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Early Life and Education
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. His mother, Sheila, nurtured his love of popular music at home, while his father, Stanley Dwight, an officer in the Royal Air Force, preferred stricter musical discipline and classical repertoire. After Sheila married Fred Farebrother, Elton found steady encouragement from his stepfather as well. A child prodigy at the piano, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied on Saturdays and developed technique and sight-reading skills that would underpin his later versatility. By his mid-teens he was gigging at local pubs, playing rock and roll standards alongside classical études.

From Bluesology to Elton John
In the early 1960s he co-founded the band Bluesology, which backed visiting American soul and R&B artists and, crucially, British blues singer Long John Baldry. When he decided to reinvent himself as an artist, he took the stage name Elton John, drawing on the names of Bluesology mates Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. A fateful meeting with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967, arranged by A&R man Ray Williams, set the course of his career. The pair began writing songs by correspondence, with Elton composing at the piano and Taupin supplying lyrics. Signed to DJM Records under publisher Dick James, Elton released his debut album, Empty Sky, in 1969. The self-titled follow-up in 1970 yielded Your Song and announced a new major voice in pop.

Breakthrough and Classic Era
Through the early to mid-1970s, Elton John and Bernie Taupin produced a torrent of albums and singles that defined the decade. With producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster, and buoyed by the supple touring unit of Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, and percussionist Ray Cooper, he recorded Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Chateau, Dont Shoot Me Im Only the Piano Player, and the double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Hits such as Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Daniel, Bennie and the Jets, and Candle in the Wind made him a global star. His 1975 shows at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles became emblematic of his flamboyant stage presence. Manager John Reid helped steer this meteoric rise, even as the pace of fame exacted a personal toll.

Image, Performance, and Global Reach
Elton Johns blend of virtuosic piano, showmanship, and melodic pop craft gave him a unique place in popular music. He toured widely, including a groundbreaking 1979 run in the Soviet Union with Ray Cooper. He shared the spotlight with peers and protégés across eras, notably with Kiki Dee on Dont Go Breaking My Heart and later on high-profile stages such as Live Aid. Collaborations and friendships with artists including George Michael, Billy Joel, and later generations such as Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran illustrated his continuing relevance. As owner and later life-president of Watford Football Club, he partnered with manager Graham Taylor to propel the team to the top tier of English football in the 1980s, reflecting his deep bond with his home community.

Challenges and Renewal
By the late 1970s and 1980s, personal struggles intruded. Elton publicly identified as bisexual in the mid-1970s, married sound engineer Renate Blauel in 1984, and later divorced. He eventually acknowledged he was gay and, after seeking help for substance addiction around 1990, emerged with renewed focus. His 1990s output restored chart power: songs like Sacrifice, The One, and The Last Song resonated, and his face-to-face tours with Billy Joel introduced his songbook to new audiences. In 1992 he launched the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has since raised hundreds of millions of dollars for prevention, treatment, and advocacy, aided by annual gala events and partnerships across the entertainment world.

Stage and Screen Songwriting
Working with lyricist Tim Rice, Elton scored Disneys The Lion King in 1994, writing Circle of Life, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and other modern standards, earning an Academy Award. He and Rice later created Aida for Broadway, while Billy Elliot the Musical, with playwright Lee Hall, won acclaim for its heartfelt storytelling and muscular score. He continued to compose for film and stage, and in 2010 teamed with producer T Bone Burnett and his hero Leon Russell on The Union, a project that spotlighted Russells influence on his formative years. His film and TV ventures with David Furnish through Rocket Pictures broadened his cultural footprint, as did the biographical film Rocketman, which he and Furnish helped shepherd and which yielded another Academy Award for the song Im Gonna Love Me Again, co-written with Bernie Taupin.

Candle in the Wind 1997 and Public Service
Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Elton and producer George Martin reworked Candle in the Wind for her funeral at Westminster Abbey. The recording became one of the best-selling singles in history, with proceeds aiding Diana-related charities. Over time, his foundation became a leading private funder in the fight against HIV/AIDS, emphasizing harm reduction, stigma reduction, and access to care. Public honors followed: induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, multiple Grammy Awards, a CBE in 1995, a knighthood in 1998, and appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020. In the United States he received Kennedy Center Honors and, in 2022, the National Humanities Medal. In 2024, alongside Bernie Taupin, he was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Later Career, Farewell Tour, and Ongoing Influence
Elton remained a force on record and stage well into the 21st century. Albums like Songs from the West Coast and The Diving Board reaffirmed his introspective strengths. He returned to the top of charts in 2021 with Cold Heart, a collaboration with Dua Lipa that blended classic hooks into a contemporary dance track, part of The Lockdown Sessions that showcased his role as a connector across generations. His Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour began in 2018, paused during the pandemic, and concluded in 2023 after a headline-making Glastonbury appearance and a final show in Stockholm, marking the end of large-scale touring while leaving the door open to future recording and one-off performances.

Personal Life and Partnerships
The constant through Elton Johns career has been his partnership with Bernie Taupin, a rare, decades-long musical conversation that has produced an unusually deep and varied catalog. In his private life, he entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish in 2005 and married him in 2014 after the law changed in England and Wales; they have two sons. Their creative and philanthropic collaborations, including Rocket Entertainment and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, have amplified his impact well beyond music. Friends and collaborators such as Kiki Dee, George Michael, Leon Russell, Tim Rice, Lee Hall, Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Dee Murray, Ray Cooper, Gus Dudgeon, Paul Buckmaster, and producer Chris Thomas each played vital roles at different moments, helping shape the sound, look, and legacy of his career.

Legacy
Elton John stands as one of the most successful recording artists of all time, a songwriter whose melodic instincts match his virtuosity at the piano and his flair for the dramatic. From the intimacy of Your Song to the soaring communal anthems of Rocket Man and Circle of Life, his work with Bernie Taupin gave modern pop an enduring songbook. His advocacy for public health and LGBTQ rights, his stewardship of Watford FC, and his mentorship of younger artists broadened his cultural influence. The throughline from a prodigious boy at the Royal Academy to a knighted performer and global philanthropist is sustained collaboration, resilience, and restless creativity, making him a singular figure in late 20th- and early 21st-century music.

Our collection contains 33 quotes who is written by Elton, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Justice - Music - Art - Friendship.

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