The famous Elton. Elton John - biography, information, personal life

The main piano man of the United Kingdom, Sir Elton Hercules John, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, is one of the most prolific and successful artists in Foggy Albion. Over the course of his long career, he has recorded 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, sold 250 million records, played more than 3,000 concerts and set the record for the highest-grossing EP. By Billboard standards, Elton was second only to Elvis Presley and the Beatles - 56 singles were in the Top 40 (only the King of Rock and Roll could surpass this figure), and in his most productive period from 1972 to 1975, seven albums became chart toppers (he was ahead of him here). only the Fab Four). The son of Royal Air Force trumpeter Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born on March 25, 1947. At the age of three he began playing the piano, and at eleven he became a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. After graduation, Reginald decided to devote himself to the music business and joined the ranks of the Bluesology group. The ensemble accompanied various soul and rhythm and blues performers and in 1966 joined John Baldry. However, Dwight, due to the leader’s excessive pressure, did not really like working with him, and he began to look for another team. Reginald auditioned for the role of vocalist in "King Crimson" and "Gentle Giant", but was rejected in both. He then failed an audition for Liberty Records, but it was during this event that he met lyricist Bernie Taupin. Dwight and Taupin tried to write songs together, and they formed an excellent tandem.

It was at this time that Reginald took the pseudonym Elton John, borrowing the first part from Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean, and the second from John Baldry. For a couple of years, the author's duo worked for other artists, but already in 1968, Elton began releasing singles under his own name, and more rock and more radio-oriented things were done for himself. The following year, the debut long-play "Empty Sky" was released, which had good reviews and low sales. For the recording of the second album, John and Taupin engaged producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster, who contributed to the musician’s enormous chart success. The "Elton John" disc, accompanied by the top ten single "Your Song", gained popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. While the record was moving up the charts, Elton produced three more albums: the concept studio album "Tumbleweed Connection" with scenes from Westerns, the concert album "11-17-70" and the soundtrack "Friends" (he later worked on other soundtracks).

The platinum "Madman Across The Water" followed, but Elton achieved superstar status with the release of the magnificent "Honky Chateau". For the first time since the release of "Elton John", the role of string arrangements was reduced to a minimum, and in addition, the transition from the singer-songwriter style to a more rock and roll style began here. With such big hits as "Honky Cat" and "Rocket Man", the album topped the American album charts and spent five weeks there without going out. Between 1972 and 1976, the John-Taupin hit-making machine worked nonstop, producing best-selling hits such as Crocodile Rock, Daniel, Bennie And The Jets, The Bitch Is Black, Philadelphia Freedom, etc. . In 1973, Elton founded the Rocket Record Company label, and although he initially signed other artists to it, he later began releasing his own records on it. In 1974, he appeared on Lennon's single "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" and also took part in the ex-Beatle's last public concert. All subsequent albums, the glamorous "Don"t Shoot Me, I"m Only The Piano Player", the masterpiece double "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", the relatively lightweight "Caribou", the autobiographical "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy" and the funky hard "Rock Of The Westies" topped the charts and was certified platinum.

In 1976, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Elton John announced his bisexual (and actually homosexual) inclinations, and this caused the decline in the artist's popularity. In addition, the musician sharply reduced his touring schedule, and his relationship with Bernie Taupin became increasingly tense, and after the double “Blue Moves” (the main hit was “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”) it completely disappeared. John's first independent work with the characteristic title "A Single Man" (actually made in collaboration with Gary Osborne) did not give a single hit in the Top 20, and his attempt to go into pure disco with "Victim Of Love" completely failed. In the early 80s, John reconciled with Taupin, and already on the disc “21 At 33” several joint songs appeared, and with “Too Low For Zero” their full-fledged collaboration resumed. And although the artist still remained afloat, he could not return the crazy popularity of the seventies. The albums, which continued to be released with enviable regularity, mostly had gold status.

Elton also regularly bombarded the Top 40, but there were also shots into the hot top ten, for example, “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” (1984), “Nikita” (1986), “Candle In The Wind” (1987), “I Don” t Want To Go On With You Like That" (1988). The most successful full-length of the 80s was the decade-ending program "Sleeping With The Past", in which John and Taupin staged a tribute to the sixties soul and rhythm and rhythm that once admired them. blues. Meanwhile, the artist’s personal life was chaotic. Having become addicted to cocaine and alcohol in the mid-70s, Elton only worsened his addictions in the 80s. In 1984, for some reason, he got married and spent four years in marriage. In 1988 - the musician sold all his concert costumes and a bunch of other memorabilia at Sotheby's auction, after which he began to fight bulimia and drug addiction. Three years later, Elton managed to improve his health, but he did not stop there and established a foundation to fight AIDS. In 1992- In the same year, John recorded the album "The One", which marked his return to the big stage. The record received double platinum, and on the wave of triumphant success, Elton and Bernie entered into a 39 million dollar contract with Warner / Chappell. The 1995 disc "Made In England" took third place in the British charts, and the album "The Big Picture", in addition to a similar result at home, entered the American top ten.

The most successful work of this period was the reworking of the song “Candle In The Wind”, dedicated to the memory of Princess Diana (previously this composition served as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe). The single easily topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and sold thirty-three million copies worldwide. The following year, Queen Elizabeth knighted the artist “for services to music and charity,” and from then on he became known as Sir Elton Hercules John. On the eve of the millennium, John teamed up with Tim Rice for the musical "Aida", and a little later worked with him on the animation "The Road To El Dorado". In 2001, Elton delighted critics with his return to seventies piano rock, but at the same time announced that the studio album “Songs From The West Coast” would be the last in his discography. Fortunately, the decision was changed, and three years later the disc “Peachtree Road” was released, where the musician, seeing that “Songs...”, despite the flattering reviews, did not have very high sales, relied not on hits, but on simply good songs. In 2006, John and Taupin produced a sequel, “The Captain & The Kid,” to “Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy,” and in 2010, they recorded a joint album with Leon Russell, “The Union.” The last release found itself in the American top three, and three years later the solo album “The Diving Board” launched in third place (but already in England).

Elton John(real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born March 25, 1947) is a popular British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995). Elton John had a significant influence on the development of light rock. Over the course of his nearly five-decade career, he sold more than 250 million records. 52 of his singles were in the British Top 40, and the musician ranks 49th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest performers. Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums reaching number one on the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 in the top ten and 6 reaching number one. One of them, “Candle in the Wind” (the version dedicated to Princess Diana) sold 37 million copies. Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.

So, more details. Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born into the family of the commander of an air squadron of the British Empire. Dwight was raised by his mother because he rarely saw his father. However, the parents divorced completely in 1962. Mom married a second time to a man whom Elton called “Derf.”

At the age of four, Reginald began learning to play the piano. Moreover, he turned out to be a child prodigy, since he could play almost any melody. At the age of 11, John received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Later, the musician studied at the educational institution for 6 years.

Start
In 1960, Dwight and his friends formed the group The Corvettes. The band began playing compositions by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles. A year later the group became Bluesology. Reginald played in a bar at night and carried out assignments for music publishers during the day. Musical affairs were not going badly; by the mid-60s the group was touring the United States. In 1966, the group began collaborating with Long John Baldry, and went on a tour of England.

Dwight later responded to an ad from Ray Williams, then head of A&R at Liberty Records. The latter gave the young musician lyrics by Bernie Taupin, who also responded to the offer to collaborate. But neither one nor the other passed the competition, but together they continued their cooperation, which has survived to this day.

Bernie Taupin and Elton John recorded their first song in 1967. This is Scarecrow. It is worth noting that by that time Dwight had already taken a pseudonym. A little later, colleagues began writing songs for different artists. In 1968, the single “I’ve Been Loving You” was released, and a year later “Lady Samantha” and the album “Empty Sky” appeared. The work was not a commercial success, but received good reviews. In the USA, the singles and album were not released at all.

Success
In early 1970, the album "Elton John" was released. A formula for success had already been found here: the record contained rock songs and soulful ballads. That same year, Elton John gave his first American concert in Los Angeles. Then the musician’s performance style created a furore among reporters and colleagues. After this, Elton took part in the recording of the football anthem for the English team and released the album “Tumbleweed Connection”. A year later, in 1971, the artist’s sixth studio album, Madman Across the Water, appeared. It's a dark piece with grandiose orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster. The album became a real hit in the USA.

In 1973, John created his own label, Rocket Records, and released the pop-oriented album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The next album, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” became even more popular. Critics consider this record to be the best in the singer’s career. By the way, after it, attention was focused on Elton not as a musician, but as a person.

A year later, another album appeared. "Caribou" took first place in the United States, but did not satisfy critics, since it was "designed for an external effect." At the same time, the musician played “Local Guy” in the film adaptation of the rock opera called “Tommy.”

Next came “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”, this is an autobiographical album, the musical story of the still unknown Taupin and John’s stay in London.

Bi
Elton John achieved commercial success in 1976 when he sang in a duet with Kiki Dee. The single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” topped both the American and British charts. Almost immediately, Elton admitted his bisexuality to Rolling Stone magazine. The artist later said that he did not declare his homosexuality so as not to upset his fans.

By the way, in the spring of 1979, Elton came on tour to the USSR, one of the first Western rock musicians. He gave 4 concerts.

In 1980, Elton and Bernie again showed their brainchild; they released the album “21 at 33”, which also became quite successful. Another fruit of joint creativity appeared a year later - this is the album “The Fox”.

In the 1980s, Elton was beset by personal turmoil. In 1984, the artist married, unexpectedly for many, sound engineer Renate Blaell. And two years later he lost his voice and underwent throat surgery. He had his polyps removed, and as a result John's timbre changed slightly.

It is worth noting that in 1984, Watford reached the final of the English Football League Cup. This was a long-time dream of Elton John, who was not only a fan of the team, but also the owner and chairman of the board.

In 1987, the singer won a libel suit against The Sun newspaper, the publication accused the artist of having sex with minors.

Drugs
In 1990, Elton was admitted to a Chicago hospital, where he underwent rehabilitation to combat alcoholism, drug addiction and bulimia. During the course, he loses weight and transplants his hair. A year later, the album “Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin” appears, which many British and American performers helped record.

A year later, Elton created the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It must fund programs to combat AIDS. And direct the money earned in the USA and Britain from the sale of singles to research. The next album, “The One,” is released immediately.

In 1994, Elton worked with Tim Rice on the music for the animated film The Lion King. It became super successful and the songs played an important role here. Three of the five songs from the cartoon that were nominated for an Oscar were by Jonah. That same year, the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later he was given the title of Knight Bachelor, simply a prefix to the name “sir.”

Harsh statements
In 2001, the musician announced that the album “Songs From The West Coast” would be his last studio album. Elton John planned to focus on live performances. But another album appeared in 2004 - this is “Peachtree Road”.

In total, Elton John released 29 studio albums and 128 singles. He is the author of music for a number of films, cartoons and productions.

Personal life
Four years after the wedding with Rinata Blauel, the marriage broke up. Elton John later spoke about his homosexuality. The musician was constantly tormented by depression, he began to abuse drugs and alcohol. I had to undergo treatment for addiction more than once. In 1993, Elton met David Furnish. It was he who helped the celebrity get rid of drug addiction and alcoholism. In 2005, John took advantage of the fact that the concept of “same-sex marriage” was introduced into law. He married Furnish.

In 2009, the couple wanted to adopt an HIV-positive baby from a boarding school in Ukraine. However, officials refused, explaining that same-sex marriages are not recognized in Ukraine. But on December 25, 2010, David and Elton finally became dads; the surrogate mother gave birth to their son, Zachary Jackson Levon.

WITHer Elton John, real namewhomReginald Kenneth Dwight, was born in the British city of Pinner in the family of a military pilot. His parents divorced in 1962, then his mother remarried when Reginald was 15.

At the age of four the boy began to play the piano. At eleven, the young man won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied for six years.

At 13years he organizedBluesology group with friends. By the mid-1960s, they were touring the United States with famous rhythm and blues musicians.

After the breakupBluesologyin 1967, the musician recorded his first composition based on the poems of Bernie Taupin Scarecrow. That same year, he adopted the pseudonym Elton John, in honor of musicians Elton Dean and Long John. In 1970, the singer’s first album was released under this name (“Elton John”). The single Your Song became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1973, the musician released the album Don"t Shoot Me, I"m Only the Piano Player, which went gold. The same year, his double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released, which reached number one on the Billboard album chart.

In 1974, the album Caribou and the collection of greatest hits, Greatest Hits, were released.

In the mid-1970s, 16 of Elton John's consecutive singles entered the Top 20 in Britain, and 12 of them entered the Top 5.

In 1976, the singer presented the album Blue Moves with the single Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.

In 1986, Elton John lost his voice while touring Australia and shortly thereafter underwent throat surgery that changed the sound of his voice. Despite this, the performer continued his musical career.

The 1989 album Sleeping With The Past and the 1992 album The One went platinum.

In 1990, Elton underwent rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia.

During his career, Elton John recorded over 30 albums, sold more than 250 million records, and had 54 singles in the British Top 40. In 2007, the singer's single Candle in the Wind entered the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling single in the history of music.

Elton was nominated for a Grammy Award 11 times and won five times. In 2001, the musician received an honorary Grammy Award.

Personal life

In 1976, the singer spoke in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine about his bisexuality.

In 1984, he married sound engineer Rinata Blauel. Four years later they divorced. After this, Elton John declared that he was more homosexual than bisexual.

Since 1993, film director David Furnish has become John's companion. In 2005, they legalized their relationship after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK. The couple has two sons who were born to surrogate mothers: V 2010 Zechariah was born in 2013, and Elijah was born in 2013.

Hobbies

The musician collects original eyeglass frames.

Data

In 1993, Elton John was awarded the degree of officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters, in 1996 he became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1998 he received a knighthood.

Every summer, Elton John, his husband David Furnish and their sons, Zachary, 6, and Elijah, 4, vacation in the resort of Saint-Tropez in France. Now the family is vacationing there. On Sunday, celebrities with children were caught by the paparazzi while walking on a yacht. As usual, Elton John and his team traveled along the Cote d'Azur to be able to stop at the best beaches, and then stop at their favorite restaurant, Club 55, located on Pampelonne beach. Judging by the pictures, Elton John, his husband and children were in a great mood.

Elton John, David Furnish with children

Elton John and David Furnish met in 1993 and began living together a year later. In 2005, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, Elton and David decided to get married. They became one of the first in the country who decided to take advantage of the new law. More than 700 guests were invited to the celebration, which took place at the Town Hall of the Windsor Estate, including Madonna, Sting, and Mick Jagger.

At the end of 2010, Elton John and David Furnish became parents; a surrogate mother gave birth to their son Zachary. A couple of years later, in January 2013, their second child, Elijah, was born in the same way.

Children have completely changed my life. “I realized that the simplest things in life, like spending a minute with them, are more valuable than any paintings, houses or even a hit record,” Elton said in an interview with the Mirror.

However, in one of his interviews with the Guardian newspaper, John admitted that he was strictly raising his sons.

They receive three pounds each as pocket money, with one pound to give to charity, one pound to put in a piggy bank, and only one to spend as they please. They receive three coins and put them in three different piggy banks. To get money, they must earn it - help in the kitchen or in the garden. They must learn to understand the value of working and making money on their own, said Elton John.

Reginald Kenneth Dwight, now known as Elton John, was born in the English town of Pinner, Middlesex County on March 25, 1947. I rarely saw my own father, who worked as an aviation squadron commander, because his mother was mainly involved in raising him.

When Dwight was 15 years old, his parents separated. The mother soon had a new lover, Fred Fairbrother, whom she married for the second time. The guy had a good relationship with his stepfather, whom he lovingly called Derf.

Elton John's musical talent

Reginald's love for music manifested itself since childhood. At the age of four, he began learning to play the piano, and soon he was able to perform absolutely any composition given. At the age of eleven he received a grant to study at the Royal Academy of Music, successfully graduating six years later.

In 1960, Reginald and his friends created a musical group, which was initially called The Corvettes, and a year later renamed Bluesology. The first performances took place in the Northwood Hills Hotel bar. Within a few years, the group toured the United States with famous performers, including The Isley Brothers, LaBelle and others. In 1966, an acquaintance with Long John Baldrey led to further collaboration, and a tour of England took place.

One day, Dwight came across an ad in a music magazine placed by a representative of Liberty Records. He responded to it, and in return received a collection of texts sent by someone else who wanted to collaborate with the label, Bernie Taupin. Although neither of them was selected, this event played an important role in the lives of both. Reginald wrote music to Bernie's works, and then sent the result to him by mail. So gradually they began to create music together, and currently continue to work with each other. Their debut joint composition was “Scarecrow”.

It was at that time that Dwight decided to take a pseudonym for himself. He chose the name Elton in honor of his jazz idol Elton Dean, and for the surname John he borrowed a piece of the name from Long John Baldrey. Then the middle name Herculis appeared.

The duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin joined the DJM label and composed compositions for other musical artists. First, the single “I’ve Been Loving You” was released, followed by “Lady Samantha”, and at the same time the debut album “Empty Sky” was released. In commercial terms, the work was not successful, but it provided aspiring musicians with positive reviews.

Real success came with the release of the second album, “Elton John,” filled with rock songs and ballads. His style of performance was quite unusual at that time, and this just won the hearts of listeners. From then on, his career developed rapidly, and each new album added more and more fans.

In 1973, the singer founded his own record label, Rocket Records, which produced not only his own albums, but also gave the opportunity to record singles by artists such as Kiki Dee and Neil Sedaki.

Critics consider “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” to be the best album of the singer’s entire career, as it reveals not only his musical talent, but also shows Elton as a person.

John also wrote soundtracks for films:

• "Friends" (1971);
• "The Lion King" (1994);
• "Aida" (1998);
• "Muse" (1999);
• "Road to Eldorado" (2000);
• "Billy Elliot" (2005);
• "Lestat" (2005);
• "Gnomeo and Juliet" (2011).

The musician won an Oscar for the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.”

Elton's discography includes 32 studio albums, so it is not surprising that he is the winner of many music awards.

Elton John's personal life

In 1976, Elton John admitted to being bisexual in an interview with a Rolling Stone journalist.

In 1984, the rock singer’s wedding took place with German studio sound engineer Renata Blauel. However, the couple lived in marriage for only four years, and then separated peacefully. After this, Elton said that he was more inclined towards homosexuality, but did not want to say this before, so as not to upset his fans.

Afterwards, John constantly fell into depression, the way out of which he saw in alcoholic beverages and drugs. Later, he had to undergo treatment more than once for emerging addictions. During a course of therapy, the singer came up with the idea of ​​​​creating a foundation that would allocate money to fight AIDS, as well as finance research in this area.

In 1993, he met David Furnish, who helped the artist completely get rid of alcohol and drug addictions. And as soon as same-sex relationships were allowed by law, Elton entered into a marriage contract with him. Later, the couple wanted to adopt an HIV-infected child from Ukraine, but were refused because such relationships are not recognized in the country. Then Elton and David used the services of a surrogate mother and became the fathers of two sons: Zachary Jackson Levon and Elijah Joseph Daniel.

Elton John admitted that he is still seduced by women. But when asked whether he would sleep with any of the women, he answered in the negative, since he was happy with his husband.

Even during his first marriage, the singer had to undergo throat surgery, after which his timbre changed slightly.

It is also known that Elton is an ardent fan of the Watford football team, and, moreover, is the owner and chairman of the board.