Elton John

Lore & Background

Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, the eldest child of Stanley Dwight and only child of Sheila Eileen. He learned to play piano at an early age, winning a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11. He attended Saturday classes there for five years but left before taking final exams. In the 1960s he formed the blues band Bluesology, wrote songs for other artists alongside Bernie Taupin, and worked as a session musician before releasing his debut album, Empty Sky (1969). He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972.

Throughout the next six decades, John released 32 studio albums, including Honky Château (1972), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973), Rock of the Westies (1975), Sleeping with the Past (1989), The One (1992), Songs from the West Coast (2001), The Diving Board (2013) and The Lockdown Sessions (2021). He composed music for The Lion King (1994), Aida (2000) and Billy Elliot the Musical (2005). His final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road (2018–2023), became the highest-grossing tour ever at the time. His life and career were dramatised in the 2019 biographical film Rocketman.

John is an HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser and established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over £300 million. He was chairman and director of Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987 and again from 1997 to 2002. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s he developed a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol but has been clean and sober since 1990. He entered a civil partnership with David Furnish in 2005 and married him in 2014.

Reader's Guide

Elton John's significance lies in his enduring impact on popular music and culture. With over 300 million records sold, he is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He achieved nine number-one singles on the UK singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums on the US Billboard 200. He is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts and was the first solo artist with UK top 10 singles across six decades. His tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales, 'Candle in the Wind 1997', is the best-selling chart single of all time. John was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is a fellow of The Ivors Academy. He was appointed Knight Bachelor in 1998 and appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists, greatest singers and greatest songwriters of all time. His flamboyant fashion and showmanship, combined with his prolific songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin, cemented his status as a cultural icon. His philanthropic work, particularly through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, has raised over £300 million and contributed significantly to the fight against AIDS.

Did You Know?

• Elton John learned to play piano at an early age and won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at age 11.
• He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972, with 'Hercules' coming from the name of a horse in the British sitcom Steptoe and Son.
• His tribute single 'Candle in the Wind 1997' is the best-selling chart single of all time.
• He has been clean and sober since 1990 after developing a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol from the late 1970s to the late 1980s.