The Fantastic Elton John
Elton John, over time, has proven to be one of the most influential musicians of his time. His time spans several decades, and his legion of fans spans several generations. John has been performing for more than 30 years to enraptured audiences.
Early Life
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in England in 1947, and his early childhood was shaped primarily by the women in his life. His father, Stanley Dwight, was a Squadron Leader in the RAF, which meant that he was rarely around his son, as his military duty kept him on tour for years.
John proved to be something of a child prodigy, as by the age of four, he was able to play piano melodies by ear after hearing them either on the radio or record player. He continued to hone his love for music, and he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music when he was 11.
During this time he began to develop his own unique style of music which has served him well over the many years that he has been a top performer.
His early career
Johns first band was formed when he was 13, and it was called The Corvettes. The Corvettes ultimately changed their name to Bluesology, which experienced some success as a backup band for such R&B artists as the Isley Brothers and Patti LaBelle. This exposure led to Bluesology being signed to serve as Long John Baldrys supporting band, and they would tour and play small shows throughout England during this time.
His time with Bluesology did not last for too long, for a variety of reasons, and on leaving he formed a partnership which is still going strong to this day.
Success in his career.
Strangely enough, Elton’s career success came about because of his failure in an audition at Liberty Records. It was here that he met Bernie Taupin and over the next couple of years their professional relationship developed until it really hit the big time in the 1970’s.
The first such success was the release of his album Honky Chateas, in 1972. It spent five weeks at number one and included such hits as Rocket Man and Honky Cat.
Things then really started to take off and his nine albums (at time of writing) and 31 releases have sold hundreds of millions of copies all around the world.
His Awards
He has rightly been acknowledged for his outstanding contribution to the world of music by being awarded an Academy award, a Tony award, and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Perhaps the highest honour he has received is to be Knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
