John Elton, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, *25 March 1947 Pinner (Middlesex), English vocalist, pianist and rock composer. From 1958, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1963, he played piano in the beat band the Corvettes, which was reorganised into Bluesology, with whom he accompanied American soul singers during performances in the United Kingdom and also recorded sporadically. In 1968, he adopted the stage name Elton John (Elton from the name of saxophonist E. Dean of Bluesology, John from the name of singer ‘Long’ J. Baldry), participated in numerous auditions organised in London for young singers and began composing.
He made his debut as a singer-pianist in 1968 with the single I’ve Been Loving You. Between 1969 and 1975, together with poet Bernie Taupin, he wrote his greatest hits, from Rocket Man to Bennie and the Jets. Elton John’s first LP, Empty Sky, was released in 1969, and almost every subsequent album brought several hits and earned Platinum Records; from 1976, Elton John recorded for his own record company, Rocket. In 1968, he composed the music for the film Friends (released in 1971), and in 1972 he appeared as an actor in Born to Boogie and in 1975 in the film adaptation of the musical Tommy (directed by Ken Russell; a successful role as the The Champ). He is one of the most popular rock singers of the 1970s. In 1979, he performed in the USSR, in 1984 in Poland, and he regularly visits the United States.
Elton John’s music is stylistically diverse: lyrical ballads, often derived from the gospel tradition, contrast with harsh-sounding rock and roll songs, rich in Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano performances. The albums created in collaboration with Taupin – Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water – contain overt criticism of the United States and the mythology of the “Old West”, as well as the obsessions and nostalgic hang-ups of American society. Over time, Elton John began to diversify his stage performances with lavish sets, bizarre costumes and props, introducing dance and circus acts, which led to him being classified as part of the so-called glitter or glam rock movement – a genre characterised by an excess of means of expression, spectacularity, and elements of self-parody.
Elton John’s most famous hits are: Your Song, Rocket Man, Crocodile Rock, Daniel, Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Candle in the Wind, Philadelphia Freedom (with the Elton John Band), Pinball Wizard, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (duet with Kiki Dee), Song For Guy, Blue Eyes, I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues, I’m Still Standing, Sad Songs (Say so Much), Passengers, Nikita, Candle in the Wind, Sacrifice, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, True Love, Live Like Horses (duet with Luciano Pavarotti), Something About the Way You Look Tonight, Candle in the Wind 1997, Written in the Stars (duet with LeAnn Rimes), I Want Love, Your Song (with Alessandro Safina), Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (with Blue), Are You Ready For Love (with Ashley Beedle), Electricity, Tiny Dancer (with Ironik & Chipmunk).
Literature: C. Stein Elton John, London 1975; P. Gambaccini Conversation with Elton John and Bernie Taupin, New York 1975; D. Tatham and T. Jasper Elton John, London 1976; G. Newman Elton John, New York 1976; G. Shaw Elton John. A Biography in Words and Pictures, New York 1976; P. McAllister Elton John. Live, Hamburg 1986.
