Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947)[2] is an English singer, pianist and composer, with a career spanning six decades.[3] Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[4][5][6]

Raised in the Pinner area of Greater London, John learned to play piano at an early age, and by 1962 had formed Bluesology, a blues band with whom he played until 1967. He met his longtime musical partner Taupin in 1967, after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician for artists.[7][8] In 1969, John’s debut album, Empty Sky, was released.[9] In 1970, his first hit single, “Your Song”, from his second album, Elton John, became his first top ten in both the UK and the US. Since 1970, he has toured with the Elton John Band as the pianist and lead singer.[10] John’s most commercially successful period was the 1970s, during which he released several hit albums including Madman Across the Water (1971), Honky Château (1972), Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).[11] John continued his success in the 1980s, having several hit singles including “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”, “I’m Still Standing”, “Sad Songs (Say So Much)”, “Nikita” and “Sacrifice”, and has continued to record new music since then.[12][13][14][15] John began collaborating with other musicians in the 1970s and early 1980s, including John Lennon, Kiki Dee and George Michael. In recent years, he has collaborated with several younger artists like Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa. John has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King and its stage adaptation, The Road to El Dorado, Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical. In 2018, John began his ongoing farewell tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road. His life and music career was dramatised in the 2019 biopic Rocketman. While not appearing in his own biopic, John has made cameos in other films and television shows.[1