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Elton John

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Born:
March 25, 1947, he's 65 and British.
Names:
Birthname: Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Alternative names: Sir Elton John.
Snapshot:
An Artist with 161 releases, a member of 2 groups, and credited 44 times on others' music. 22 collaborations and 1 musical relative.

Biography

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In the early spring of newly post-war Britain, Reginald Kenneth Dwight (legally changed to Elton John at the age of 20) was born in his grandparents' government-assisted house. It was the wettest, coldest March on record and the gloom of the long harsh English winter had not yet passed off. These are the inauspicious beginnings for the man who was destined to become one of the most successful and flamboyant musical artists of the modern age. It was his mother who discovered that he was a piano prodigy when she heard him picking out, by ear, "The Skater's Waltz" by Winifred Atwell. John was four years old.

It was this amazing talent that led John to win a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 11. This meant that, in addition to his regular school, he would be taking classes on Saturdays, in London, at the Academy. It was his mother and step-father, affectionately nicknamed "Derf" by John, who would help him break into music by helping him become a pianist and singer in the local pub at weekends. At the age of 17, John and his friends formed an English R&B group called Bluesology and although the band supported many big name acts on tour (most notably; Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles and The Isley Brothers) Bluesology wasn't John's doorway to success. In 1967 John answered an ad in the NME that would lead to one of the most important partnership's John would ever form. The Artists and Repertoire manager for Liberty Records, Ray Williams, placed the ad looking for song writers and both John and a young lyricist named Bernie Taupin answered the ad. Taupin wrote the lyrics and John put them to music. The newly formed team didn't stay long at Liberty, quickly moving to rival label, DJM Records. Over the next two years the duo wrote easy-listening songs for many of DJM's biggest artists, but they also wrote more complex music for John to record.

John's debut album Empty Sky (1969), was largely ignored, however his second album, Elton John, released just a year later, produced John's first Top 10 hit (in both the US and UK), "Your Song". After the release of his second album John had his first American concert at The Troubadour in LA and from this first performance, he showed a natural proclivity to showmanship that would eventually make him one of the world's most popular live performers. Over the next 18 years John's career skyrocketed as he released one album almost every year, most notably: Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), and Rock of the Westies (1975). These albums produced numerous Top 10 hits including "Crocodile Rock", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Bennie and the Jets", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Candle in the Wind". This latter track has been released three times -- in 1974, 1990, and 1997 -- and is the highest-selling single of all time.

In 1994 John teamed with famed Broadway lyricist Tim Rice (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita) to write the music for the Disney movie The Lion King. One song from the film, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight", won the duo a Grammy (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance), a Golden Globe (Best Original Song for) and an Academy Award (Best Original Song). He has composed for another Disney film, The Road to El Dorado, and several highly successful musical theatre productions, most notably Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical.

John continues to perform live and release the occasional album. In 2001 he released Songs from the West Coast and declared it would be his last studio album; however in 2004 he released his twenty-eighth studio album Peachtree Road, and in 2006 The Captain & The Kid followed, an autobiographical return to the themes of 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. He told Rolling Stone magazine in 2006 that he would like "to work with Pharrell, Timbaland, Snoop, Kanye, Eminem and just see what happens".

Music

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Discography

204 releases – 161 under his own name, 1 in a group and 44 credits on others' music Edit
1
Collaborations, Groups and Family
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Elton John

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In the News

( 8 stories between 16th November 2008 and 3rd February 2011 )

Rocket Man Blasts Billy Joel in Rolling Stone

Feb, 3 2011

Often we rely on our oldest friends to tell it like it is, but did Elton John overstep his buddy-boundaries when he called out long-time tour partner, Billy Joel’s habits, in the new Rolling Stone cover article? “At the end of the day, he's coasting," John said. "I always say, 'Billy, can't you write another song?' It's either fear or laziness. It upsets me. Billy's a conundrum. We've had so many canceled tours because of illnesses and various other things, alcoholism. He's going to hate me for this, but every time he goes to rehab they've been rehab light. When I went to rehab, I had to clean the floors. He goes to rehab where they have TVs. I love you, Billy, and this is tough love… You should be able to do something better than what you're doing now." The duo has co-headlined tours for 15 years, but last year Joel canceled a tour for unspecified reasons, later having double hip replacement surgery. At the time, John said he was “heartbroken” about the cancelled “Face 2 Face” tour; Joel replied that the tour had never been booked. Joel responded to Elton’s most recent alcoholism accusations in a statement, "I've worked with Elton for such a long time and I've enjoyed our relationship too much to let something as random as these comments change my affection for him. Elton is just being Elton." -Court

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Elton John Becomes a Dad at 63

Dec, 29 2010

Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, became proud parents to a baby boy on Christmas day. The baby was born via surrogate and couple has declined to specify which of them is the child’s biological father. Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born in California, and is the first child for both 63-year-old John 48-year-old Furnish. The couple married in 2005 having been together since the early 1990s. In a joint statement, the new parents told USMagazine.com that "Zachary is healthy and doing well" and they are "overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment." Their son's middle name is a possible nod to John's song "Levon," whose lyrics - “He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas Day” - were written by the musician’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and inspired by Levon Helm, the drummer and singer for The Band. The song appeared on John’s 1971 Madman Across The Water. According to the Daily Mail, the couple had first attempted to adopt an HIV-positive child from the Ukraine last year. The adoption of the 14 month-old boy was rejected on the grounds of John's age, that the child had a mother and therefore technically was not an orphan, and the fact that the country does not recognize civil marriages. John then made a commitment to support the boy financially. -Court

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Rocket Man Blasts At TV Talent Shows

Oct, 20 2010

One of the most successful pop artists ever, Sir Elton John, believes today's songwriters are "pretty awful.” “Pop music isn’t very inspiring,” he continued, and talent shows like American Idol breed a lack of integrity and the rigorous drive necessary to sustain a career. In an interview with Britain's Radio Times magazine, the 63-year-old singer explained, “I was in a band at 17, became a songwriter with Bernie Taupin and wasn't successful until we'd had six years of hard graft and disappointment, as well as great times.” While talent shows might generate huge network ratings, "TV vaults you to superstardom and then you have to back it up, which is hard," John said. "It's important [pop stars] write their own songs, so they're not at the mercy of anyone," he said. “The only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues.” An admitted fan of young female artists Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga, he added, "I'm not a fan of talent shows. I probably wouldn't have lasted if I'd gone on one. I was asked to judge American Idol… I won't slag anyone off.” Television has “become boring, a***-paralyzing brain crippling," he said. John is releasing a new album this week, The Union, a collaboration with his musical hero Leon Russell featuring appearances from Neil Young, Brian Wilson and Robert Randolph, among others guests.

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