English composer, pop singer, pianist, Knight Bachelor and MBE, Sir Elton John has several names that can be confusing. At birth, the boy was named Reginald Kenneth Dwight, and the performer himself took the name Elton Herkeles John.
Creation Elton John invariably influenced the development of popular music: over the entire forty-year career, more than 250 million records were sold, 52 singles were included in the British Top 40, 23 singles in the American Top 40, the single "Candle in the Wind" (version dedicated to Princess Diana) sold 37 million copies. In 1994, the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sir Elton John is one of the most commercially successful performers of the 1970s: sales music albums in the US and Britain reached number one among all British solo artists, and in 2008 Billboard magazine ranked him among the most successful solo artists Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Arts (third place, behind only The Beatles and Madonna). Elton John also made a significant contribution to the fight against AIDS, was engaged in charity work and educational activities since the late 1980s.
Elton John was the son of Air Force Squadron Leader Stanley Dwight and Shaylie Harris. Little Elton rarely saw his father, the family broke up in 1962, but his mother remarried Fred Fairbrother when Elton was 15.
Elton John He began playing the piano at the age of four, could pick up any melody with virtuosity, and at eleven he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he later studied for six years.
Career Elton John / Elton John
Start
His first group was called bluesology. During that period Elton John worked as an assistant in music publishing houses, at night he performed solo in a bar. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was touring the United States in conjunction with eminent rhythm and blues musicians. Auditioned (unsuccessfully) as a vocalist for the progressive rock band King Crimson and Gentle Giant.
Reginald Kenneth Dwight was inspired by the lyrics of the songwriter Taupin, who also did not pass the casting of King Crimson, and wrote music for them, sent the compositions by mail, received a response, a correspondence began, and arose creative union, which still exists. It was at that time that the pseudonym appeared Elton John(a merger of the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry). The duo worked for a record company as songwriters and wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook, producing compositions in an hour and a half to two hours of work.
1970s
Elton and Taupin invite a producer and arranger to cooperate to create the first serious album, which was released in 1970 and was called "Elton John" and already included the well-known formula for the success of the musician's work - rock songs and soulful ballads. Then an image was born, the character of Elton John: outrageous costumes and glasses, an earring in his right ear, falsetto, a gap in his front teeth, red hair, a manner of performance (which amazed reporters of that time).
The album "17-11-70" includes covers of early compositions by John and Taupin with the undoubted influence of gospel, boogie-woogie and blues.
In 1972, guitarist Davey Johnston joined the band, thus forming the main line-up. Elton John Band where all the musicians were instrumentalists and had strong voices.
In 1973 Elton John opened Rocket Records and created the album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
In 1975, the Elton John Band broke up: Olsson and Murray, tired of continuous work, left the lineup. New composition debuts on stage at London's Wembley Stadium in front of 75,000 spectators. duet with Kikki Dee in 1976 brought incredible commercial success: their single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" topped the US and English charts.
1980s
In 1980 Elton John gives a charity concert in New York's Central Park in front of an audience of 400 thousand people, close to the house where John Lennon lived, who was shone with the performance of the song "Imagine". Three months later, Lennon was killed near this house.
Fame attracts crazy people. Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson are all dead. Two of them were shot outside their home. None of this would have happened if they weren't famous.
In 1986 Elton John loses his voice during a tour of Australia, after a televised concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, in which his voice sounded noticeably rough. He undergoes surgery on his throat: polyps were removed from his vocal cords, after which the timbre of his voice changed forever. In 2004, he admitted that the problem was caused by drug use, including marijuana.
I could talk and barely sing. Deep down, I knew that something was chronically wrong with my voice. They were polyps. The first thing the doctor said to me was, "You smoke a lot of dope, don't you?" I gasped and asked, "How do you know?" The doctor replied: “I judge by the way you speak. If you're a singer, so much the worse, because you're making smoke dope." I had an operation in Australia, and it lowered the timbre of my voice. Now it's deeper, more resonant, stronger. I used to be a pianist who sang, and now I'm a singer who plays the piano.
In 1984, Watford Football Club, owned and chaired by Elton John, made it to the EFL Cup final. But the beloved club lost to Everton, who played in their traditional blue uniform. Everton fans unfurled a banner after the game: "Sorry Elton - but that's probably why everyone calls us gay."
In 1988, Elton John exhibited over 2,000 personal items at Sotheby's in London. After the sales, the composer explained that it was a farewell to the turbulent and crazy past. 1989 was a year of moral and physical devastation, along with recent years the life of Elvis Presley.
I tried to commit suicide once. It was very similar to Woody Allen's type of suicide. I turned on the gas and left all the windows open.
1990s
Elton John helps an Indiana teenager diagnosed with AIDS because he was deeply moved by his story. However, despite the help and support, the child dies, and the musician hardly survives such an outcome.
One of my closest friends, a person I loved very much and a person loved by millions of people around the world. Freddie told me he had AIDS shortly after he was diagnosed in 1987. I was devastated. I saw that the disease overtook many of my friends. He knew that death, a painful death, would come. But Freddie was incredibly courageous. He continued to perform with Queen, did not lose his sense of humor and remained deeply generous person(About Freddie Mercury).
In 1990 Elton John enters a Chicago hospital and undergoes a course of rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia.
In 1991, the documentary "Two Rooms" was released about creative process writing compositions by Topin and John, where it is shown that creative people do not overlap when creating songs.
In 1992, the Elton John AIDS Foundation was formed to help raise funds for the AIDS program. Elton John states that from now on, all money earned from sales of singles in the UK and the US will go to research related to AIDS.
In 1994, the song "Can You Feel The Love Tonight", which is the soundtrack to the most commercially successful animated cartoon of all time, The Lion King, won an Oscar.
At the end of 1997, two close friends of Elton John passed away: designer Gianni Versace And princess Diana.
2000s
In 2000 Elton John And Tim Rice are collaborating to write the music for the animated film " Road to El Dorado».
In 2001 Elton John performing a duet with Eminem at the Grammy Awards.
In general, the 2000s in Sir's career Elton John notable for collaborations with various artists. The song "Tiny Dancer", recorded in 1970, was used in the movie "Almost Famous" (Almost Famous) in 2002. And the song "The Heart Of Every Girl" was on the soundtrack of the 2003 film Mona Lisa Smile.
In 2007 Elton John performs for free in Kyiv as part of the information and educational campaign "On the edge!".
Elton John releases a new studio album "The Union", this is the beginning of a qualitative new stage in his career.
I no longer need to release pop records, - commented Elton John.
Elton John - five-time Grammy Award winner (1986: "That's What Friends Are For" - "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group"; 1991: "Basque" - "Best Instrumental Composition"; 1994: "Can You Feel the Love" Tonight?" - "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance", 1997: "Candle in the Wind" - "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance", 2000 (with Tim Rice): "Aida" - "Best Musical Album") .
Every summer, Elton John with husband David Furnish and sons, 6-year-old Zachary and 4-year-old Elijah, spend their holidays in the resort of Saint-Tropez in France. And now the family is resting there. On Sunday, celebrities with children got into the lenses of the paparazzi while walking on a yacht. As usual, Elton John and his team set off along the Cote d'Azur to be able to stay at the best beaches, and then stop by their favorite Club 55 restaurant located on Pampelonne Beach. Judging by the pictures, Elton John with her husband and children were in good mood.
Elton John, David Furnish with children
Elton John and David Furnish met in 1993 and a year later they began to live together. In 2005, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK, Elton and David decided to get married. They were among the first in the country who decided to take advantage of the new law. More than 700 guests were invited to the celebration, which took place at the Windsor Manor Town Hall, including Madonna, Sting, Mick Jagger.
At the end of 2010, Elton John and David Furnish became parents, surrogate mother gave birth to their son Zachary. A couple of years later, in January 2013, the second child, Elijah, was born in the same way.
Children completely changed my life. I realized that the simplest things in life, like spending a minute with them, are more expensive than any paintings, houses, or even a hit record, - Elton said in an interview with Mirror.
However, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper, John admitted that he was strict in raising his sons.
They receive three pounds for pocket money, with one pound they have to give to charity, one - to put in a piggy bank and only one to spend as they want. They receive three coins and put them into three different piggy banks. To get money, they have to earn it - help in the kitchen or in the garden. They must learn to understand the value of working and making money on their own, said Elton John.
Sir Elton Herkeles John (real name - Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947 in the British city of Pinner, in the family of a military pilot. He was put at the piano at the age of four, and it quickly became clear that the boy had extraordinary abilities. At 11, he won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. At 13, he and his friends created the Bluesology group, which in five years will be touring the United States along with famous rhythm and blues musicians.
Star Trek's most famous homosexual
In 1967, the musician recorded his first song "Scarecrow" on the verses of Bernie Taupin, cooperation with which will last all subsequent years.
Soon the pseudonym Elton John was also coined (two years later, another name Herkeles will be added to it, in honor of the stallion from comedy series). Under this name - "Elton John" - in 1970 the first album of the musician was released.
The second song from this record - Your Song - quickly became a hit in the UK and in the USA. Her success determined characteristic style music of Elton John: rock compositions with elements of gospel (church chants) and heartfelt ballads.
The beginning of the 70s was unusually fruitful: Elton John's albums came out one after another. The most outstanding compositions of those years were such songs as Back Home (the England football anthem), Burn Down the Mission, Get Back, Honhy Tonk Women, Levon, Friends.
The 1980s proved to be a period of personal upheaval for Elton John. Shortly after the musician performed the song Imagine at a concert, dedicated to his friend John Lennon, he tragically died. Elton himself had to undergo vocal cord surgery that changed his voice forever. But, no matter what, he continued to write songs that became hits on both sides of the Atlantic: I "m still standing, I guess that" s why they call It the blues, Little Jeanny, That "s what friends are for and others
By the beginning of the 90s, the musician decided to put an end to the turbulent past and bad habits. After going through several rehabilitation courses in clinics, he moved to live in the USA and wrote the hit Sacrifice. His other single, Basque, was awarded a Grammy in 1991 in the category
Best Instrumental Composition. In 1994, Elton John began work on the score for the animated film The Lion King, the most commercially successful cartoon in history. Of the five songs nominated for an Oscar, three belonged to him. The award was brought to the musician by the soundtrack Can You Feel The Love Tonight. For the same song, Elton John was awarded a Grammy. A year later, he received the title of knight bachelor and began to be called "sir."
The musician received another Grammy award for the single Candle in the Wind, written in 1997. It was dedicated to memory and became the best-selling of all time.
In the 2000s, Elton John continued to impress the public with hits and albums. One of his most successful singles was Electricity. And the song Are You Ready For Love, written back in the 70s and re-released, turned out to be the most successful project of recent years.
Singer's personal life
In February 1984, Elton married sound engineer Rinata Blauel. They lived together for four years and decided to divorce. The singer declared his homosexuality, although he had previously spoken about the fact that he considers himself bisexual.
In 1993, David Furnish became John's life partner, and in 2005 they decided to legalize their relationship after a law was passed in the UK allowing same-sex marriages.
In 2010, a surrogate mother gave birth to their common son, Zacharias.
Photo Sir Elton Hercules John: GettyImages/Fotobank.ru
Elton John(real name - Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born March 25, 1947) - a popular British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995). Elton John had a notable influence on the development of light rock. During his nearly fifty-year career, he has sold over 250 million records. 52 of his singles were in the UK Top 40, in the list the greatest performers according to the magazine Rolling stone the musician takes 49th place. Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums at number one on the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 in the top ten, and 6 at number one. One of them, "Candle in the Wind" (the version dedicated to Princess Diana), sold 37 million copies. Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.
So, in more detail. Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born into the family of the commander of the air squadron of the British Empire. Dwight was raised by his mother because he rarely saw his father. However, the parents divorced in 1962. Mom married a second time to a man Elton called "Derf."
At the age of four, Reginald began learning to play the piano. Moreover, he turned out to be a child prodigy, because he could play almost any melody. At the age of 11, John received a scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music. Later in educational institution The musician studied for 6 years.
Start
Dwight in 1960, together with friends, organized The group Corvettes. The team began playing compositions by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles. A year later, the group became Bluesology. Reginald played at night in a bar, and during the day he ran errands for music publishers. Musical business was not bad, by the mid-60s the group toured the United States. In 1966, the team began to collaborate with Long John Baldry, and went on tour in England.
Later, Dwight responded to an ad from Ray Williams, then Head of Artists and Repertoire for Liberty Records. The latter gave the young musician the texts of Bernie Taupin, who also responded to the proposal to collaborate. But neither one nor the other passed through the competition, but together they continued cooperation, which has survived to this day.
Bernie Taupin and Elton John recorded their first song in 1967. This is Scarecrow. It is worth noting that by that time Dwight had already taken a pseudonym. A little later, colleagues began to write songs for various artists. In 1968, the single "I've Been Loving You" was released, and a year later, "Lady Samantha" and the record "Empty Sky" appeared. They did not have commercial success, but they received good feedback. In the US, the singles and the album were not released at all.
Success
In early 1970, the album "Elton John" was released. The formula for success was already found here: the record contained rock songs and heartfelt ballads. In the same year, Elton John gave the first American concert in Los Angeles. Then the musician's manner of performance made a splash both on reporters and colleagues. After that, Elton took part in the recording of the football anthem for the English team and released the album "Tumbleweed Connection". A year later, in 1971, the artist's sixth studio album Madman Across the Water". It is a dark piece with grandiose orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster. The album became a real hit in the USA.
In 1973, John created his Rocket Records label and released the pop-oriented album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The next album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, became even more popular. This record is considered by critics to be the best in the singer's career. By the way, after her, attention was focused on Elton not as a musician, but as a person.
A year later, another album appeared. "Caribou" took first place in the US, but critics were not satisfied, as it was "designed for external effect." At the same time, the musician played "Local Boy" in the film adaptation of the rock opera called "Tommy".
Followed by "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" is an autobiographical album, musical history stay in London still unknown Taupin and John.
Bee
Elton John achieved commercial success in 1976 when he sang in a duet with Kiki Dee. The single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" topped both the US and UK charts. Almost immediately, Elton confessed his bisexuality to Rolling Stone magazine. Later, the artist said that he did not declare his homosexuality, so as not to upset the fans.
By the way, in the spring of 1979, Elton came on tour to the USSR, one of the first Western rockers. He gave 4 concerts.
In 1980, Elton and Bernie again showed their offspring, they released the album "21 at 33", which also became quite successful. Another fruit of joint creativity appeared a year later - this is the disc "The Fox".
In the 1980s, Elton was accompanied by personal upheavals. In 1984, the artist married, unexpectedly for many, the sound engineer Renate Blayel. And two years later he lost his voice and underwent surgery on his throat. He had polyps removed, as a result, John's timbre changed a little.
It is worth noting that in 1984, the Watford football team reached the final of the English Football League Cup. It was an old dream of Elton John, who was not only a fan of the team, but also the owner and head of the board.
In 1987, the singer won a libel suit against The Sun newspaper, the publication accused the artist of having sex with minors.
drugs
In 1990, Elton ended up in a Chicago hospital, where he underwent rehabilitation to combat alcoholism, drug addiction and bulimia. During the course, he loses weight, transplants his hair. A year later, the album "Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin" appeared, which was helped by many British and American artists.
A year later, Elton created the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It should fund AIDS programs. And send the money earned in the US and Britain from the sale of singles to research. The next album "The One" is immediately released.
In 1994, together with Tim Rice, Elton worked on the music for the animated film The Lion King. He became super successful and the songs were not played here. last role. Three of the five songs from the cartoon that were nominated for an Oscar were John. In the same year, the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later he was given the title of a knight bachelor, simply a prefix to the name "sir."
Harsh statements
In 2001, the musician announced that the album "Songs From The West Coast" would be the last studio album. Elton John planned to focus on live performances. But another album appeared in 2004 - this is "Peachtree Road".
In total, Elton John has released 29 studio albums and 128 singles. He is the author of music for a number of films, cartoons and productions.
Personal life
Four years after the wedding with Rinata Blauel, the marriage broke up. Later, Elton John spoke about his homosexuality. The musician was constantly tormented by depression, he began to abuse drugs and alcohol. I had to go through addiction treatment multiple times. In 1993 Elton met David Furnish. He then helped the celebrity get rid of drug addiction and alcoholism. In 2005, John took advantage of the fact that the concept of "same-sex marriage" was introduced into law. He married Furnish.
In 2009, the couple wanted to adopt an HIV-positive baby from an orphanage in Ukraine. However, officials refused, explaining that same-sex marriages are not recognized in Ukraine. But on December 25, 2010, David and Elton nevertheless became dads, a surrogate mother gave birth to their son Zachary Jackson Levon.
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Born March 25, 1947 in Pinner, England. British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995).
Elton John had a notable influence on the development of light rock. During his 50-year career, he has sold over 250 million records. 52 of his singles were included in the British Top 40, in the list of the greatest performers according to Rolling Stone magazine, the musician takes 49th place.
Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums at number one on the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 in the top ten, and 6 at number one. One of them, "Candle in the Wind" (dedicated version) sold 37 million copies.
Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.
Elton John is also known as a public figure, in particular, in the field of the fight against the AIDS epidemic that he began in the late 1980s.
Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and is still one of the UK's most successful rock artists.
Elton John - Believe
Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in Pinner, England, the son of RAF Squadron Leader Stanley Dwight and his wife Sheila (née Harris).
Young Dwight was brought up primarily by his mother, and he did not see his father often. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962 when Dwight was 15. His mother married Fred Farebrother (Fred Farebrother), whom Elton affectionately called "Derf."
Dwight started playing the piano when he was four. He was able to play any tune.
At the age of eleven, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied for six years.
In 1960, Dwight and his friends formed The Corvettes, which began by playing Ray Charles and Jim Reeves (on stage at the Northwood Hills Hotel in Middlesex), and in 1961 became Bluesology. During the day he ran errands for music publishers, at night he performed solo in a London hotel bar and worked with Bluesology.
By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was already touring the US with rhythm and blues musicians such as The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the group began to collaborate with Long John Baldry (eng. Long John Baldry - part of the latter's nickname later became Elton John's pseudonym) and began a tour of England.
After unsuccessful auditions for King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Dwight responded to an ad in the weekly New Musical Express posted by Ray Williams, then Head of Artists and Repertoire at Liberty Records. Williams gave Dwight a collection of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, the songwriter who responded to the same ad. Neither Dwight nor Taupin were selected in the competition. But Dwight wrote music to Taupin's poems, which he then sent to the latter by mail: thus, a partnership was born in the joint work by correspondence, which continues to this day.
In 1967, the first composition of Elton John and Bernie Taupin "Scarecrow" was recorded.("Scarecrow"): After the first meeting, six months later, Reginald Dwight took the pseudonym Elton John - in honor of Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. Some time later, in 1972, he added his middle name, Hercules: that was the name of the horse in the comedy television series Steptoe and Son.
Soon John and Taupin joined the record company Dick James' DJM Records as full-time songwriters in 1968 and for the next two years wrote songs for various artists, including Roger Cook and Lulu. Taupin could draft the text in an hour, then send it to John, who wrote the music for it in half an hour, and if he could not think of anything quickly, he ordered the next draft. In parallel, John worked part-time in "budget" labels, recording cover versions of current hits, collections of which were sold in supermarkets.
On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin began writing more complex songs for the DJM label. The first was the single "I've Been Loving You" (1968), recorded by producer Caleb Quaye, former Bluesology guitarist.
In 1969, with Quay, drummer Roger Pope and bassist Tony Murray, John released the single "Lady Samantha" and the album Empty Sky, which was (according to Allmusic) in a late Beatle style and, judging by the ambitious arrangements and interesting texts conceived as a serious creative statement. Both works received good reviews, but they did not have commercial success in Britain, and they did not come out at all in the USA (only in 1975 the album was re-released there and rose to No. 6 on the Billboard 200).
To work on the next album, John and Taupin brought in producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster. The album Elton John was released in the spring of 1970: in the UK - by Pye Records (an affiliate of DJM), in the USA - by Uni Records. It was here that the authors found the formula for success, which later developed: rock songs (with elements of gospel music) and heartfelt ballads. The first single from the album, Border Song, only reached number 92 in the US. But the second, Your Song, became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic (#8 US, #7 UK). In the wake of this success, the album itself began to rise in the charts.
In August, Elton John gave his first American concert at the Los Angeles club The Troubadour: Neil Diamond introduced him to the audience on stage, drummer Nigel Olsson (ex-Spencer Davis Group, Uriah Heep) and bass guitarist Dee Murray played in the accompaniment.
Elton John's performance style (in many ways reminiscent of the style of Jerry Lee Lewis) impressed not only reporters, but also colleagues, in particular, Quincy Jones and Leon Russell.
Taking part in the recording of Back Home, the football anthem for the England team going to the World Cup in Mexico, Elton John recorded the concept album Tumbleweed Connection, which was released in October 1970, climbed into the top ten of the Billboard and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.
Elton John achieved his highest commercial achievement in 1976 in a duet with Kiki Dee: their single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" topped both the American and English charts.
Shortly after the release of the single, Elton John openly declared his bisexuality in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Later, the singer admitted that this wording was a compromise: he did not dare to immediately declare his homosexuality, so as not to upset the fans, many of whom were horrified even by this “softened” version of recognition.
In general, 1970-1976 were in all respects the most successful years in the singer's career. All six of Elton John's albums included in Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list (the highest, 91st place in it Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) belong to this period.
In May 1979, one of the first Western rock musicians, Elton came on tour to the USSR. At the invitation of the State Concert, he gave 4 concerts in the Leningrad "Big Concert Hall Oktyabrsky" and the Moscow State Central Concert Hall "Russia".
In 1979, the creative tandem of Elton John and Bernie Taupin reunited. A new album was released the following year. 21 at 33 which is considered a major achievement in creative career singer. One of the songs included in the album was the composition Little Jeannie, which became the most great luck Elton John in four years. It rose to number 3 on the US charts. However, it should be noted that the lyrics for this song were written by Gary Osborne. In addition to Taupin and Osborne, Elton John collaborated during this period with such authors of poetry as Tom Robinson and Judy Tsuki.
The 1980s were a period of great personal upheaval for the singer. In 1984, unexpectedly for many, he married sound engineer Renate Blauel. In 1986, he lost his voice while on tour in Australia and shortly thereafter underwent throat surgery to remove polyps from his vocal cords. As a result of this, the timbre of the singer's voice changed somewhat, and from this period he sounded in a new way.
In 1987, he won a libel suit against The Sun, which accused him of having sex with minors.
In 1988 he performed five shows at Madison Square Garden in New York. Total the artist's performances in this concert hall amounted to 26 after that, which allowed him to break the record that had previously belonged to American group Grateful Dead.
Elton John was deeply moved by the story of Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who had AIDS. Together with Michael Jackson, he took an active part in the fate of the child, supported him and his family until the tragic death of White in 1990. Being in a depressed state, Elton John is admitted to a hospital in Chicago in 1990, where he undergoes rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia.
In 2001, Elton John made the announcement that Songs From The West Coast would be his last studio album, and that from then on he would concentrate only on live performances. However, later, abandoning this idea (the reason was never announced), in 2004 he released another studio album (28th in a row) - Peachtree Road.
In 2001, Elton John received an invitation to take part in a BBC television show called Have I Got News For You. At first he gave his consent, but in last moment changed his mind and withdrew from the program. This happened just hours before it aired, and the producers were forced to bring in Ray Johnson, a taxi driver from Holchester who sometimes acted as an Elton John look-alike. During the program, he practically did not say a word, however, when the program went on the air 24 hours later, his name was present in the credits, and the name of Elton John was removed from there.
In the same year, a film was made that told about the singer's career from the moment he appeared on the stage until the early 2000s. The film was called The Elton John Story and aired on VH-1 Classic, but it was never released as a separate disc or cassette.
In 2001, Elton John performed a duet with Eminem on Stan at the Grammy Awards. In the same year he performed the song Friends for movie The Country Bears, and also played one of the episodic roles in this film.
Elton John Height: 172 centimeters.
Elton John Personal Life:
In 1976, during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he declared his bisexuality.
On February 14, 1984, he married Renate Blauel, a sound engineer. Four years later they divorced. A little later, he announced that he was more homosexual than bisexual. Tormented by constant depression, Elton John gradually began to abuse alcohol and drugs. He has been treated for drug addiction multiple times.
In 1993, he met his future civil partner, David Furnish, who helped him recover from alcoholism and drug addiction.
In 2004, the UK ratified the Civil Status Act, which introduced the concept of "same-sex marriage" into legislation. Elton was one of the first to seize the opportunity to legalize homosexual relationships. On December 21, 2005, John and Furnish entered into a prenuptial agreement. At the wedding ceremony in Windsor, where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles had previously married, only closest friends and relatives. The press was not allowed at the ceremony. In the evening, a banquet was held at the Berkshire estate, where more than 700 people were invited, including celebrities - friends of Elton and David. Celebrity guests such as Brian May, Elizabeth Hurley and Ozzy Osbourne were invited.
In 2009, the couple tried to adopt an HIV-positive boy from a Ukrainian boarding school, but officials refused, citing the fact that same-sex marriages are not recognized in Ukraine. December 25, 2010 Elton and David finally became fathers - in Catholic Christmas from a surrogate mother from California, their son was born, who was given the name Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. On January 11, 2013, their second son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, was born.
December 21, 2014 Elton John and David Furnish got married and celebrated the 9th anniversary of civil marriage.
Discography of Elton John:
Empty Sky (1969)
Elton John (1970)
Tumbleweed Connection (1970)
Madman Across the Water (1971)
Honky Chateau (1972)
Don "t Shoot Me I" m Only the Piano Player (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Caribou (1974)
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Rock of the Westies (1975)
Blue Moves (1976)
A Single Man (1978)
Victim of Love (1979)
21 at 33 (1980)
The Fox (1981)
jump up! (1982)
Too Low for Zero (1983)
Breaking Hearts (1984)
Ice on Fire (1985)
Leather Jackets (1986)
Reg Strikes Back (1988)
Sleeping with the Past (1989)
The One (1992)
Duets (1993)
Made in England (1995)
The Big Picture (1997)
Songs from the West Coast (2001)
Peachtree Road (2004)
The Captain & the Kid (2006)
The Union (with Leon Russell) (2010)
The Diving Board (2013).
