Elton John is a successful singer and pianist who has sold over 250 million albums and has 50 songs in the Top 40 charts. He was born Reginald Dwight in 1947 and changed his name to Elton John in 1967 after meeting lyricist Bernie Taupin. His first hit was “Your Song” in 1970 and he is known for popular songs like “Candle in the Wind”. He is an advocate for AIDS prevention and has written soundtracks for Disney films. He plans to make a hip-hop album in the future.
Elton John is a singer and pianist who rose to fame in the 1970s. Today he is one of the most successful artists of all time, selling more than 250 million albums, with more than 50 songs in the Top 40 radio charts. In 1998 he was knighted by the Queen of England. As an openly gay man, he has been an active spokesperson and advocate for AIDS prevention since the 1980s.
Elton John’s given name was Reginald Kenneth Dwight. He was born in a London suburb in 1947, the son of a military officer and his wife. At a young age, he began showing evidence of strong musical talent at the piano. He received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music when he was eleven, and became more interested in rock music during his stay.
In 1967, Reginald Dwight changed his name to Elton John, shortly after forming the biggest partnership of his life. While responding to a newspaper ad, he met lyricist Bernie Taupin. They were soon writing music together, with Taupin in charge of lyrics and Elton John writing music on piano. The collaboration between Taupin and John continues today; to date, Taupin has written the lyrics for nearly all of Elton John’s songs.
Elton John’s first success came with the release of his 1970 album, Elton John. The single from the album, “Your Song” became a top ten hit and the album also quickly climbed the charts. However, this was only the first in a long line of hit songs by Elton John. Of his many best-selling singles, some of the most popular are ‘Crocodile Rock’, ‘Tiny Dancer’, ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Candle in the Wind’. Upon Princess Diana’s death in 1997, Elton John recorded a new version of “Candle in the Wind” as a tribute to the princess, who had been friends with him. The new song, “Candle in the Wind 1997,” was the fastest-selling single in history, with over 30 million copies sold.
Elton John’s career has been eclectic over the years. He has written and performed soundtracks for many Disney animated films, but more recently his work has been featured in many popular hip-hop songs. He said that for his next project he would like to make a hip-hop album himself.
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