Elton John, over time, has proven to be one of the most influential musicians of his time. His time spans several decades, and his legion of fans spans several generations. John has been performing for more than 30 years to enraptured audiences.

Early Life

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in England in 1947, and his early childhood was shaped primarily by the women in his life. His father, Stanley Dwight, was a Squadron Leader in the RAF, which meant that he was rarely around his son, as his military duty kept him on tour for years.

John proved to be something of a child prodigy, as by the age of four, he was able to play piano melodies by ear after hearing them either on the radio or record player. He continued to hone his love for music, and he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music when he was 11.

During this time he began to develop his own unique style of music which has served him well over the many years that he has been a top performer.

Elton’s career in the early days.

In his early days Elton played in such bands as The Corvettes and Bluesology and they toured many of the popular venues throughout England during this time. They also acted as support bands for a number of bigger names at this time.

John soon became disillusioned with the tight-fisted control that Baldry exerted over Bluesology and left the band soon thereafter. Even though there were initial failures, as John auditioned for lead singer roles with King Crimson and Gentle Giant without being hired, this part of his life led him to a partnership that exists to this day.

The next step – career success.

His success really came out of his failure with an audition at Liberty Records. It was here that he met and eventually teamed up with Bernie Taupin, and it was during this time that he changed his name to Elton John. Together Elton and Bernie got ready for the hugh success which they experienced in the 1970’s.

Taupin and John began releasing singles with moderate success, and formed a band of musicians that would lead to Johns first number one album, Honky Chateau, in 1972. The album contained such hits as Rocket Man and Honky Cat, and spent five weeks at number one.

And that first hit was just the start of many as over the years his releases have sold hundreds of millions of copies all around the world.

His Awards

John has won so many awards during his career that there is hardly space to mention them all. He has been Knighted by Queen Elizabeth, has won an Academy award, a Tony award, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, just to mention a few.

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