The Fantastic Elton John
March 24, 2009
By John Charles
Elton John, over time, has proven to be one of the most influential musicians of his time. His time spans several decades, and his legion of fans spans several generations. John has been performing for more than 30 years to enraptured audiences.
The Beginning
The beginning for Elton was in 1947, when he was born, in England. He was mostly brought up by the women in his life as his father, a squadron leader in the RAF, was absent from home a lot.
Elton had a great talent for being able to hear a tune just a few times on the radio, and then being able to play it by ear. His talent on the piano kept growing until by the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
During this time he began to develop his own unique style of music which has served him well over the many years that he has been a top performer.
His early career
His early career consisted of playing in such bands as The Corvettes and Bluesology, and as well as performing in their own right they also acted as support bands for a number of big name artists.
He did work with Bluesology for a while but soon lost interest in continuing to work with them and he left and formed a partnership which still exists today.
The next step - career success.
John once again failed in an audition with Liberty Records, but as he was leaving the audition, he was given a group of lyrics without music that were written by Bernie Taupin, who has also tried out for a role with Liberty Records. John wrote music to support the lyrics, and the two began corresponding. John and Taupin met six months later, and it was during this time that John changed his name to what it is today. After a couple of years of writing music together, the partners were ready to encounter the 1970s, which was a decade where they experienced a level of success that was unmatched in history.
The first of his big time hits came about when he released his album Honky Chateau. This spent five weeks at number one, and included the hits Rocket Man and Honky Cat.
Things then really started to take off and his nine albums (at time of writing) and 31 releases have sold hundreds of millions of copies all around the world.
Awards/Acknowledgements
John is revered by millions, both inside the music industry and by the public in general. He has been recognized in several ways. John has won five Grammy Awards, although this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his recognition. In 1995, John won an Academy Award for Best Music, Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," featured in The Lion King. He won a Golden Globe Award that same year for Best Original Song - Motion Picture for the same score. In 1996, he was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), and in 1998, he was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to music and fund-raising for AIDS charities. Finally, in 2000, John won a Tony Award for Best Original Musical Score for his work with Aida. John was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
The Beginning
The beginning for Elton was in 1947, when he was born, in England. He was mostly brought up by the women in his life as his father, a squadron leader in the RAF, was absent from home a lot.
Elton had a great talent for being able to hear a tune just a few times on the radio, and then being able to play it by ear. His talent on the piano kept growing until by the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
During this time he began to develop his own unique style of music which has served him well over the many years that he has been a top performer.
His early career
His early career consisted of playing in such bands as The Corvettes and Bluesology, and as well as performing in their own right they also acted as support bands for a number of big name artists.
He did work with Bluesology for a while but soon lost interest in continuing to work with them and he left and formed a partnership which still exists today.
The next step - career success.
John once again failed in an audition with Liberty Records, but as he was leaving the audition, he was given a group of lyrics without music that were written by Bernie Taupin, who has also tried out for a role with Liberty Records. John wrote music to support the lyrics, and the two began corresponding. John and Taupin met six months later, and it was during this time that John changed his name to what it is today. After a couple of years of writing music together, the partners were ready to encounter the 1970s, which was a decade where they experienced a level of success that was unmatched in history.
The first of his big time hits came about when he released his album Honky Chateau. This spent five weeks at number one, and included the hits Rocket Man and Honky Cat.
Things then really started to take off and his nine albums (at time of writing) and 31 releases have sold hundreds of millions of copies all around the world.
Awards/Acknowledgements
John is revered by millions, both inside the music industry and by the public in general. He has been recognized in several ways. John has won five Grammy Awards, although this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his recognition. In 1995, John won an Academy Award for Best Music, Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," featured in The Lion King. He won a Golden Globe Award that same year for Best Original Song - Motion Picture for the same score. In 1996, he was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (C.B.E.), and in 1998, he was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to music and fund-raising for AIDS charities. Finally, in 2000, John won a Tony Award for Best Original Musical Score for his work with Aida. John was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
About the Author:
John Charles is a guitar teacher who can help you to Make Great Music just like Elton
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