Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born
Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, England on 25 March 1947) is an
immensely popular English singer, composer (mostly with lyricist Bernie Taupin)
and pianist. In a career spanning five decades, Elton John has sold over 250
million records and has over fifty Top 40 hits, making him one of the most
successful musicians of all time. His 1997 tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales,
“Candle In The Wind 1997,” remains the world’s biggest selling and fastest
selling single of all time.
In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed a band
called Bluesology. By day, he ran errands for a music publishing company; he
divided his nights between solo gigs at a London hotel bar and working with
Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and
R&B musicians like The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Billy Stewart, Doris
Troy and Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the band became musician
Long John Baldry’s supporting band and played 16 times at The Marquee Club.
John was one of the dominant commercial forces in the rock world during the
1970s, with a string of seven consecutive #1 records on the U.S. album charts,
twenty-three Top 40 singles, sixty Top 10 hits, and six #1 hits. His success
had a profound impact on popular music, and contributed to the continued
popularity of the piano in rock and roll.
