Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born March 25, 1947) is a British pop/rock singer, composer, and pianist.

One of the most commercially successful solo artists in popular music history, his recording and performing career has spanned over four decades. His flamboyant fashion sense, on-stage showmanship, $70,000 annual florists bills and public struggles with his private life have combined with his talent to make him a legend to his many fans around the world.

John was one of the dominant commercial forces in the rock world during the 1970s, racking up a string of ten consecutive #1 records on the U.S. album charts. He has maintained a public presence in the fight against AIDS, and has had renewed moments of commercial triumph, such as his defiant hit "I'm Still Standing" and his award-winning work on the popular animated film The Lion King.

Early life

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England, the son of Squadron Leader Stanley Dwight, RAF, and his wife Sheila. John was raised primarily by his mother and other female relatives, and saw little of his father as a boy. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962, when John was 15.

John began playing the piano when he was four. A child prodigy, he was able to play by ear any melody he heard. At 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, staying for six years and leaving before graduation to focus on his professional music.

In 1960, John and his friends formed a band called the "Corvettes", which evolved into "Bluesology". By the mid-1960s, "Bluesology" was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like the Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1966 the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band and began touring cabarets in England. John left soon after, as Baldry's control had increased.

The Song Writing Partnership

After failing lead vocalist auditions for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant, John answered an advertisement in the New Musical Express placed by Ray Williams then the A&R manager for Liberty Records. At their first meeting, Williams gave John lyrics written by Bernie Taupin who had answered the same ad. John wrote music for the lyrics, and then mailed it to Taupin, and thus began a partnership that continues today. In 1967 the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, Scarecrow, was recorded. When they met six months later, Reginald Dwight had changed his name to "Elton John", by deed poll, in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.

The team of John and Taupin now joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years wrote material for John as well as other artists like Roger Cook and Lulu. Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour, and give it to John who would write music for them in half an hour, disposing of the lyrics if he couldn't come up with anything quickly.

In June 1969, Elton John released Empty Sky, his first and only album for DJM, which despite good reviews didn't sell very well

1970s success

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The Pinball Wizard from Tommy (1975)

Elton John's self-titled second album was released in the spring of 1970 on MCA, and after the first single "Your Song" made the US Top Ten, and the album followed suit. John's first American concert took place at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, in August, receiving praise from the likes of Quincy Jones.

Elton John was followed quickly with the concept album Tumbleweed Connection in October 1970, which reached the Top Ten on the Billboard 200.

The live album 11-17-70 (17-11-70 in the U.K.), an ambitious album showcasing Elton's talent as a rock pianist and father of Piano rock. Taped at a live show aired from A&R Studios on WABC-FM in New York City, and introduced by disc jockey Dave Herman, it featured extended versions of John/Taupin's early compositions that illustrate the gospel and boogie-woogie influences on John's piano playing. It also featured much interaction between John, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson. During the magnum opus 18:20 version of "Burn Down The Mission", the band interpolates Arthur "Big Boy" Cruddup's "My Baby Left Me" and a full rendition of the Beatles "Get Back" before a rampaging conclusion.

John and Taupin then wrote the soundtrack to the obscure film Friends and then the album Madman Across the Water, the later reaching the Top Ten and producing the hit “Levon”, while the soundtrack album produced the hit "Friends".

The Band

In 1972, the final piece of what would become known as the Elton John Band fell into place, with the addition of Davey Johnstone (on guitar and backing vocals.) Murray, Olsson, and Johnstone came together with John and Taupin's writing, John's flamboyant performances and producer Gus Dudgeon to ceate a hit-making chemistry for the next five Elton John albums. Known for their instrument playing, the members of the band were three strong backing vocalists who worked out and recorded many of their vocal harmonies, usually in Elton's absence.

The Classic Years

The band released Honky Chateau, which became Elton's first American number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts and spawning the hit singles "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)" and "Honky Cat".

The 1973 pop album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player was the first released on John's own label Rocket Records, which produced the hits Crocodile Rock and "Daniel"

What is considered Elton John's best album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road followed, which gained instant critical acclaim and topped the chart on both sides of the Atlantic. It contained the number 1 hit "Bennie and the Jets", along with the popular title song, "Candle in the Wind" (a special 1997 version went on to become the best-selling song of all time), "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)", "Funeral For A Friend"/"Love Lies Bleeding" and "Grey Seal".

In 1974 a collaboration with John Lennon, resulting in John covering The Beatles's "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and Lennon's "One Day at a Time", and in return John and band being featured on Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". In a what would be Lennon's last live performance, the pair performed these two No. 1 hits along with the Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There" at Madison Square Garden. The concert was recorded and released two years later with another live concert recording on the album 'Here & There.

Caribou was relased in 1974, and although reaching #1, was widely considered a lesser quality album. It did demonstrate The Elton John Band's rocking ability with "The Bitch Is Back" and John's versatility in orchestral songs with "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". At the end of the year, the compilation album Elton John's Greatest Hits was released and reached #1.

Pete Townshend of The Who had completed their rock opera Tommy), and asked John to play a character called the "Pinball Wizard" in the film and to perform the song of the same name. Drawing on power chords, John's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976 (1975 in the U.S.). The song charted #7 in England. Many still recognize Elton John's rocker version more easily than The Who's original version.

Elton John's cryptic personality was revealed with the autobiographical album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

In the 1975 autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality, with Taupin's lyrics describe their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in London. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that would otherwise be rare in John's music. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life.

The albums release signaled the end of the Elton John band, as an unhappy and overworked John would deal his career a critical blow by firing Olsson and Murray, two people who contributed a combined 50 percent of the Elton John Band's signature sound and who had helped build his live following since the beginning.

After The Band

Rock-oriented Rock of the Westies entered the Billboard 200 chart at #1 like Captain Fantastic, a previously unattained feat. Unfortunately, the material was not on par with previous Elton John Band releases, and for the sessions Murray and Olsson were replaced with an army of hack studio players whose combined sound paled in comparison to the Band.

Elton owes his success at this time to his concert performances. His flamboyant stage wardrobe included ostrich feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, and dressing up like the Statue of Liberty, Donald Duck or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart among others at his concerts made them a success and created interest for his music.

To celebrate five years of unparalled success since he first appeared at the venue, in 1975 John played a two-night, four-show stand at the Troubador. With seating limited to under 500 per show, the chance to purchase tickets was determined by a postcard lottery, with each winner allowed two tickets. Everyone who attended the performances received a hardbound "yearbook" of the band's history.

Without the original band's signature sound, Elton's career took a hit after 1976. He released the LP Blue Moves, which once again lacked the explosiveness of his original hit-making band, though it produced the memorable hit Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.

In a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone, a stressed John stated that he was bisexual. He cut his performance schedule soon after, retired from live performances in 1977, and started recording only one album per year.

A decade of success

Elton John dominated the rock world in the 1970s, as evidenced by his seven consecutive albums that topped the US album charts: Honky Château (1972, #1 for five weeks), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973, #1 for two weeks), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973, #1 for eight weeks), Caribou (1974, #1 for four weeks), Elton John's Greatest Hits (1974, #1 for ten weeks), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975, #1 for seven weeks) and Rock of the Westies (1975, #1 for three weeks), and 15 hit singles, including six that went to #1 (Crocodile Rock, "Bennie and the Jets", "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", "Philadelphia Freedom", "Island Girl", "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart") and three that reached #2 ("Daniel", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me"), during that period.

1980s onwards

On 13 September 1980 Elton John performed a free concert to a huge audience on The Great Lawn in Central Park in New York City, with Olsson and Murray back in the Elton John Band, and within hearing distance of his friend John Lennon's apartment building. A few months later Lennon would be murdered and Elton mourned the loss in his 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" from his "Jump Up" (1982) album.

With the key original band members Johnstone, Murray and Olsson together again, Elton was able to return to the charts with the explosive hit album "Too Low For Zero", which included "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" and "I'm Still Standing". "Nikita", "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That", "Club At the End of the Street", and "Sacrifice" were also top tens or number ones in his 1980s career. Most notable was a 1986 live recording of "Candle in the Wind" which he recorded during a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra although the orchestra did not take part in the song. The song, which was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, was originally recorded in 1973 on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album.

The 1991 film documentary Two Rooms described the unusual writing style that John and Bernie Taupin use, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the process. Also in 1991, John's "Basque" won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition.

In 1992, John performed "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Show Must Go On" with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, an AIDS charity event held at Wembley Stadium, London in honour of Queen's late front man Freddie Mercury. In September of the same year, he performed "November Rain" with Guns N' Roses for the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.

Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He and Bernie Taupin had previously been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992. Elton John was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995.

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The cover of the Princess Diana tribute, Candle In The Wind.

In September 1997, Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and John performed it at her funeral in Westminster Abbey. A recorded version, "Candle in the Wind 1997", then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds of approximately £55 million going to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. John would later win the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single.

Elton John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 February 1998, granting him the title of "Sir". The honour was officially for his charitable work.

Collaborations

John frequently collaborates with other artists. In 2001, he dueted with Eminem on the rapper's "Stan" at the Grammy Awards. This went a long way towards absolving Eminem of charges of homophobia and thus paving the way for Eminem's greater mainstream acceptance.

He achieved yet another #1 single in the UK, being featured on 2Pac's posthumous song "Ghetto Gospel" in 2005, from the rapper's album, Loyal to the Game. The song sampled "Indian Sunset" from John's 1971 album, Madman Across the Water.

On 2 July 2005, John performed at the Live 8 concert at Hyde Park in London. Here he sang "The Bitch is Back," "Saturday Night is Alright for Fighting" and lastly, T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution" with The Libertines and Babyshambles' frontman, Pete Doherty.

Current schedule

Elton John continues to release new material to commercial success, and tours extensively despite being fitted with a pacemaker in July 1999. His current projects include:

• In October 2003 Elton announced that he had signed an exclusive agreement to perform 75 shows over three years at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The show, entitled The Red Piano, is a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by David LaChapelle. Effectively, he and Celine Dion share performances at Ceasers Palace throughout the year - while one performs, one rests. The first of these shows took place on 13 February 2004
• A two year global tour sandwiched between commitments in Las Vegas, some of the venues of which are new to Elton
• Face-to-Face tours with fellow pianist Billy Joel have been a fan favourite throughout the world since the mid-1990s
• In May 2006, Pet Shop Boys will release their album Fundamental. The limited edition of the album will include "In private", a new version of the Dusty Springfield single, which is a duet with John.

Finally, rumour has it, Elton and Bernie Taupin are creating a sequel to their Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy album with another work about their last 30 years since in the record industry. Some names include "The Captain and the Kid" amongst others.

Hollywood and Broadway

Elton John has undertaken a series of projects in both film and musicals, applying his music writing talent:

• In 1971, he wrote the soundtrack for the movie Friends
• In 1972 he appeared in the Marc Bolan's musical film 'Born to Boogie'
• In 1975, he appeared as the Pinball Wizard in Ken Russell's movie version of the rock opera Tommy
• In 1998 with Tim Rice he composed the music for the Disney production of Aida. They received the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
• In 1999 John wrote the score for The Muse
• In 2000 he composed songs for another animated film, DreamWorks' animated film The Road to El Dorado
• In 2001, his 1970s hit, "Tiny Dancer" was featured on the Almost Famous soundtrack
• In 2001, he appeared as animated character John in the popular childrens television series Bob the Builder, in an episode called A Christmas to Remember
• In 2003 his song "The Heart of Every Girl" was featured as the end title song for Mona Lisa Smile
• In 2005 he composed "My Father's Gun" for Elizabethtown
• In 2005 John composed music for the UK West End production of Billy Elliot (2005) with Lee Hall

His two most succesful collaborations are in 1975 for Pete Townsend's rock-opera 'Tommy, with the rock band The Who, and in 1994 with Tim Rice, they co-wrote the songs for the Disney animated film The Lion King.

In 1975, Pete Townshend of The Who had completed their rock opera Tommy). Townsend and Director Ken Russell asked John to play a character called the "Pinball Wizard" in the film and to perform the song of the same name. Drawing on power chords, John's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976 (1975 in the U.S.). The song charted #7 in England. Many still recognize Elton John's rocker version more easily than The Who's original version.

In 1994, along with Tim Rice, he wrote the songs for the Disney animated film The Lion King. (Rice was reportedly stunned by the rapidity with which John was able to set his words to music.) The Lion King went on to become the best-grossing traditionally-animated feature of all time, with the songs playing a key part. Three of the five songs nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song that year were John and Rice songs from The Lion King, with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" winning. In versions sung by John, both that and "Circle of Life" became big hits, while the other songs such as "Hakuna Matata" achieved popularity with all ages as well. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" would also win John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

His only musical project with Bernie Taupin so far is Lestat, based on the Anne Rice vampire novels. However it was slammed by the critics and closed in May 2006 after 39 performances

Personal life

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Document of Civil Partnership

John has had a complicated personal history in both his orientation, as well as personal battles with drugs and spending

Orientation

Elton John disclosed his bisexuality in 1976 in a Rolling Stone Magazine interview. He married German recording engineer Renate Blauel on Valentine's Day, 1984, but they divorced four years later. John later renounced the bisexual claim and announced he was gay.

He has lived with his partner David Furnish, a former advertising executive, since the early 1990s. On 21 December 2005, they entered into a civil partnership. A low-key ceremony with only their parents in attendance was held at the Guildhall, Windsor, followed by a lavish party at their Berkshire mansion. Guests at the party included Victoria Beckham, Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan, Boy George, Joss Stone, Ringo Starr, George Michael, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, Bryan Adams, Michael Caine, Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Sting, Sharon Stone, The Pet Shop Boys, Stephen Gately, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, Sarah Ferguson, Kid Rock, Cilla Black, Lulu, James Blunt, and The Osbournes. The Sun newspaper marked the event with the headline "Elton Takes David Up the Aisle"

Drugs

During his career, John has battled addictions to cocaine and rumoured financial difficulties caused by his profligate spending. In the mid-late 1990s, John formed a friendship with colleague Michael Jackson. Because of the help John gave him during his addiction to painkillers, Jackson dedicated the 1997 album Blood on the Dance Floor to him. John remained silent during the Jackson trial in 2005

Spending

Aside from his main home in Windsor, England, John splits his time in his various residences in Atlanta, Georgia; Nice, France; Holland Park in London, England; and Venice, Italy. Elton John is a noted art collector, and is believed to have one of the largest private photography collections in the world.

During the 2000 court case, where John sued both his former manager John Reid, the CEO of Reid's company and accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers, he admitted spending £30Million in just under two years - an average of £1.5Million a month, the High Court in London heard. The singer's lavish lifestyle saw him spend more than £9.6m on property and £293,000 on flowers between January 1996 and September 1997. John accused the pair of being negligent, and PWC of failing in their duties. Mark Hapgood QC for defendants PWC suggested that John went "spending mad" following a £42m deal with recording company Polygram in February 1996. When quizzed by Mr Hapgood about the £293,000 spent on flowers, John said: Yes, I like flowers. John stated that the terms of the contract, where by John paid Reid 20% of his gross earnings, were agreed in St Tropez in the summer of 1984 - but that he could not remember the exact occasion on which the deal was made, probably due to his addiction to drinks and drugs at the time

After losing the case, he faced an £8Million bill for legal fee's. So he decided with his fleet manager John Newman to sell 20 of his collection of 28 cars at Christie's - including several Ferrari's, Aston Martin's, and six post war Bentleys. His reason for selling them was stated as: I do not find enough time to drive them The sale raised £2Million The cars sold included:

• 1993 Jaguar XJ220 - The most expensive car in the collection, with a 213mph top speed and only 852 miles on the clock - sold for £234,750. The auction room was told how Sir Elton's chauffeur refused to drive the car after he "twitched it" on a flyover and was scared by its power
• 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe - known as "The Beast" because it roared like an animal, went for £80,750. The car was painted in black, red and yellow, the colours of Sir Elton's favourite Watford Football Club
• Two Ferrari's - a 1992 512 Testarossa and a 1987 Testarossa given to John by MCA Records on the occasion of his 40th birthday. Rod Stewart had been among a group of friends who had ridden in the car
• 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI - Lawrence Cohen from Hertfordshire spent over twice as much on a car valued at £110,000. Fitted with a 36-speaker stereo system which cost £28,000, which is so powerful that it once blew out the rear window - after which the glass in the car had to be reinforced
• 1985 Bentley Continental Convertible - In Tudor Red, the car used in the video for Nakita. The car's body was specially crafted by coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward of Harlesden, and a long list of special fitments include colour-coded radiator veins and parchment trim piped in red
• 1969 Rolls-Roce Silver Cloud Mk3 - Supplied new in Arizona, it was purchase by John in Atlanta and christened "Daisy" after the film Driving Miss Daisy which was filmed close to his Atlanta home. Flown to the UK in 1994 by KLM, it spent two years being restored at the cost of £100,000. Sold for £90,000

In 2003, he sold the contents of his Holland Park home in a bid to create more room for his collection of contemporary art. Auctioneers Sotheby's catalog had a lsit of more than 400 items expected to fetch £800,000, inclduing: Biedermeier furniture; early 16th and 17th century including an Edward Bower estimated at £20,000-£30,000 and a portrait of Elizabeth Honeywood from the circle of William Larkin, which is estimated at £30,000-£40,000. John's bedroom featured a painting by 19th-century French artist Jacques-Noël-Marie Frémy, which was exhibited at the 1814 Paris Salon, and is estimated at £12,000-£18,000

Charity

John has long been associated with AIDS charities after the deaths of his friends Ryan White and Freddie Mercury, raising large amounts of money and using his public profile to raise awareness of the disease. For example, in 1986 he joined with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to record the single "That's What Friends Are For", with all profits being donated to the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The song won Elton and the others the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (as well as Song of the Year for its writers, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager).

John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 as a charity to fund programmes for HIV/AIDS prevention, for the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals, and for providing services to people living with or at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. This cause continues to be one of his personal passions. In early 2006, Elton donated the smaller of two bright-red Yamaha pianos from his Las Vegas show to auction on eBay to raise public awareness and funds for the foundation.

Watford F.C.

In 1976, Elton John became involved in Watford Football Club and fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming its chairman and director. He invested large sums of money and the club rose into the First Division after a number of key acquisitions. He sold the club to Jack Petchey in 1987, but remained their life-long president. In 1997 he re-purchased the club from Petchey and once again became chairman. He stepped down in 2002 when the club needed a full-time chairman although he continued as president of the club. Although no longer the majority shareholder, he stills holds a significant financial interest. In June 2005 he held a concert at Watford's Vicarage Road ground, donating the funds to the club

Musical style and voice

In the 1970s, Elton John's sound immediately set him apart from most others by being piano-based in a rock 'n' roll world dominated by guitars. Another early characteristic was a set of dynamic string arrangements by Paul Buckmaster. Coupled with Taupin's often opaque but emotionally resonant lyrics, the results were unique in the history of music. Songs in this style included "Sixty Years On", "Burn Down the Mission", "Take Me to the Pilot", "Levon", "Madman Across the Water", and the best-known of these, "Tiny Dancer".

"Your Song", one of his earliest popular hits, incorporates some other features found in many of his songs:

• It is in binary form, with the verse repeated before the chorus begins;
• The piano accompaniment is prominent, though the song also features an orchestra;
• It uses a slowly building crescendo that brings the song to a tutti climax. Other songs that follow this pattern include "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and "Rocket Man".

John also has a distinctive vocal style. In particular, his phrasing is often a bit metronomic and sometimes has a curiously off-kilter, "rushed" quality especially at the end of lines (example: the phrase "like a puppy child" in the song "Amoreena"). He also, at least in his classic period in the 1970s, would sometimes sweep up from his normal tenor into a Four Seasons-like falsetto.

Elton John underwent throat surgery to remove potentially cancerous nodules from his vocal chords in January 1987 while on tour, a necessity he originally said was due to an infection, but later said was the result of excessive drug abuse. The problems with his voice can clearly be heard in his raspy singing on the Live In Australia album (released 1987). He made a full recovery from the surgery, but he continued to indulge in illegal drugs until 1990. The surgery in 1987 also had an after-effect on John's voice, and he found that he could no longer sing in falsetto as well as he previously could, and that he now sang in a lower range. During an interview with James Lipton, John had claimed to embrace this new tone, feeling it gave a more "masculine" quality that contrasted with his earlier work.

The change in Elton John's voice has been largely played down, though Elton, commenting fifteen years after the surgery, stated that he was "singing better than ever." Studio effects were evidently added to his voice on his first UK #1 Hit "Sacrifice" (1990). The release of Songs From The West Coast, his 2001 album, showed very clearly how different his voice is to his prime. It is a matter of opinion which singing style is better, but few would deny that Elton John remains an excellent singer.

Awards

• In 1991, John's "Basque" won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition
• Elton 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
• Elton John was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995
• In September 1997, Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and John performed it at her funeral in Westminster Abbey. A recorded version, "Candle in the Wind 1997", then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds of approximately £55 million going to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. John would later win the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single.
• Elton John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 February 1998, granting him the title of "Sir". The honour was officially for his charitable work

Quotations

• "You can call me a fat, balding, talentless, old queen who can't sing—but you can't tell lies about me." (After winning a libel case against The Sun in 1987 for alleged underage sex.)

• "I haven't made a good album in a long while. Not since 1976 and Blue Moves."

• "If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher."

• (After being asked about his sexuality in the 1970s) "I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats, though."

• "Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Travis Miscia, S Club Seven, Steps. They've always been around, I'm not knocking the music perhaps, but it's like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just mediocre. And I think it damages real people's chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It's just fodder."

• "There's so much you're expected to do and you follow a pattern. You make a record, you do a video. I like to break the rules a little bit more and I did in the 70s, I should try a little bit more now."

• "Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot. That's me off her Christmas card list. But do I give a toss? No." (about Madonna)

• "If I had one finger left, I'd play for you." (After breaking his fingernails by playing too hard)

• "I thought it was a bit of an anti-climax, to be honest. The thought behind it was fantastic, but Hyde Park is a charisma-free zone. There was no sense of occasion and from a musical point, I didn't think there were too many highlights. I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be?" (about Live 8)

• "The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star."

• "Well, Oprah Winfrey's fat / Phil Donahue just take a hike / Why won't they let Howard Stern on TV?" (A tribute song he sang for Howard Stern in the late 1980s.)

• "But you'll have to perform a fellatious sex act." (Joking around with Howard Stern about putting Stern in his will during a December 16, 1998 interview.)

• "I won't be doing Crocodile Rock in six years' time. I don't want to become a pathetic rock-'n'-roller and take a slow climb down, like a lot of people do. I don't want to be Chuck Berry. When I'm 40, I don't want to be charging around the countryside doing concerts." (1976 Playboy interview.

• "Yes, I like flowers" - When quizzed by QC Mr Mark Hapgood about the £293,000 spent on flowers in one year. In the same day, he said "I have no one to leave the money to. I'm a single man. I like spending my money." whne quizzed about how he spent £30M in two years - £1.5M per month

• I don't know. I can't remember. The '80s were a bit of a haze, you know When asked on the occasion of his car auction in 2000, whether he bought his second Ferrari Testarossa as a compliment to his first

Trivia

• The 1991 film documentary Two Rooms described the unusual writing style that John and Bernie Taupin use, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the process
• He supports the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League and regularly checks on the website for news about them.
• In April 1990, John performed "Skyline Pigeon" at the funeral of Ryan White, a teenage hemophiliac he had befriended who died of AIDS
• In 2001, John was booked to appear on an episode of the BBC topical panel show Have I Got News For You but withdrew with just hours to spare. He was replaced by a look-alike - a taxi driver from Colchester called Ray Johnson, who was credited by the show as "Ray Elton John Son". Johnson also appeared "as" Elton in Never Mind the Buzzcocks' December 20th, 2005, as part of a line up.
• In July of 2005, Madame Tussauds made a statue of Elton John to his measurements. It took more than 1,000 hours to complete

Band

Current members

• Elton John - piano, lead vocals
• Guy Babylon - keyboards
• Bob Birch - bass guitar, vocals
• Davey Johnstone - guitar, musical director, vocals
• John Mahon - percussion, vocals
• Nigel Olsson - drums, percussion, vocals

Previous band members

• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - guitar
• Jack Bruno - touring drums
• Ray Cooper - percussion
• John Jorgenson - guitar, saxophone, mandolin, pedal steel, vocals
• John Lennon - guitar
• Jody Linscott - percussion
• Jonathan Moffett - drums
• Charlie Morgan - drums
• Dee Murray - bass guitar, vocals
• James Newton Howard - conductor, keyboards
• Kiki Dee - vocals
• Pino Palladino - bass guitar
• Kenny Passarelli - bass guitar, vocals
• David Paton - bass guitar, vocals
• Roger Pope - drums
• Alexander Vakil - keyboards
• Gentry Pruett - keyboards
• Caleb Quaye - guitar
• Tim Renwick - guitar, vocals
• Toni Tennile - vocals, keyboards
• Ken Stacey - additional guitar, vocals
• Mark Taylor - keyboards
• Billy Trudel - vocals
• Romeo Williams- bass guitar, vocals
• Richie Zito - drums
• Fred Mandel - keyboards

See also

• List of best selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References and notes

References

• "Elton and David to tie the knot". (Nov. 25, 2005). iAfrica.com.

External links

• Elton John's official website
• Fan site
• Elton John Discography and Lyrics
• The Crazy Water Forum - an Elton John message board
• Elton John News Blog from The Crazy Water Site
• Elton John at the SoundtrackINFO project
• Elton John Biography
• EltonChords.com Resource for piano chording for Elton John Songs.
• Elton John's Music Cafe
• Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)
• Cornflakes & Classics - The musical history of Elton John
• Elton John Fanatic
• Elton John at Live 8
• Elton John at IMDb
• Billy Elliot the Musical Fan Forum
• Elton John Lyrics at Lyrics4Fun
• Elton John Brazilian web site at Elton John Brazilian web site
• Elton John Brazilian group web site at Elton John Brazilian group web site

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