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Elton John See rationale on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available., CBE(born 25 March 1947Elton John is a pop music singer, composer, and pianist, and is one of the most successful solo artists in popular music history. Though best-known in contemporary times for his hugely successful 1997 re-release of "Candle In The Wind," his recording and performing career has spanned over four decades. His flamboyant fashion sense, on-stage showmanship, and public struggles with his private life have combined with his talent to make him a legend to his many fans around the world.

John was the dominant commercial force in the rock world in the 1970s, as evidenced by seven consecutive #1 records on the U.S. album charts. His piano-based sound has helped keep that instrument relevant in a guitar-oriented genre. He has maintained a public presence in the fight against AIDS, and has had renewed moments of commercial triumph, such as his defiant hit in Pinner, England, the son of Squadron Leader Stanley Dwight, RAF, and his wife, Sheila Dwight. Reginald was raised primarily by his mother and other female relatives, and saw little of his father as a kid. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962, when Reginald was 14.

Reginald began playing piano when he was four. Something of a child prodigy, he was able to play on piano any melody he heard on radio or phonograph. At 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He stayed at the Academy for six years, leaving before graduation to focus on his music.

In 1960, Reginald and some of his friends formed a band called the Corvettes, which evolved into Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and RB musicians like the Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1966 the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band and began touring cabarets with him throughout England. Reginald left soon after, as Baldry's control had increased. After failing lead vocalist auditions for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Reginald answered an advertisement in the New Musical Express placed by Ray Williams then the young AR manager for Liberty Records. There Ray gave him lyrics written by Bernie Taupin who had answered the same ad. Reginald then wrote music for the lyrics, and mailed it to Bernie. Thus began a partnership that continues to this day. When they met six months later, Reginald had changed his name to Elton John, by deed poll, in homage to Bluesology saxophonist , was recorded.

Elton and Bernie, now partners, joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years, wrote songs for pop singers like Roger Cook and Lulu, while also recording their own songs. Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour, and give it to John who would write music for them in half an hour, tossing out a song if he couldn't come up with anything.

In June 1969, Elton released , his first album, for DJM. Despite good reviews, it failed to click with the record buying public.

Elton's self-titled second album was released in the spring of 1970 on MCA, and slowly began to climb the charts. The first single from the album, , made the US Top Ten, and the album followed path. John's first American concert took place at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, in August, recieving praise from the likes of Quincy Jones.

in October 1970. It reached the Top Ten on the Billboard 200 like its predecessor, and got heavy airplay on album-oriented radio stations in the U.S., which most likely played a part in its success. , an ambitious and largely underrated album showcasing Elton's considerable talent as a rock pianist and father of Piano rock, with astonishing interaction between Elton, bassist Dee Murray, and drummer Nigel Olsson. Extended versions of his early compositions clearly illustrate the gospel and boogie-woogie influences on Elton's piano playing, as the lead instrument in a successful, yet unusual (for Rock) trio format. The live album was followed by the soundtrack to the obscure film , which became his first American number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts, and spawned the hit singles .

In 1973, Elton started his own label, Rocket Records. That year, Elton released the pop album In 1974, Elton engaged in a noted collaboration with John Lennon, resulting in Elton covering The Beatles's . Elton got Lennon to perform these songs at Madison Square Garden in what would be his last public performance. The concert was recorded and released two years later with another live concert recording on the album '. That year, he also became director of a professional soccer team, the Watford Football Club, and released the albums , both #1 hits, like their predecessors. Caribou was widely considered a lesser quality album but demonstrated John's rocking ability with . Drawing on power chords, Elton's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976 (1975 in the U.S.). The song charted #7 in England. Many still recognize Elton John's rocker version more easily than The Who's original version.

"Elton John's cryptic personality was revealed with the autobiographical album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy." Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality. In the album, Taupin and John describe their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in London and its environs. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that would otherwise be rare in John's music. was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life. His next album, the rock-oriented , a previously unattained feat.

1976 also saw a highly successful collaboration with English singer Kiki Dee, when their duet went to number 1 on the charts.

Elton, in a way, owes his success at that time to his concert performances. His flamboyant stage wardrobe that included ostrich feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, a Statue of Liberty costume and more, and his dressing up like Donald Duck or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart among others at his concerts made them a success and created interest for his music.

Elton's career slowed down somewhat after 1976. That year he stated in an interview with that he was bisexual. This revelation may have contributed to a drop in record sales the following years. The decline in his record sales was also probably due to his exhaustion. He cut his performance schedule after that year, and retired from live performances in 1977 and started recording only one album per year.

Nevertheless, Elton John dominated the rock world in the 1970s, as evidenced by his seven consecutive albums that topped the US album charts:

On 13 September 1980 Elton John performed a free concert to a huge audience on The Great Lawn in Central Park in New York City, within hearing distance of his friend John Lennon's apartment building. A few months later Lennon would be murdered and Elton mourned the loss in his 1982 hit which he recorded during a concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra although the orchestra did not take part in the song. The song, which was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, was originally recorded in 1973 on his that John and Bernie Taupin use, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the process.

In 1991, John's with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute concert, an AIDS charity event held at Wembley Stadium, London. In September of the same year, he performed with Guns N' Roses for the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA.

Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He and Bernie Taupin had previously been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.

Elton John was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995.

In September 1997, Taupin altered the lyrics of for a special version mourning the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and John performed it at her funeral in Westminster Abbey. A recorded version, , then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds of approximately £55 million going to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. John would later win the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single.

Elton John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 February 1998, granting him the title of "Sir".

He continues to release new material to commercial success, and tours extensively, despite being fitted with a pacemaker in July 1999. His face-to-face tours with fellow pianist Billy Joel have been a fan favourite throughout the world since the mid-1990s. Elton also has a multi-year contract to perform at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The show, entitled , is a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by David LaChapelle.

John dueted with Eminem on the rapper's at the Grammy Awards of 2001. This went a long way towards absolving Eminem of charges of homophobia and thus paving the way for Eminem's greater mainstream acceptance.

In 2001, John was booked to appear on an episode of the BBC topical panel show but withdrew with just hours to spare. He was replaced by a look-alike - a taxi driver from Colchester called Ray Johnson, who was credited by the show as "Ray Elton John Son". Johnson also appeared "as" Elton in Never Mind the Buzzcocks' December 20th, 2005, as part of a line up. However, it was obvious that the show had booked Johnson rather than John himself.

He achieved yet another #1 single in the UK, being featured on 2Pac's posthumous song .

On 2 July 2005, John performed at the Live 8 concert at Hyde Park in London.

In July of 2005, Madame Tussauds made a 227 lb. statue of Elton John, to his measurements. It took more than 1,000 hours to complete. John is currently sandwiching a two-year world tour, some venues of which are new to Elton, with his regular appearances at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

He has also done work both for and in films. In 1971, he wrote the soundtrack for the movie . In 1972 he appeared in the Marc Bolan's musical film 'Born to Boogie' In 1975, he appeared as the Pinball Wizard in Ken Russell's over-the-top movie version of the rock opera . (Rice was reportedly stunned by the rapidity with which John was able to set his words to music.) went on to become the best-grossing traditionally-animated feature of all time, with the songs playing a key part. Three of the five songs nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song that year were John and Rice songs from would also win John the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Five years later, John wrote the score for (2000) with lyricist Tim Rice, for which they received the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

John also composed music for a West End production of

John has had a complicated personal history. He disclosed his bisexuality in 1976 in a Rolling Stone Magazine interview. He married German recording engineer Renate Blauel on Valentine's Day, 1984 and divorced her four years later.

He has lived with his partner David Furnish, a former advertising executive, since the early 1990s. On 21 December 2005, they entered into a civil partnership. A low-key ceremony with only their parents in attendance was held at the Guildhall, Windsor, followed by a lavish party at their Berkshire mansion. Guests at the party included Victoria Beckham, Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan, Boy George, Joss Stone, Ringo Starr, George Michael, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, Bryan Adams, Michael Caine, Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Sting, Sharon Stone, The Pet Shop Boys, Stephen Gately, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, Sarah Ferguson, Kid Rock, Cilla Black, Lulu, James Blunt, and The Osbournes. The Sun newspaper marked the event with the headline "Elton Takes David Up the Aisle".

In 1976, Elton John became involved in Watford Football Club and fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming its chairman and director. He invested large sums of money and the club rose into the First Division after a number of key acquisitions. He sold the club to Jack Petchey in 1987, but remained their life-long president. In 1997 he re-purchased the club from Petchey and once again became chairman. He stepped down in 2002 when the club needed a full-time chairman although he continued as president of the club. Although no longer the majority shareholder, he stills holds a significant financial interest. In June 2005 he held a concert at Watford's Vicarage Road ground, donating the funds to the club.

John has long been associated with AIDS charities after the deaths of his friends Ryan White and Freddie Mercury, raising large amounts of money and using his public profile to raise awareness of the disease. For example, in 1986 he joined with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder to record the single , with all profits being donated to the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The song won Elton and the others the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (as well as Song of the Year for its writers, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager).

John founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 as a charity to fund programmes for HIVAIDS-affected individuals, and for providing services to people living with or at risk of contracting HIVAIDS.

Aside from his main home in Windsor, England, John splits his time in his various residences in Atlanta, Georgia; Nice, France; London, England; and Venice, Italy.

During his career, John has battled addictions to cocaine and rumoured financial difficulties caused by his profligate spending. In the mid-late 1990s, John formed a friendship with colleague Michael Jackson. Because of the help John gave him during his addiction to painkillers, Jackson devoted the 1997 album to him.

Elton John is a noted art collector, and is believed to have one of the largest private photography collections in the world.

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