John, Elton (1947—)

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John, Elton (1947—)

Pop music's most flamboyant superstar during the early 1970s, Elton John has become the music industry's most consistently successful artist, fielding a Top 40 single every year since 1970. John's penchant for outrageous costumes and zany eyeglasses made him one of rock 'n' roll's most recognizable icons during the 1970s. He is also a tremendously gifted songwriter, whose versatility and ability to churn out memorable melodies has guaranteed him longevity in a field where so many of his fellow performers quickly faded into obscurity.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947 in a London suburb, he showed prodigious talent as a pianist at a young age and, at eleven, won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, where he attended classes for gifted children. Although classically trained, Reginald loved rock 'n' roll, particularly performers such as Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles. He joined his first band in 1961, Bluesology, a blues-soul-rock combo, which had moderate success opening for American acts throughout the 1960s. But as other bands rose to stardom, the teenage musician grew frustrated and quit the band. Changing his name to Elton John, he auditioned for lead singer in a number of bands before hooking up with lyricist Bernie Taupin in the late 1960s. The duo became one of the top songwriting teams in England before John won his first record contract.

After the release of their moderately successful first album in 1969, Taupin and John collaborated on a lushly orchestrated eponymous second effort, which quickly climbed the charts in America and England on the strength of the Top Ten single, "Your Song." Following up with three albums in less than two years—Tumbleweed Connection, Madman across the Water, and Honky Chateau —Elton John soon became one of the most prolific and popular rock 'n' roll musicians of the 1970s.

Although Taupin and John produced hit after hit throughout the decade, it was John's flamboyant onstage persona that made him a star. Taking his cue from the early 1970s Glam Rock movement in Britain, John was a peerless live performer, wearing anything from ostrich feathers to $5,000 eyeglasses that spelled out his name in lights to a Donald Duck costume. John's sartorial splendor became his trademark, as his singles such as "Crocodile Rock," "Daniel," and "Bennie and the Jets" became global top-ten hits.

In 1976, Elton John revealed his bisexuality in an interview with Rolling Stone. His confession was said to have put off many of his fans and his popularity gradually began to wane. In truth, though his sexual orientation may have deterred some of the American public from buying his records, it was more the case that John's prolific output of sixteen top-twenty singles in four years and fifteen LPs in seven years had left him exhausted. He took a hiatus from performing, cut back on his recording schedule, and even stopped working with Bernie Taupin.

In 1981, Elton John signed with Geffen Records and, throughout the decade he continued to produce gold albums, each of which contained at least one top-forty single. However, while his career remained successful, John's personal life was in a state of turmoil. He had become addicted to cocaine and alcohol and he struggled with substance abuse throughout the 1980s. After announcing his bisexuality in 1976, John was afraid to reveal his homosexuality and, in 1984, he married Renate Blauel. Four years later, he was divorced and, after a playing a record-breaking five nights at Madison Square Garden in 1988, Elton John auctioned off all of his costumes and memorabilia, effectively breaking with his past.

In 1991, Elton John announced his sobriety and his homosexuality, and also established the Elton John AIDS Foundation. As the first celebrity to befriend AIDS patient Ryan White, John has tirelessly given of his time and energy in contributing to the fight against AIDS. Since the early 1990s, John has continued to release successful albums and singles on a yearly basis, reestablishing himself as one of pop music's most consistent performers, even as he devoted more and more time to his philanthropic efforts.

In 1994, John collaborated with Tim Rice to create the music for Disney's The Lion King, which earned him an Academy Award for best original song. Three years later, Elton John once again came to global attention, with the deaths of two close friends in less than two months of each other. Shortly after attending the funeral for murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace with Princess Diana, John performed at the internationally televised memorial service for the princess herself, playing a revised version of his hit single, "Candle in the Wind." His recording of the single, with all proceeds going to charity, became the fastest-selling single of all time. Four months later, HRH Queen Elizabeth II named the fifty-year-old Elton John a Knight of the British Empire.

The subject of an unsparing 1997 documentary, Tantrums and Tiaras, made by his partner David Furnish, John has made peace with both himself and his persona, becoming a perfect role model for millennial pop culture. Flamboyant yet sober, the philanthropic celebrity continues a pop music phenomenon, even as he embraces his new spiritual ethos. The metamorphosis of John through the decades has seemed to mirror the popular mood, even as the talented singer continues to help define what the world likes to hear.

—Victoria Price