Elton John
Elton John, whose birth name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a living legend of rock and pop music performing on the scene for the whole 40 years and has won general acknowledgement as a musician, singer and composer. According to Rolling Stone magazine lists, Elton John is among the greatest performers of all time. He influenced greatly on the development of pop and rock music and from the beginning of his musical activity he has sold more than 250 million copies of his studio works.
In his early childhood Elton John was fond of playing the piano, having given preference to classics. And he was so good at it that at the age of 11 he was invited to the Royal Academy of Music. However, in due course his interest in classics changed into an interest in more actual for the moment directions and a newcomer star of the world scene began to imitate his favourite performers gradually becoming a virtuoso of a piano playing.
At this time he began to write his own songs performing them and compositions of other composers in London performance clubs and in 1961 he became a member of a blues-rock band «Bluesology». During six years, playing in this band, Reginald Dwight became famous owing to the fact that «Bluesology» reached summit of popularity as the best performers of music of chosen genre. And in 1967 he started his solo career under stage name Elton John and found for his music an ideal textwriter in the person of young Bernie Taupin. During long years they were an ideal tandem and none of Elton John's composition was written without Taupin's texts.
His first studio single entitled «I’ve Been Loving You» Elton John released in Great Britain in 1968 and in 1969 he released his debut album «Empty Sky». For the first time Elton John entered the top ten of Billboard with his single «Your Song» released in October, 1969 and from this moment his compositions haven't left the UK charts.
Soon American audience could estimate at newcomer star's works true worth. In 1970 the musician signed a contract with Universal Records and released in the USA his first album «Elton John» that became gold afterwards. Peak of popularity of a young British performer fell on the middle of the 1970s. He won the audience not only by his diverse repertoire but also by his bold freaks on the scene, having startled the audience with scandalous conduct and bizarre outfit. By this time Elton John performed in the band formed by him where, besides Elton himself, there were three more musicians. At the same time Elton John formed his own label Rocket Records products of which were distributed in Europe as well as overseas.
In 1973 with album «Good-bye Yellow Brick Road» Elton John became the first in the Billboard Chart and in 1975 his first album «Empty Sky» released in the USA at a moment appeared in the Top Ten. The musician received his deserved star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and became one of the most outstanding persons on the world musical arena.
Elton John's fame affected the business relations with Bernie Taupin who was not any more a leading writer of a creative duet. At first Taupin wrote texts and Elton John composed but then the situation changed that finally resulted in a breakup of two talented person alliances. Elton John took it very hard and it had an effect on several compositions released without participation of Taupin. However the failure period didn't last for long and soon Elton John returned to the ranks not having turned into a «dinosaur» of rock music as many "well-wishers" prophesied him.
Moreover, starting from the 1980s Elton John, at last, has begun to receive the most prestigious awards. He has five Grammy Awards, together with Bernie Taupin he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 1998, for his active philanthropic activity and assistance to HIV positive children, Elton John was knighted.
