Elton John

This article is about the musician. For the album, see Elton John (album). For other uses, see Elton John (disambiguation).

Sir
Elton John
CH CBE
John at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival
Born
Reginald Kenneth Dwight

(1947-03-25) 25 March 1947 (age 77)
Pinner, Middlesex, England
Alma materRoyal Academy of Music
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
  • pianist
Years active1962–present
Spouses
  • Renate Blauel
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1984; div. 1988)​
  • ​
    (m. 2014)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
Discography
Labels
Member ofElton John Band
Formerly ofBluesology
Websiteeltonjohn.com

Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947)[1] is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, his music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry.[2] His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history.[3]

John was raised in Pinner and learned to play piano at an early age, winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied for five years. He formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962, but left in 1967 to embark on a solo career and met Taupin that same year. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician. In 1969, John released his debut album Empty Sky, and a year later formed the Elton John Band, also releasing his first hit single, "Your Song".[4] John's critical and commercial success was at its peak in the 1970s, when he released a string of chart-topping albums both in the US and UK, which began with Honky Château (1972) and culminated with Rock of the Westies (1975).[5] His success continued in the 1980s and 1990s, having several hit singles and albums in both decades,[6][7] and he has continued to record new music since.[8][9] John has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King (1994), Aida (2000), and Billy Elliot the Musical (2005). John's final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road (2018–2023), became the highest-grossing tour ever at the time.[10] His life and career were dramatised in the 2019 biopic Rocketman.

John is an HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser and has been involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s.[11][12][13] He established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over £300 million since its inception, and a year later he began hosting his annual AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Party, which has since become one of the biggest high-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry.[14] John was the chairman and director of Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 to 2002, and is an honorary life president of the club.[15][16] From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, John developed a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol, but has been clean and sober since 1990.[17] In 2005, he entered a civil partnership with his long-term partner, the Canadian filmmaker David Furnish. They married in 2014, when same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales.[18]

John has had more than fifty top-40 hits on the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, including nine number ones in both countries, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US.[19][20] He has sold over 300 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[21] He is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts.[22] His tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, "Candle in the Wind 1997", a rewritten version of his 1974 single, sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time.[23][24][25] In 2021, he became the first solo artist with UK top 10 singles across six decades.[26][27][28] Among John's numerous awards, he is one of 19 entertainers to win the EGOT, which includes an Emmy Award, five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, and a Tony Award.[29][30] He also won two Golden Globes, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and is a fellow of The Ivors Academy. He was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to music and charity in 1998 and was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020.[31]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Artist Biography [Elton John]". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  2. ^ Dean, Jonathan (26 June 2023). "Elton John's best 25 songs ranked — from Daniel to Your Song". The Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Elton John and Bernie Taupin | Songwriters Hall of Fame". www.songhall.org. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  4. ^ "The Sixties". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. ^ "The Seventies". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  6. ^ "1990s". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  7. ^ "The Eighties". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ^ "2000s". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  9. ^ "2010s". Elton John. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Billboard Boxscore's Top 10 Tours of All Time: Harry Styles Cracks the List". Billboard. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Elton John AIDS Foundation". Ejaf.org. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Elton John: About: All About Elton: Charities". 25 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Our mission". Elton John AIDS Foundation. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  14. ^ Butterworth, Benjamin (22 June 2019). "Sir Elton John emotional as he is awarded France's Legion d'Honneur for HIV Aids work". i News. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Ownership". Watford F.C. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Yellow Brick Road: The Story Of Elton John & Watford FC". Watford F.C. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Elton John Celebrates 30 Years of Sobriety". Ventura Recovery Center. 9 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  18. ^ Corey, Irwin (21 December 2020). "The Day Elton John Married David Furnish". Ultimate Classic Rock. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Elton John". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Elton John on Being the Top Male Solo Artist of All Time". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  21. ^ Savage, Mark (24 January 2018). "BBC: Elton John to make statement on future". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Greatest of All Time Artists". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  23. ^ Beech, Mark (28 August 2017). "Elton John's Diana Tribute Still Best-Selling Chart Single, 20 Years On". Forbes. Archived from the original on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021. As the world remembers the tragic death of the Princess of Wales 20 years ago, data confirms that a tribute record to her remains the best-selling chart single of all time.
  24. ^ "RIAA News Room – The American Recording Industry Announces its Artists of the Century". Recording Industry Association of America website. Recording Industry Association of America. 10 November 1999. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2010. 'Candle in the Wind 1997' soon surpassed Bing Crosby's 'White Christmas' to become the best-selling single of all time.
  25. ^ Guinness World Records 2009 states that "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the "best-selling single since charts began". John's 1997 song has sold the most copies when looking at copies sold since charts began, as verified in Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records. 2008. ISBN 978-1-904994-37-4. See also: Guinness World Records, 2009 Edition, pp. 14, 15 & 169 [1] Archived 26 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  26. ^ "Elton John sets new Official Chart record with Top 10s across six decades". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  27. ^ Sexton, Paul (13 October 2021). "Elton John Becomes First Act To Have UK Top Ten Hits In Six Decades". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Elton John sets new UK charts record with his latest single". NME. 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Quirky history of Grammy-winning songs". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  30. ^ Sharf, Zack (15 January 2024). "Elton John Is Now an EGOT Winner, Shares Heartfelt Reaction: 'I Am Incredibly Humbled' and 'Incredibly Grateful'". Variety. Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  31. ^ "About: All About Elton: Bio". Elton John. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.