single took first place in the charts, and Lennon agreed to perform with Elton on stage, performing this song, as well as some Beatles hits.

After the next tour in the USA, the musician developed health problems, and, according to the recommendations of doctors, he was treated on the island of Barbados for almost four months. Upon his return, he took up the development of the Rocket Record Company and his own football club. In the late seventies, the punk revolution began in England, and Elton John's music became irrelevant. He and Bernie stopped working together for a while.

During these years, Elton sat at home almost around the clock, leaving only on special occasions. For example, he visited a dying friend. The death of a star had a strong impression on the musician. Since then, he began to carefully monitor his health, afraid to end up just like the famous "king".

In 1980, the musician gave a free concert in New York's Central Park in front of an audience of about 400 thousand people near the house of John Lennon, to whom he dedicated the song "Imagine". Three months later, the ex-Beatle was killed not far from this place.

Elton John concert in Central Park

Six years later, the musician lost his voice while on tour in Australia. After a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, he was forced to undergo surgery on his throat. Polyps were removed from Elton's ligaments, and his voice changed. 20 years later, he admitted that this problem was a consequence of the frequent use of marijuana.

In 1991, Elton undertook to open an AIDS fundraising organization. This was prompted by the death of the frontman of the rock band Queen. At the same time, Elton released a new joint single.

In 1995, Elton received an Oscar for the soundtrack to the animated film The Lion King. The song was called "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" ("Ken Yu Phil The Love Tunight"). In the same year, the Queen of Great Britain awarded him the title of a knight bachelor - since then he has the right to use the prefix "sir" to his name. Two years later, during the farewell ceremony for the princess, the musician performed the song "Candle in the Wind", specially rewritten the day before.

In 2002, Elton performed as the fifth member of the Blue group, covering his hit "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word". The song topped the UK charts. At the same time, a video was released for the song "Original sin" ("Original Sin"). He also performed with the rapper during the Grammy Awards.

Elton John's soundtrack to the animated film "The Lion King"

In 2015, the musician was played by a Russian prankster, who, introducing himself as the President of Russia, made an appointment for him in person. He later apologized for the incident. A year later, the singer visited Moscow with a concert. Elton John always spoke warmly about Russia, and the audience responded to him in return. At the performance, the artist presented the new album "Wonderful Crazy Night" ("Wonderful Crazy Night"). This is the 32nd studio album in the singer's discography.

Elton John hit "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"

In January 2018, Elton John informed fans that he was leaving the stage. The news for the fans of the musician was shocking. The artist commented on this decision with a desire to fully delve into the process of raising children. Elton also promised to keep writing songs and releasing them as they are created. The artist published the news on his official website.

Nevertheless, the singer continued to give single concerts in the US and the UK. In May, at the invitation of the royal family, Elton performed for the Prince and the American film actress. For the sake of participating in the celebration, Elton John refused to tour in Las Vegas.

At the end of May, the pop star visited Armenia, where he visited a clinic for children with disabilities as part of the “Yerevan - My Love” charity program. The Briton was accompanied by the President of the Republic.

Now the artist is preparing for the next trips, the first of which will be a concert in Georgia. The performance will take place on the stage of the Black Sea Arena in the village of Shekvetili. The artist's rider is quite modest, containing clauses about providing the artist with water, juice, certain brands of wine, and a spacious room for eyeglass collection. Together with Elton John, musicians and 27 attendants go on tour.

Discography

• 1969 – Empty Sky
• 1970 - Elton John
• 1971 Madman Across the Water
• 1974 - Caribou
• 1975 - Rock of the Westies
• 1976 - Blue Moves
• 1978 – A Single Man
• 1979 – Victim of Love
• 1985 – Ice on Fire
• 1986 - Leather Jackets
• 1988 - Reg Strikes Back
• 1995 - Made in England
• 2013 – The Diving Board
• 2016 Wonderful Crazy Night

Elton John(real name - Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born March 25, 1947) - a popular British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995). Elton John had a notable influence on the development of light rock. During his nearly fifty-year career, he has sold over 250 million records. 52 of his singles were included in the British Top 40, in the list of the greatest performers according to Rolling Stone magazine, the musician takes 49th place. Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums topping the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 hitting the top ten and 6 climbing to number one. One of them, "Candle in the Wind" (the version dedicated to Princess Diana), sold 37 million copies. Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.

So, in more detail. Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born into the family of the commander of the air squadron of the British Empire. Dwight was raised by his mother because he rarely saw his father. However, the parents divorced in 1962. Mom married a second time to a man Elton called "Derf."

At the age of four, Reginald began learning to play the piano. Moreover, he turned out to be a child prodigy, because he could play almost any melody. At the age of 11, John received a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music. Later, the musician studied at the educational institution for 6 years.

Start
Dwight formed The Corvettes with friends in 1960. The team began playing compositions by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles. A year later, the group became Bluesology. Reginald played at night in a bar, and during the day he ran errands for music publishers. Musical business was not bad, by the mid-60s the group toured the United States. In 1966, the team began to collaborate with Long John Baldry, and went on tour in England.

Later, Dwight responded to an ad from Ray Williams, then Head of Artists and Repertoire for Liberty Records. The latter gave the young musician the texts of Bernie Taupin, who also responded to the proposal to collaborate. But neither one nor the other passed through the competition, but together they continued cooperation, which has survived to this day.

Bernie Taupin and Elton John recorded their first song in 1967. This is Scarecrow. It is worth noting that by that time Dwight had already taken a pseudonym. A little later, colleagues began to write songs for various artists. In 1968, the single "I've Been Loving You" was released, and a year later, "Lady Samantha" and the record "Empty Sky" appeared. The work did not have commercial success, but received good reviews. In the US, the singles and the album were not released at all.

Success
In early 1970, the album "Elton John" was released. The formula for success was already found here: the record contained rock songs and heartfelt ballads. In the same year, Elton John gave the first American concert in Los Angeles. Then the musician's manner of performance made a splash both on reporters and colleagues. After that, Elton took part in the recording of the football anthem for the English team and released the album "Tumbleweed Connection". A year later, in 1971, the artist's sixth studio album Madman Across the Water appeared. It is a dark piece with grandiose orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster. The album became a real hit in the USA.

In 1973, John created his Rocket Records label and released the pop-oriented album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The next album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, became even more popular. This record is considered by critics to be the best in the singer's career. By the way, after her, attention was focused on Elton not as a musician, but as a person.

A year later, another album appeared. "Caribou" took first place in the US, but critics were not satisfied, as it was "designed for external effect." At the same time, the musician played "Local Boy" in the film adaptation of the rock opera called "Tommy".

This was followed by "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy", an autobiographical album, the musical story of the still unknown Taupin and John's stay in London.

Bee
Elton John achieved commercial success in 1976 when he sang in a duet with Kiki Dee. The single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" topped both the US and UK charts. Almost immediately, Elton confessed his bisexuality to Rolling Stone magazine. Later, the artist said that he did not declare his homosexuality, so as not to upset the fans.

By the way, in the spring of 1979, Elton came on tour to the USSR, one of the first Western rockers. He gave 4 concerts.

In 1980, Elton and Bernie again showed their offspring, they released the album "21 at 33", which also became quite successful. Another fruit of joint creativity appeared a year later - this is the disc "The Fox".

In the 1980s, Elton was accompanied by personal upheavals. In 1984, the artist married, unexpectedly for many, the sound engineer Renate Blayel. And two years later he lost his voice and underwent surgery on his throat. He had polyps removed, as a result, John's timbre changed a little.

It is worth noting that in 1984, the Watford football team reached the final of the English Football League Cup. It was an old dream of Elton John, who was not only a fan of the team, but also the owner and head of the board.

In 1987, the singer won a libel suit against The Sun newspaper, the publication accused the artist of having sex with minors.

drugs
In 1990, Elton ended up in a Chicago hospital, where he underwent rehabilitation to combat alcoholism, drug addiction and bulimia. During the course, he loses weight, transplants his hair. A year later, the album "Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin" appeared, which was helped by many British and American artists.

A year later, Elton created the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It should fund AIDS programs. And send the money earned in the US and Britain from the sale of singles to research. The next album "The One" is immediately released.

In 1994, together with Tim Rice, Elton worked on the music for the animated film The Lion King. He became super successful and the songs played an important role here. Three of the five songs from the cartoon that were nominated for an Oscar were Jonah. In the same year, the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later he was given the title of a knight bachelor, simply a prefix to the name "sir."

Harsh statements
In 2001, the musician announced that the album "Songs From The West Coast" would be the last studio album. Elton John planned to focus on live performances. But another album appeared in 2004 - this is "Peachtree Road".

In total, Elton John has released 29 studio albums and 128 singles. He is the author of music for a number of films, cartoons and productions.

Personal life
Four years after the wedding with Rinata Blauel, the marriage broke up. Later, Elton John spoke about his homosexuality. The musician was constantly tormented by depression, he began to abuse drugs and alcohol. I had to go through addiction treatment multiple times. In 1993 Elton met David Furnish. He then helped the celebrity get rid of drug addiction and alcoholism. In 2005, John took advantage of the fact that the concept of "same-sex marriage" was introduced into law. He married Furnish.

In 2009, the couple wanted to adopt an HIV-positive baby from an orphanage in Ukraine. However, officials refused, explaining that same-sex marriages are not recognized in Ukraine. But on December 25, 2010, David and Elton nevertheless became dads, a surrogate mother gave birth to their son Zachary Jackson Levon.

144 chord selections

Biography

Sir Elton Hercules John (born Sir Elton Hercules John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; born March 25, 1947) is an English rock singer, composer, pianist, Knight Bachelor (1995) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1997) .

During his nearly 40-year career, Elton John has sold over 250 million records. More than 50 of his singles were in the Top 40. He is one of the most successful pop artists of all time.

Elton John was one of the most commercially successful rock artists of the 1970s: 7 of his albums were number one in the US charts, 23 songs were in the US Top 40, 16 climbed into the top ten and 6 went to number one. One of them, "Candle in the Wind" (a tribute to Princess Diana), sold 37 million copies and became the best-selling single of all time. Elton John influenced the development of popular music and made a huge contribution to the spread of the piano in rock and roll. The main features of Elton John's work are melodic talent, a rich tenor, gospel-sounding piano, energetic orchestral arrangements, a vivid stage image and theatrical skills.

In the early 1990s, Elton John had to struggle with drug addiction, depression and bulimia. Nevertheless, he continues his social activities, in particular in the field of the fight against AIDS, which he began in the late 1980s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, was knighted in 1998 and remains one of the most successful singers in England to this day.

Elton John was born in Pinner (Pinner, England), the son of Air Force squadron commander Stanley Dwight and his wife Sheila (nee Harris). Young Dwight was brought up primarily by his mother, and he did not see his father often. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962 when Dwight was 15 years old. His mother married Fred Farebrother, whom Elton affectionately called "Derf".

Dwight started playing the piano when he was four years old. Being a child prodigy, he was able to play any tune. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied for six years, after which he began his musical career. In 1960, Dwight and friends formed The Corvettes, which began by playing compositions by Ray Charles and Jim Reeves (on stage at the Northwood Hills Hotel in Middlesex), and in 1961 evolved into Bluesology. During the day he ran errands for music publishers, at night he performed solo in a London hotel bar and worked with Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was already touring the US with rhythm and blues musicians such as The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the group began to collaborate with Long John Baldry (Long John Baldry - part of the latter's nickname later became Elton John's pseudonym) and began a tour of England.

After unsuccessful auditions for King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Dwight responded to an ad in the weekly New Musical Express posted by Ray Williams, then Head of Artists and Repertoire (A&R) at Liberty Records. Williams gave Dwight a collection of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, who responded to the same ad. Neither Dwight nor Taupin were selected in the competition. Dwight wrote the music to the lyrics, which he then mailed to Taupin, and thus a partnership was born by correspondence, which continues to this day. In 1967, the first composition of Elton John / Bernie Taupin "Scarecrow" was recorded: after the first meeting, six months later, Reginald Dwight took the pseudonym Elton John - in honor of Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. Some time later, in 1972, he added his middle name, Hercules: that was the name of the horse in the comedy television series Steptoe and Son.

John and Taupin soon joined Dick James' DJM Records as full-time songwriters in 1968 and spent the next two years writing songs for various artists, including Roger Cook and Lulu. Taupin could draft the text in an hour, then send it to John, who wrote the music for it in half an hour, and if he could not think of anything quickly, he ordered the next draft. In parallel, John worked part-time in "budget" labels, recording cover versions of current hits, collections of which were sold in supermarkets.

On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin began writing more complex songs for the DJM label. The first was the single "I've Been Loving You" (1968), recorded by producer Caleb Quaye, former Bluesology guitarist. In 1969, with Quay, drummer Roger Pope and bassist Tony Murray, John released the single Lady Samantha and the album Empty Sky. Both works received good reviews, but were not commercially successful.

To work on the next album, John and Taupin brought in producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster. The album "Elton John" was released in the spring of 1970: in the UK - by Pye Records (an affiliate of DJM), in the USA - by Uni Records. It was here that the authors found the formula for success, which later developed: rock songs (with elements of gospel music) and heartfelt ballads. The first single from the album, Border Song, only reached #92 in the US. But the second - Your Song - became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic (#8 in the US, #7 in the UK): in the wake of this success, the album itself began to rise in the charts.

In August, Elton John gave his first American concert at the Los Angeles club The Troubadour: he was introduced to the audience on stage by Neil Diamond; Nigel Olsson (former Spencer Davis Group drummer) and bass player Dee Murray played in the accompanying line-up. His manner of performance (in many ways reminiscent of the style of Jerry Lee Lewis) impressed not only reporters, but also colleagues, in particular, Quincy Jones and Leon Russell.

Taking part in the recording of Back Home, the football anthem for the England team going to the World Cup in Mexico, Elton John recorded the concept album Tumbleweed Connection, which was released in October 1970 and climbed into the top ten of the Billboard.

The live album 1-17-70 (17-11-70 - in the UK) included a recording of a performance broadcast from the studios of the New York radio station WABC-FM, where Elton John and his band were represented by DJ Dave Herman. The record, which featured mostly extended versions of early John and Taupin compositions, showed gospel, boogie-woogie and blues influences from Elton John's early work. Outstanding tracks here were "Burn Down the Mission" (18:20) (which included part of Arthur Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" and the full version of "Get Back" by The Beatles), as well as a cover of "Honky Tonk Women", which AMG calls it "phenomenal". However, the US commercial performance of the album was negatively affected by the fact that a few weeks before the official release, a bootleg containing the full version of the radio concert (rather than the 40 minutes that Dick James Music selected for the record) appeared on the market.

In November 1971, Elton John's sixth studio album, Madman Across the Water, was released - a dark, atmospheric work marked by grandiose orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster and a noticeable progressive rock influence. The album was a hit in the US (#8, UK #41), as was the single from it, "Levon". At the same time, the single "Friends" from the soundtrack album for the film of the same name also entered the charts.

In 1972, with the arrival of Davey Johnston (Davey Johnstone, guitar, backing vocals), the final composition of the Elton John Band was formed. All members of the band were excellent instrumentalists, had strong voices and wrote the vocal arrangements themselves, often in the absence of Elton John. The band with producer Gus Dudgeon released Honky Chateau: the album climbed to #1 on the Billboard lists and stayed at the top for 5 weeks. It released "Rocket Man" (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time) (#6 US, #2 UK) and "Honky Cat" (#8 US) as singles. "Rocket Man" began a streak of sixteen Top 20 singles (of which 19 reached the UK top ten). Honky Chateau became the first in a similar series of 7 chart topper albums, which went platinum one after another.

In 1973, Elton John created his own Rocket Records label and released Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973, #1 US, UK), his most pop-oriented album. Singles from it were "Crocodile Rock" (#1, US, #5 UK) and "Daniel" (#2 US, #4 UK).

The following album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973, # 1 US - 8 weeks, # 1 UK) had an even more resounding success - a record of an unusually wide stylistic range, in which Bernie Taupin also realized some of his literary claims ("The Ballad of Danny Bailey" ). In retrospect, it is this album that music critics consider to be the best in Elton John's career. Around this time, Elton John found himself at the center of the glam rock movement; there came a point when (in the words of an AMG reviewer) the singer's personality "...began to attract more attention than even his music." 4 singles were released from the album: "Saturday Night's Alright for Fignting" (#7 UK, #12 US), "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (#6 UK, #2 US), "Candle in the Wind" (#11, UK ), "Benny and the Jets" (#1, USA).

Rocket Records released records by Kiki Dee and Neil Sedaka, but Elton John himself decided to return to MCA in 1974, signing a record-breaking 8 million contract with the company at the time.

In 1974, Elton John recorded two cover versions: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "One Day at a Time" (composition by John Lennon), after which he was invited by the latter to participate in the recording of "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" from the album Walls and Bridges. Lennon promised that if the single came out on top, he would invite Elton to play it together at the concert, and kept his word: a concert at Madison Square Garden (during which the duo also performed "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There") was the last public performance of the ex-Beatle. After the concert, Elton John continued to tour the United States on his own Boeing.

In 1974, the Caribou album was released: it rose to number 1 in the US, but generally did not satisfy critics, because (as the AMG reviewer notes) "it was more designed for external effect than previous ones." There were reports that Elton John recorded it in only two weeks between concerts. Notable tracks included the hard rock "The Bitch Is Back" and the classic pop ballad "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", where John once again demonstrated his mastery of an orchestral arranger.

That same year, Pete Townshend asked Elton John to play the role of "Local Lad" in the film adaptation of the rock opera Tommy (directed by Ken Russell) and sing the song "Pinball Wizard". The single with this version rose to number 7 in England. Also in 1975, John appeared on Cher Bono Television Special (1975) with Cher, Bette Midler and Flip Wilson.

In 1975, the autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was released: a musical story about the first months in London of the then unknown John and Taupin. The single from here came out "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" - a song that told about a specific episode of John's youth.

The year 1975 was marked by the disintegration of the Elton John Band: Olsson and Murray, tired of continuous work, left the line-up, musicians who made a huge contribution to the formation of the specific sound of the best works of Elton John. Johnston and Ray Cooper stayed, Quay and Roger Pope returned, and new bassist Kenny Passarelli joined. James Newton-Howard was invited to work on studio arrangements and keyboard parts. Elton John presented his new lineup on stage at London's Wembley Stadium in front of 75,000 spectators.

With the new line-up, Rock of the Westies was released - an album that topped the US charts, but was inferior in quality to its predecessor. Be that as it may, the main income by this time was brought to Elton John by his stage shows, which were held with increasing fanfare. At the same time, John found an opportunity to give 4 concerts at the Troubadour club: tickets were distributed by lottery, and everyone who won a ticket was given a special booklet. Also in 1975, Elton John played on Kevin Ayers' album Sweet Deceiver.

In 1976, the live album Here and There was released, followed by Blue Moves, a generally gloomy album, the atmosphere of which was perfectly reflected by the track "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" released as a single. Despite the fact that in general the double album in terms of saturation could not be compared with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the critics praised it highly, noting "Cage the Songbird" (a dedication to Edith Piaf) and "Boogie Pilgrim" with the participation of the church choir of the Southern California under Rev. James Cleveland.

Elton John achieved his highest commercial achievement in 1976 in a duet with Kiki Dee: their single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" topped both the American and English charts. Shortly after the release of the single, Elton John openly declared his bisexuality in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Later, the singer admitted that this wording was a compromise: he did not dare to immediately declare his homosexuality, so as not to upset the fans, many of whom were horrified even by this “softened” version of recognition. At the end of 1976, Elton John gave 7 sold-out concerts in a row at Madison Square Garden: this record remains unsurpassed to this day. After that, there was a break in the singer's concert activity, which he himself explained by creative fatigue. In addition, some cooling occurred in his relationship with Bernie Taupin, who, after the release of the Blue Moves album, began to work on the side, with other musicians.

In general, 1970-1976 were in all respects the most successful years in the singer's career. All six of Elton John's albums included in Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list (the highest, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road occupies 91st place in it) belong to this period.

In 1979, the creative tandem of Elton John and Bernie Taupin reunited. The following year, the new album 21 at 33 was released, which is considered a great achievement in the singer's creative career. One of the songs included in the album was the composition Little Jeannie, which became Elton John's biggest success in four years. It climbed to number three on the US charts. It should be noted, however, that the lyrics for this song were written by Gary Osborne. In addition to Taupin and Osborne, Elton John collaborated during this period with such authors of poetry as Tom Robinson and Judy Tsuki.

In 1981, the album The Fox was released, the recording of which took place partly during the recording of the previous album. Both poets, Taupin and Osborne, took part in this work. On September 13, 1980, Elton John performs a free concert in front of a crowd of about 400,000 fans in New York's Central Park. The concert was held in close proximity to the house where the apartment of John Lennon, a friend of Elton John, was located. At this concert, Elton John sang Imagine songs as a dedication to his friend. Three months later, Lennon was killed near this very building. Elton John mourns this loss on his 1982 composition Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johny), featured on the Jump Up! In August 1982, Elton John took part in a concert dedicated to the memory of John Lennon, which took place at the Madison Square Garden concert hall in New York. Yoko Ono and Sean Ono Lennon, Elton John's godson, joined the singer on stage.

The 80s were a period of great personal upheaval for the singer. In 1984, unexpectedly for many, he married sound engineer Renate Blauel. In 1986, he loses his voice while on tour in Australia and undergoes throat surgery shortly thereafter. Several polyps were removed from his vocal cords, which, fortunately, were not associated with oncology. As a result of this, the timbre of the singer's voice has changed somewhat, and from this period he begins to sound in a new way. Elton John continues to actively "record", but years of addiction to cocaine and alcohol begin to make themselves felt. In 1987, he won a libel suit against The Sun, which accused him of having sex with minors. After his victory in court, Elton John said: "You can call me a fat, bald, untalented old queen who can't sing, but you have no right to lie about me."

After the former members of his band - Johnston, Murray and Olsson got back together, Elton John was able to return to the top charts with his new album To Low For Zero, which was recorded in 1983. This album, among other songs, included such hits as I'm Still Standing and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. The last composition, in which Stevie Wonder took part, reached 4th place in the American charts. Despite the fact that Elton John during this period did not manage to repeat the success in America that he achieved in the 70s, his songs regularly reached the top positions in the charts throughout the decade. These were such compositions as: Little Jeanny (took 3rd place in 1980), Sad Song (Say So Much) (5th place in 1984), Nikita (7th place in 1986). The most successful single was the work in which Elton John took part along with such artists as Dionne Warwick, Gladys Nnight and Stevie Wonder - That's What Friends Are For (1st place in 1985). Proceeds from this song went to fund AIDS-related research. Despite the fact that his albums continue to sell, only his work, Reg Strikes Back, managed to break into the US Top 20 and take 16th place there in 1988.

In 1984 Watford reached the final of the English Football League Cup. Thus, a long-standing dream of Elton John, who for many years was a fan of this club, as well as its owner and head of the board, came true. During the traditional pre-match ceremony, fans sang the song Abide With Me, which brought tears to Elton John's eyes. However, the game was lost to Everton, who played in their traditional blue kit. After the game, Everton fans held up a banner over their stands that read: "Sorry Elton, but that's probably why everyone calls us gay."

In 1985, Elton John, along with other famous performers, took part in the Live Aid concert project, the proceeds from which were sent to help the countries of the African continent. During a marathon concert at Wembley Stadium in London, he performed his songs Bennie And The Jets and Rocket Man, sang Don't Go Breaking My Heart with Kiki Dee, and also introduced to the general public his young friend George Michael, then a member of band Wham!, singing the song Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me with him.

In 1986, Elton John took part in the recording of the album Rock The Nations by the metal band Saxon's, recording keyboards for two tracks from this album.

In 1988 he performed five shows at Madison Square Garden in New York. The total number of performances of the artist in this concert hall after that was 26, which allowed him to break the record previously owned by the American band Grateful Dead. However, this year can also be considered a turning point in the career and personal life of Elton John. More than 2,000 Elton John-related or owned items have been put up for sale at Sotheby's in London, valued at around $20 million. Among them was even a collection of tens of thousands of musical recordings that Elton John collected and cataloged over the years. The singer himself admitted that it was his kind of farewell to his eccentric and turbulent past. In later interviews, he said that 1989 was perhaps the most difficult year for him, and compared his condition during this period with the complete moral and physical exhaustion of Elvis Presley in the last years of his life.

Elton John was deeply moved by the story of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager with AIDS. Together with Michael Jackson, he took an active part in the fate of the child, supported him and his family until the tragic death of White in 1990. Being in a depressed state, Elton John is admitted to a hospital in Chicago in 1990, where he undergoes rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia. After finishing treatment, he loses weight, gets a hair transplant, and moves to his new residence in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1990, Elton John finally managed to reach number one on the British Singles Chart with his single Sacrifice. This song was included in last year's album of the singer Sleeping With The Past. The single remained at the top of the charts for six weeks.

In 1991, the documentary Two Rooms was released, which describes the creative process of creating songs in tandem between Elton John and Bernie Taupin. As shown in the film, Taupin writes poetry in one place, while Elton John creates music in another room. During the creative process, authors never cross paths with each other. In the same year, the dedication album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin was released, in which many famous British and American rock and pop artists took part. In 1991, Elton John achieved another success, his composition Basque received a Grammy award in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. The singer took part in the recording of George Michael in his interpretation of the song Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me. This work was released as a single and took first place in the UK and US charts. On November 24, 1991, Queen singer and close friend of Elton John Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. Elton John was one of the few people invited to the funeral ceremony.

In 1992, he founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which was supposed to fund AIDS programs. He also announced his decision to use all the money earned from sales of singles in the UK and the US to expand research related to AIDS. In the same year, his new album The One was released, which reached 8th place in the American charts - the highest achievement since the release of Blue Moves in 1976. Elton John and Taupin are signing a 12-year, $39 million contract with Warner/Chappell Music this year. At that time, it was the largest contract concluded in the history of pop music. Elton John takes part in a concert dedicated to the memory of Freddie Mercury, where he performs Bohemian Rhapsody and The Show Must Go On with Queen.

In September of the same year, Elton John performed the song November Rain with Guns N' Roses. The following year, his album Elton John's Duets was released, which was recorded by him with the participation of 15 artists representing a variety of genres and trends in modern music. One of the songs presented on this album is the song True Love, which Elton John performs with singer Kiki Dee, takes 10th place in the British charts, another duet with Eric Clapton Runaway Train also hits the British charts.

In 1994, Elton John, together with Tim Rice, took part in the work on the music for the Disney animated film The Lion King. The film became the most commercially successful animated cartoon of all time, and the songs recorded for it played a significant role in this. Of the five songs nominated for this year's Academy Awards, three were written by Elton John and Tim Rice for The Lion King. The song Can You Feel The Love Tonight won an Academy Award. With this song, Elton John was also awarded the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal. The film's soundtrack stayed at number one on the Billboard chart for nine weeks. On November 10, 1999, the RIAA announced that The Lion King's album had reached 15 million in sales, and thus by a wide margin achieved the status of "diamond" according to the organization's classification.

In 1994, Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Prior to that, in 1992, he and Bernie Taupin were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1995 he became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Elton John was given the title of Knight Bachelor, which gave him the right to add the prefix "sir" to his name.

In 1995, his album Made In England was released, which took 3rd position in the British charts. One of the songs from this album - Believe - also hits the charts and takes the 15th position there. The compilation album Love Songs is released the following year.

1997 was a year of ups and downs for Elton John. At the beginning of the year, the singer appeared before the public in all his "brilliance" during the celebration of his 50th anniversary. He organized a Louis IV-themed holiday party for 500 of his closest friends, at which he appeared in an $80,000 suit. Perdu De Son Charme Ni Le Jardin Du Son Éclat” by the legend of the French ballet Maurice Bejart, which was dedicated to the fight against AIDS and the memory of Freddie Mercury and Georges Donna, the star of the Bejart troupe. This performance was the second time since Freddie Mercury's death that the rest of the band got together. In late 1997, Elton John lost two very close friends: designer Gianni Versace (who was murdered) and Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris.

In early September, Bernie Taupin finalized the lyrics to Candle In The Wind for a special ceremony commemorating Diana's death, and Elton John sang it during the funeral ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The recording of this song became the fastest and best-selling single in the history of pop music. Total sales in the UK alone reached 5 million copies, in the US - 11 million, and worldwide sales amounted to about 33 million copies. Profits from sales of this disc, which amounted to approximately £55 million, went to the Princess Diana Memorial Fund. Subsequently, the singer received a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal with this song. He never performed this version of the song again, repeatedly emphasizing that this song can only be performed once to remain special.

In 1998, a disc was released with a recording of music for the musical Aida (Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida), on which Elton John worked together with Tim Rice. This musical had its first stage performance in Atlanta, later performances were held in Chicago and on Broadway in New York.

The first decade of the 21st century was marked for Elton John by numerous collaborations with other artists and contemporary pop culture figures. In 2000, Elton John and Tim Rice teamed up again to work on the music for the new animated film The Road to El Dorado. This year there is a CD recording of his Elton John One Night Only - The Greatest Hits concert, which took place the year before at the Madison Square Garden concert hall in New York.

In 2001, Elton John made the announcement that Songs From The West Coast would be his last studio album, and that from then on he would concentrate only on live performances. However, in 2004 his next studio album, Peach Road, was released.

In 2001, Elton John received an invitation to take part in a BBC TV show called Have I Got News For You. At first, he gave his consent, but at the last moment he changed his mind and refused to participate in the program. This happened just hours before it aired, and the producers were forced to bring in Ray Johnson, a taxi driver from Holchester who sometimes acted as an Elton John look-alike. During the program, he practically did not say a word, however, when the program went on the air 24 hours later, his name was present in the credits, and the name of Elton John was removed from there. In the same year, a film was made that told about the singer's career from the moment he appeared on stage until the early 2000s. This film was called The Elton John Story and aired on VH-1 Classic, but it was never released as a separate disc or cassette.

In 2001, Elton John performed a duet with Eminem on Stan at the Grammy Awards. The song later appeared on Eminem's album Curtain Call: The Hits. Prior to this, public opinion considered Eminem a homophobe, but after collaborating with Elton John, this opinion has changed somewhat. In the same year, he sang the song Friends for the film The Country Bears, and also performed one of the episodic roles in this film.

In 2002, the British band Blue released their interpretation of Elton John's song Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, in which the singer himself also took part. This song reached number one on the UK charts as well as in several other European countries. In addition, Elton John became involved in the success of Tupac Shakur, who used an excerpt from Elton John's song "Indian Sunset" from the Madman Across The Water album in Ghetto Gospel - a single that topped the American charts. The song "Indian Sunset" was subsequently included in Elton John's single Electricity, the material of which the singer wrote in 2005 for the production of Billy Elliot The Musical. The marketing plan for the new single was organized in a very unusual and effective way. More than 75% of sales were internet downloads, after users gained access by taking a quiz and answering questions via text messages sent from a cell phone. Electricity is still one of Elton John's biggest successful solo singles throughout the 2000s.

However, the biggest success of Elton John in the first decade of the 21st century is the song Are You Ready For Love. This composition went almost unnoticed when it first appeared in the late 70s, however, when it was re-released in 2003, it immediately took first place in the charts.

"Billy Elliot" was not the only musical in which Elton John took part. Together with Bernie Taupin, he took part in the production of the Anna Rice novel Lestad: The Musical. However, this production received a hostile critical reception and was closed after 39 performances.

In addition, Elton John's music has been widely used in films. One of his songs - Tiny Dancer - recorded back in 1970, was used in the film "Almost Famous", which was released in 2002. Another of his compositions, The Heart Of Every Girl, was used in the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.

July 2, 2005 Elton John took part in the famous Live 8 concert, held in London's Hyde Park. In the same year, the singer recorded a duet with Australian country singer Katherine Britt called "Where We Both Say Goodbye". The song peaked at number 38 on the Billboard country chart.

On November 10, 2005, the Elton John's Christmas Party compilation was released, for which he performed two songs, and the artists he selected took part in the recording of the rest. The album was originally sold through Starbucks, with two dollars from each sale going to his Elton John AIDS Foundation. On October 10, 2006, this album went on sale, but 6 songs from the original list (which included 21 songs) were excluded. On February 7, 2006, a dedication album was released by several artists at Studio 99 called The Timeless Classics Of Elton John Performed By Studio 99.

September 19, 2006 Elton John and Bernie Taupin released another joint disc, which was like a logical continuation of the famous album Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy called The Captain & The Kid. This album included 10 new songs. It is also interesting in that for the first time in the entire time of their joint work, photographs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin were placed on the disc at the same time. The album was critically acclaimed and currently has worldwide sales of approximately 3.5 million copies.

* In 1991 "Basque" received a Grammy for best instrumental composition.
* Elton John and Bernie Taupin were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.
* Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
* The singer became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995.
* In September 1997, a special version of the single "Candle in the Wind" was released. This single became the biggest selling single of all time. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, and £55 million from its sales has gone to the Princess Diana Memorial Fund. Elton John later received a Grammy for Best Male Vocal Performance for this song.
* On February 24, 1998, Queen Elizabeth II knighted the singer and gave him the title of "Sir".
* Elton John voiced himself in the South Park episode "Chef's Help" (a little earlier in the same series, Elton John appeared in the episode "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig", where he was voiced by Trey Parker). In addition, Elton John recorded the song "Wake Up Wendy" for the Chef Aid: The South Park Album.

The coat of arms of Elton John depicts 2 circles: white and black. Black symbolizes a vinyl record, white symbolizes a CD.

On December 7, 2008, Elton John gave a charity New Year's Eve concert at the new Luxury Village concert hall in Barvikha. Together with Elton, his husband, film director David Furnish, also flew to the next Russian concert of the singer.

The cost of tickets reached 1.3 million rubles.

At the moment, Elton John is the author of 29 studio albums, 128 singles, the author of music for several films, animated films and productions. A large number of collections of his best songs, albums with his works performed by other artists have been released. In addition, there are a number of video cassettes and DVD discs with recordings of his concert performances and clips on the market.

early years

Reginald Dwight was born in 1947 in Pinner, UK. As soon as the boy was three years old, his mother, who took over the bulk of the upbringing of the children, sent Reginald to piano lessons. Reginald turned out to be a very gifted child and, having shown an excellent result at the audition, he got into the Royal Academy of Music. After graduating from university, the young man created his own group, The Corvettes. Young musicians were inspired by the greats of rock and roll, many of the classics of rock and roll were remade by The Corvettes. The young man spent all his time on what he and his group were moving up the career ladder. Soon the guys were offered to perform as the opening act for various rock festivals held around the world.

First steps to great success

In 1967, the singer released his first solo song "Scarecrow", after its release the young man changed his name to Elton John. DJM Records often supported Elton and allowed him to record music, but limited the time. Most often, Elton received the text and tried to write music for him in less than half an hour, if the process dragged on for a long time, then John put off the lyrics for the next time. The first shift in the musician's career was the song "I've Been Loving You". Sales were virtually nil, but critical reviews and chart positions climbed to the top ten. In 1970, the musician and his team managed to find the perfect combination of heartfelt ballads and rock in the album "Elton John". One of the songs, "Your Song", climbed to number 6 in the UK charts, although it did not achieve success in the US.

Recognition on the home stage

Soon, to increase the interest of the American public, Elton gave a concert at the club "The Troubadour". In the same year, the singer recorded "Back Home" for the England football team that took part in the World Cup. Following the release of this song, John released a themed album, Tumbleweed Connection, which peaked at number two in the UK and number ten in the US. The following year, the singer released a live album, which included the best songs of his repertoire. However, its release was not successful due to the fact that shortly before the release of the official album, a recording of a full concert appeared on the market, and not a cropped selective version.

First successes on the world stage

In 1971, Elton released another studio album, Madman Across the Water. The album took a leading position in the world charts and was noted as the most successful album of the singer at this stage of his career. The composition of the team with which John collaborated by 1972 had already finally taken shape and consisted entirely of true professionals in their field. By the release of the album "Honky Chateau", John worked with his team to such an extent that some of the songs on the album were written without his participation. Soon Elton came to the decision to create his own label "Rocket Records". Almost immediately after the opening of the label, Elton released the most successful pop disc - "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player".

Creation of a unique stage image

In 1973, the singer creates Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the most successful album of his entire career, according to music experts. It was from the moment this collection was released that the singer began to attract attention not only with his music, but also with the fact that he stood out from other performers with his appearance and behavior. In the same year, his label began releasing songs by other artists, and the singer himself signed an agreement with his previous agency in the amount of 8 million US dollars.

In 1974, the artist created several covers of John Lennon's compositions. After the release of one of the covers on the air, Lennon made a bet with Elton, when the composition gets to first place, they will sing a duet. Soon both performers were on the same stage performing "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".

Group breakup

Shortly after this concert ended, Elton embarked on a US tour in his private jet. In 1974, Elton released his eighth album Caribou, material for this collection was collected in just over two weeks. In general, this product was a commercial success, but a failure for many critics. In the same year, the artist was offered a role in the rock opera Tommy. A few months after the completion of the opera, the singer released the album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which chronicled his early life and rise to fame. At the end of the same year, the team that had accompanied the singer at his concerts all this time broke up. The tight schedule and physically demanding concerts tired many of the participants and Elton had to recruit other guys to the team.

The first results of the new composition

The first performance took place on the largest stage in London, the concert was attended by 75 thousand listeners. The album "Rock of the Westies", which was released immediately after the line-up change, became the tenth full-length disc.

In 1976, the release of the new album "Blue Moves" took place, the material presented in this collection was different from everything that Elton had done before. Filled with sadness and sorrow, full of tragedy, he attracted the attention of many listeners, which surprised the experts, who perceived the new creation of the singer with misunderstanding. The most successful moment for all of 1976 was the performance with the song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in a duet with Kiki Dee. In the same year, the singer openly admitted during one of his interviews his unconventional orientation.

Loss of voice and best friend

In 1979, the singer was invited to the USSR, which at that time was quite conservative and rarely allowed musicians from other countries. In the same year, the singer, after a long period of time, managed to write the successful composition "Little Jeannie". The first five of all the charts were completely filled with Elton's songs.

In 1980, the singer held a free concert near John Lennon's house, exactly three months later, Lennon was killed on the same spot. In memory of his friend, Elton John held another concert at which he performed the singer's most popular songs, along with his wife and son, who was John's godson. Much to the shock of thousands of fans, in 1986 the singer lost his voice during a concert. Soon he underwent an operation, after which his voice timbre changed.

In 1987, the artist was sued because of rumors that he had sexual relations with children. After a long trial, Elton John was found not guilty.

The beginning of the depression

In 1988, a difficult period began for the musician, he began to feel depressed. He practically did not appear in public and arranged a large auction in which he sold his collections. Due to complex psychological problems, the singer begins to have problems with alcohol and drug addiction.

In 1990, he was hospitalized with bulimia.

In 1991, "Basque", a song released a year earlier, won a Grammy award.

In 1992, the singer opened the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which is engaged in AIDS research. The same year gave the listeners a new collection "The One". The album peaked at number eight on the US charts, ruining his long period of failure. Soon the artist released another album consisting of duets, many famous performers were invited to create this product.

Cooperation with animation studios and theaters

1994 gave the singer the opportunity to create musical accompaniment for the cartoon "The Lion King" from the Disney studio. The cartoon became the most commercially successful at that time and brought Elton three awards and several Oscar nominations. In the same year, the singer was honored to be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list. In the same year, the artist was awarded the title of knight, which gave him the opportunity to use "sir" in his name. 1995 gave admirers of Elton John's work another album, Made in England. 1997 was a period of loss for the singer, his close friend and Princess Diana died, at whose funeral he sang the song "Candle in the Wind". This song became one of the best-selling in the UK and brought a huge income not only to the singer, but also to the country. In 1998, the singer released a CD with songs for the musical Aida.

Last years of career

The 2000s began for the musician with a project to create musical accompaniment for the cartoon The Road to Eldorado. In 2001, the first film about the life of the artist, The Elton John Story, was released. In 2003, a re-recording of "Are You Ready for Love" was made, which in the 70s did not cause any reaction from the public, but after being re-recorded and re-arranged, it took a leading position in the pop charts. 2004 gave the singer a soul mate, David Furnish became the official partner of Elton John, soon Elton became a father from a surrogate mother. The singer decided to focus his attention on concerts and various shows and did not release albums for a long time. In the last years of his musical activity, the singer held many charity concerts and participated in voice acting and writing music for cartoons. In 2017, Elton is preparing to appear on the screens in the film "Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle", this film will be the singer's debut on the big screen.

• Elton John is the owner of a knighthood and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Elton John is a fan of the Watford football club, and in 1976-1987 he even owned it. Curiously, this eleven-year era was the heyday of the club, reaching the FA Cup final in 1984.
• In one of the episodes of the famous animated series South Park, Elton John voiced himself. He also recorded the song "Wake Up Wendy" for the Chef Aid: The South Park Album, based on the series. The record also features Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Joe Strummer from The Clash and other famous artists.
• In 1974, Elton John took part in the recording of John Lennon's song "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". The musicians made a bet: Lennon promised that if the single took 1st place, they would perform this song as a duet at a concert in Madison Square Garden. Actually, that's what happened.

Awards:

• Academy Award for Best Song for a Film (1995)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Song (1995)
• Grammy Hall of Fame Awards (1998, 2003, 2012)
• Billboard Music Awards Hot 100 Artist of the Year (1997)