Reginald K. Dwight
Elton John was born in Pinner, Middlesex,
England on 25 march 1947. He was named Reginald Kenneth Dwight.
Most of his time was spent with his mother, Sheila Dwight and his grandmother, Ivy Sewell. Reginald had a very close relationship to them both and is today still very close to his mother. As a child he was very quiet and shy and spend a lot of his time on his own. Already at early age it was the music who captured his heart. He often sat in his room, writing his name on his records and putting them in alphabetical order.
His father Stanley Dwight didn't play a great role as a father figure in his upbringing. He was a military man in the air force and because of that chosen career, he rarely was at home. He wasn't present for the birth of Reginald either. It's told that when he came home to his newborn baby, Reg, he didn't bother to see him until the day after his birth. This would be the start of an unusual father / son relationship. Stanley has since been described by Elton as dominating, tough and unloving. He was afraid of him and felt insecure and suppressed in his presence. He often lost things on the floor when he was around and was always seeking his acceptance which he never really got. Sheila has later said that Stanley didn't really like Reg and when he spoke to him it was to correct his faults. He was sent to a private school at the age of five.
Reginald's' talent for music started to shine through when he was just three years old. He could already then play " The Skaters Waltz " on the piano. When he was six, Sheila ordered piano lessons for him. She was encouraging him for something that would become bigger than anyone could think of. They found out that he was more than just good at playing the piano. He had a special talent. When the teacher played him a piece of music on sometimes four pages, he could play it by ear, like a tape recorder.
In 1957 ten year old Reggie won a scholarship for the Royal Academy Of Music, Junior program. Stanley was very thrilled by that, because if his son should play music, then it was best that he played classical. But Reginald's heart was never in classical music. It was beating for rock 'n roll which Stanley thought was a waste of time and therefore he didn't want any rock 'n roll records in the house. Sheila started to sneak in records for her thrilled son. Reggie's love for pop music, annoyed Stanley but Sheila continued to support Reginald. When he turned eleven she got him a new teacher who would let him play pop tunes.
To his relief his parents got divorced when he was twelve. His mother then married Fred, which Reginald was very fond of and has since considered him as his " real " father.
Stanley also remarried and had other children.
Elton later visited his father's family and helped them economically. He
never really recovered from the fact that his father never treated him as
his other children. He later said that they just didn't get along. He often
spoke about his father in interviews. Elton : "I was bitter at the
time because of the way my mom was treated. When they got divorced, she
had to bear all the costs, she more or less gave up everything and had to
admit adultery while he was doing the same thing behind her
back and making her pay for it. He was such a sneak. Then he went away and
five months later got married to this woman and had four kids in four years.
My pride was really snipped 'cause he was supposed to hate kids." His
father answered : " I paid the divorce costs and I just don't understand
why he is saying all these awful things. I love my son, I'm very proud of
him. I can only think someone is putting all these ideas in his head "
" When i worked the good old pubs in Stepney "
It all started with small gigs round the local pubs. He also played in a bar in the Northwood Hills Hotel.
He also played in a bar in the Northwood Hills Hotel. His choice of songs were mainly popular tunes by the likes of Cliff Richard and Jim Reeves. This place was not the optimal place for a young ambitious boy. Patrons threw ashtrays at him, pulled out the plugs to the electric piano or even poured beer in it, to make him stop. The same piano was in Northwood Hills until 2006 with the inscriptions - "This is to certify that this piano has played many a wrong note due to me," signed Elton John. ( Northwood Hills was sold in 2006 and is now a discotheque ) His appearance didn't help either. He was overweight and used spectacles which resulted in that his perfect eyesight got so bad that it was necessary for him to use them permanently. This of course didn't help his already bad self confidence. But he did earn money and those bought his first electric piano. This was used in his first band " The Corvettes " which was formed by Stuart Brown, a friend of his cousin. They played at children's parties and other local places. Reginald was at this time 13 years old. The band disbanded but was reformed a year later under the name Bluesology. Their repertoire was mainly inspired by soul music.
They signed a contract with Phillips record company and in 1965 their first single "Come Back Baby" was released. At the end of1966 they were "adopted" as a backing band for the artist Long John Baldry. Baldry expanded the group into nine people and took over the role as lead singer.
Reginald began to feel trapped and wanted to pursue something bigger. He had to stay with Bluesology because he needed a regular income, but started to concentrate on writing on his own. He stayed as a member of the group until 1967.
"Inspiration for navigation of our new found craft "
In 1967 he met Bernie Taupin through an advertisement in New Musical Express, where the record company Liberty Records, sought new talents. Reg answered the ad quickly and was contacted by Ray Williams who was a talent scout for the new company. At first Reg did not inspire Ray. His appearance was not what Ray had in mind to use as a new pop star. Ray Williams : " his dumpy little figure came in and sat down and started to explain that his name was Reg Dwight, but he was thinking about changing it. He also said he felt lost, and I felt sorry for him." He asked Reg to play some songs. He chose five Jim Reeves songs from his time as a pub pianist. It was hardly fascinating for him when asked if he was pulling a joke on them. Ray Williams on the other hand, was amazed by Reg's voice.
He later confined in Ray and complained about his time in Bluesology where he wasn't allowed to write his own music or sing. But at this time he needed a helping hand with the lyrics.In the meantime a seventeen year old boy from the country, called Bernie Taupin, had answered the same advert as Reg. He wrote poetry but not melodies. He wrote different kinds of lyrics than the current pop music style. Bernie was invited by Liberty to come to London. At this time Reg had already gotten some of Bernie's lyrics and found them easy to compose to.They didn't meet each other until Reg had already composed to quite a bunch of Bernie's lyrics. Shortly after Bernie moved in with Reg, who still lived at his mother's place. They shared a room and a bunk bed and it was here their joined career took off.
Their way of composing was highly irregular compared to a lot of other singer / songwriter teams. Bernie used to write lyrics in his bunk bed, then ran into the piano, delivering them to Reginald. When he heard Reg scream, a song was completed. It rarely took more than thirty minutes . "Rocket Man", from Honky Chateau, was created in about twenty minutes. The whole "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album, which is a classic today, was composed and recorded in merely fourteen days.
After a short period of time they signed up with Dick James Music.
And Reg said, let there be Elton !
Reginald didn't believe that he could hit it off as a musician with his current name. Therefore he took " Elton " from Elton Dean ( member of Bluesology ) and " John " from Long John Baldry. Later he took official change of name and got " Hercules " as a middle name. Hercules was the name of a horse from a TV-show called " Steptoe and son." The name Elton John gave him a self-confidence that he never had before.
" Someone saved my life tonight "
Elton and Bernie moved from Sheila and found their own basement flat.
Elton then met a girl named Linda Woodrow. He felt sympathy for her, when she had told him about her former fiancee's violent behavior. She followed him everywhere, Elton was flattered but did not seem to be interested in a sexual relationship with her. In the nine month they had been together, they had only had sex four times as he had seemed clumsy. He had never told her that he was obviously was homosexual, but she had noticed all his jewelry and that he used a lot of perfume. Within three months their relationship was going down hill, due to Elton's depression which was made worse by problems with Dick James music and his musical career.
They had planned a wedding but Elton only agreed because Linda claimed that she was pregnant. He was almost afraid of her and if she didn't have her way, she often became violent. She had asked Elton if they should get married, but insisted that Elton was to ask her. She bought her own engagement ring and Elton hardly went down on his knees.
The idea of getting married to Linda made Elton panic concerning his future. He therefore made a half hearted attempt to commit suicide. He went down to the kitchen, turned on the gas oven, he laid a pillow inside the oven, put his head on it and waited . But first he had opened up all the windows, so obviously this attempt was a cry for help. Then Bernie woke up, found him, and got his head out of the oven.
Bernie took his depressive friend out to get his mind on something else. As the evening went on it didn't help very much - - until they met Long John Baldry. Baldry was to be " best man " but detected trouble and started asking Elton about the wedding. He advised the depressed Elton to go home and get his stuff and drive back to his mother. Bernie and Elton then drove back to Linda and Elton finally told her. Linda went hysterical and threatened to commit suicide. Elton got a couple of hours sleep on the floor and around four o' clock in the morning Elton's stepfather came and picked them up in his truck. Linda Woodrow : "This was the last I've ever heard from Reg."
The song " Someone Saved My Life Tonight
" is about this episode and is dedicated to Long John Baldry. A line
in the song says " Thank god my music is still alive ." If it
wasn't for the break between them, he might never had gone further.
" Like soldiers on the road to battle, poor boys fight to stay alive "
Elton and Bernie was hired by Dick James as a songwriting team. They were to write songs, but not for themselves. Elton, whom now was twenty-one, was hopelessly frustrated that they were stuck in the same place. In the spring of 1968 he was writing a song called " I've Been Loving You Too Long ." Elton wrote the lyrics himself but gave Bernie the credit. This was the first record which was released but was overlooked by Dick James and therefore fell by the wayside. Another flop was the song " I Can't Go On Living Without You " which was song by Lulu at the Eurovision song contest. It ended up in the bottom. Elton and Bernie have admitted that they were embarrassed by their first compositions, but their hearts weren't in them at all. They didn't get free rein to do what they wanted, instead they had to write music that fit artists like Engelbert Humberdink. The problem was that they wrote half what they wanted to do and half what Dick James wanted them to. Of course that didn't work out.
But then they wrote " Skyline Pigeon " which was released by Roger Cook. It was the first composition that showed that they was able to match a lyric and a melody perfectly together. Roger Cook recorded it in 1968. It was about a captured bird who was longing to be set free. The symbolic in the song spoke for itself and was relating to Elton's and Bernie's own desire to be set free, so they could write their own kind of music.
Lionel Conway was in charge of all releases on DJM. One day he took Elton's and Bernie's demo tapes home and listened to them. Right away he knew that he had gold between his hands. After this there were a line of good songs from Elton and Bernie. The track " Lady Samantha " was one of them. This became Elton's first solo single, Bluesology had tried with the song but with no great success. It got a surprisingly good reception and critics liked it, however it only sold 8000 copies. Elton was personally not happy with the release, but it was the start of his new album " Empty Sky " ( 1969 ). But to their big disappointment, nobody would release it in America. A lot of people thought it had something to do with the lyrics. But it's fair to say that Bernie didn't start writing for that matter, he wouldn't compromise. The album was released in England though ( 5 years after in USA ). Another single called " It's me that you need ," was another flop. Dick James realized that hard work was the only way to help Elton break through.
Elton turned to Ray Williams for management. He pressed Dick James to hire him and he did. Because of the low profile with releases Elton and Bernie had enough material for 2 albums. The first recording was" Elton John."
This was the album which gave him his "break through". As a whole record it's one of the best ever made. Dick James was so impressed with the result that he offered Elton and Bernie a new and better contract. " Your Song " was of course one of the diamonds on the record.
Elton now was to be promoted in America. They felt the best way to do that was to get him over there and play live. Roger Greenaway was the frontman for Elton in the USA. He visited Russ Regan, who was Manager for UNI, a small record company under MCA. He liked the "Elton John" album, but he was afraid to commit himself to something so uncertain. He was more interested in another band with DJM called Argosy. He bought them and got Elton in the deal for free. The peculiar thing was that after a little while, Argosy was gone and forgotten.
His first and ground breaking gig was at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles. Actually there wasn't a big expectation around him. The sleeve for the "Elton John" album is very dark and is known among fans as " The black album ." Elton doesn't look like a pop star on that one, to say the least.
Captain Fantastic has arrived
The Troubadour Club was one of the most important places for new artists to break out. Every Tuesday night people from the music industry and journalists would appear to find their new future superstars. Names like Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Cat Stevens had played there in the past, and now Elton was performing.
Elton went onstage Tuesday on 25 August 1970. A lot of respected musicians were there to see and hear what Elton was able to do. Most of them already had an idea about this little quiet man with his piano. perhaps they thought him a boring person, judging by the album cover for "Elton John." That was about all they knew about him. But they were wrong. Instead they got Elton in a yellow jumpsuit, huge glasses and platforms. Even though he only was accompanied by his bass player Dee Murray and his drummer Nigel Olsson, it was more than enough to make it sound as big as on the record. "A star is born" was one of the many headlines in the newspapers you could read weeks after Elton's arrival in America. Elton John : "I really became Elton John at The Troubadour Club. After that there was no holding me back."
In 1971 Elton got a new manager, John Reid. They became romantically involved and moved in together. At the time however, it was kept a secret: only the band members and close relations knew about them. Their relationship lasted for five years but John Reid still carried on as EJ's manager. John Reid was an outmost talented and tough businessman. But he was also known to be violent towards journalists and others whom came too close to his client. He was convicted for violence more than once.
The seventies belonged to Elton John. He released two or three albums a year. And everything that hit the streets with his name on sold. Elton John : "I can shit bricks and people will buy it.". From 1972 to 1975, seven of Elton's records had made it to #1 on the charts: Honky Chateau ( 1972 ), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player ( 1973 ), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ( 1973 ), Caribou ( 1974 ), Greatest Hits ( 1974 ), Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy ( 1975 ) and Rock Of The Westies (1975).
With the fame followed despair and the pressure to succeed continued. At this time they had been on top of the music business for many years. Where does one go from being number one? "Blue Moves" ( 1976 #3 ) speaks for itself. It was mainly ballads on the record and the lyrics tell their own stories about where Bernie and Elton were mentally at this point in time. Even though he always were surrounded by people, he was very lonely. In public he was known as the star whom wasn't quite like the rest of the people in the music business. He had a "clean" reputation, he weren't drinking or taking other drug related addictions. He later admitted that he already was drinking heavily in the seventies. "Rock Of The Westies" was the first album he made after he had started his drug addiction. Later he also fought a battle against bulimia. Elton started to change. People who earlier had known him as a kind, loving and understanding man now had trouble figuring out who the real Elton was. He more often fell into mood swings of the bad kind. Sometimes he was happy, other times depressed or self-destructive, and he also had put on airs. If he didn't like the color of his plane he'd demand it repainted. There was an episode at a hotel where he was trying to write a song, but the wind was blowing outside his window and he couldn't concentrate. Therefore he asked the hotel crew to make it stop.
Elton as we all know is not only remembered for his brilliant music and big hits through time, but also in the seventies he was known for the many costumes he wore. You never quite knew what he came up with before a concert. What concerns hair, glasses and costumes - you can't say that Elton has held back his weakness for self-irony and humor. Some typical examples: Elton sings " Your Song " wearing a Donald Duck suit while now and then adding a little "quack." He goes onstage as a solar system, and around his head is dangling strings with small planets on. He didn't take himself too seriously. Often he was criticized for de-emphasizing his music by performing in such costumes. Elton and Bernie's music can't be ruined by, for instance, a donald duck suit; the music will always stand alone and be remembered for what it is. Elton: "I know I haven't the best image for rock and roll and that probably gets in the way of my music sometimes. But most of my clothes are just for a laugh."
He has often blamed his father for his " dress up
- addiction ". His father was an old fashioned man whom never let him
wear the clothes he wanted as a
young boy. He never really had the chance to express himself. When he finally
did he grabbed it and used it in a most flamboyant way. Wearing spectacles,
which became his trademark, he has since explained was due to low self-esteem
and shyness and worked as a sort of shield.
7th October 1976 Elton declares to Rolling Stone magazine that he is bisexual ( later he admits that he is homosexual). This statement got a surprisingly negative response. At a football game, the whole stadium sang " Elton is gay. " It was not the kind of response he had expected, but was at the same time relieved to have got it off his chest. It didn't however make the big difference in his music and popularity . The same year he was immortalized in the wax museum (he was the first rock star after the Beatles to be given that honor).
" I guess that's why they call it the blues "
The eighties wasn't a rich decade for Elton concerning his private life. The music was still going strong, but obviously it was reflected in his own problems. There were still all the hits : Sacrifice, I'm Still Standing, Passengers, Nikita and so on. But his records didn't live up to their usual standards. They just didn't have the same feel to them as they did in the seventies. Elton was tired and it was starting to show at the end of the decade. At the same time all his dressing up was starting to be a cliche. He says now that he was starting to become a parody of himself. In the start it was all fun, but now it became a challenge to over succeed, one feather costume after the second Mickey Mouse costume after the third .
"Sacrifice", which was released on the album " Sleeping with the Past " in 1989 became Elton's first solo single to reach #1 on the charts in the UK. This was a big "tap on the shoulder" because he had never before experienced the same recognition in his own country, as in the States. He already have had one #1 hit before, " Don't Go Breaking My Heart ," a duet with Kiki Dee.
In the mid 1987 Elton has problems with his throat. He refused to seek help before he had finished his concerts in Australia, when were recorded to be used or a live album " Live in Australia with the Melbourne symphony orchestra ". During the last concert it was so bad that he coughed up blood on stage, and sat in Kleenex up to his knees and the camera crew had to shoot the other way so that the audience couldn't see what was going on. On that particular time it was an official opinion that it possibly was cancer and that an operation might put him in the risk of never being able to sing or speak again. Until the surgery happened, he had to walk around with a little black board, so he could communicate with those around him. It all had a happy ending, but Elton lost his ability to reach those characteristic high notes ( his falsetto ) .
In 1984 he married Renate Blauel, a German woman whom he had met during the recording of "Breaking Hearts ". He thought the marriage it would straighten up his unstable lifestyle. The press and everybody around him was of course skeptical concerning marriage. the marriage lasted until 1988.
Elton wasn't a happy man, even though it was difficult
to detect when he was on stage. He has said that the only thing he had under
control was his career. just as much as he sang love songs, just as little
did it play a role in his own life. He was suffering from bulimia and was
addicted to both alcohol and drugs. To a certain point he isolated himself
and refused to stand face to face with his closest and to the rest of the
world. His parents moved to Spain because they couldn't handle his behavior
and self-destructive mind. Several times he tried to commit suicide.
" It's no sacrifice at all "
In 1989 he decided to end his year long addictions and get in control of his life again. He had been urged to get help from his partner at that time, Hugh, whom told him it was time to get help- ( " The Very Best Of Elton John " Elton thanks him, " To Hugh and my higher power " ). Another reason was that Elton has been close to a boy called Ryan White whom had been infected with the virus AIDS. He had not only supported the family financially but had also become a close and personal friend.
All his single sales earnings in the states
hence forward went to AIDS charity. Things were set in perspective. He realized
how lucky he was to still be alive and how grateful he was for everything
that he owned. He hospitalized himself in July, 1990 on Parkside Hospital
in Chicago .. the only clinic he found that was able to treat all his three
addictions.
" Reality runs up your spine and the pieces finally fit "
Stanley Dwight died in the year 1991 in his home in Cheshire, only 66 years old. The last time he saw Elton was eight years before at a soccer match between Watford and Liverpool (Elton has had an off and on relationship with Watford soccer club since the early seventies where he was chairman and was later made Honorary President).
The first album he recorded after his rehabilitation was "The One". The sound on this record was new and filled with energy. The album before " Sleeping With the Past" was also a great album and a big success but " The One " was a symbol of a beginning and a rebirth.
The Symbolism in " The One " was obvious. He had not only found a partner, David Furnish, but had also found his values again. David Furnish, whom already was a very successful film producer, was one of the reasons that Elton's life was back on the right track.
In the end of 1992 Elton opened " The Elton John Aids Foundation " which through the years has raised incredibly huge sums of money for people who suffer from the disease.
Elton has through the years received a lot of awards of all kinds, but in 1996 he received his first Oscar for " Can You Feel The Love Tonight " from the soundtrack "The Lion King ". He dedicated it to his grandmother Ivy, whom died the week before.
"Candle In The Wind 1997 " - the world's most sold single ever. The original song was about famous peoples' worlds. It was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's life and tragic death. The lyrics were rewritten when Princess Diana suffered a similar tragic destiny. Elton sang the song at her funeral and all the income from the single was given to her Foundation. Elton lost his good friend Gianni Versace soon after. Versace had, among other things, designed the stage and close for "The One" tour., as well as the record sleeve .
In 1997 he was given the title "Sir" for his music. The only other artist whom had been given this title for the music is Sir Paul McCartney.
Elton's hard lifestyle showed its teeth after one of his
big world tours,"The Big Picture Tour" in 1997. He received a
pacemaker but soon after he was on his feet again. He has never been a man
who gives up easily and it's probably not the last time we will hear him
say " There's plenty of life back in this old dog yet, dear! "
" Keeper of the gate " snaps - John Reid
In 1998 Elton figured that his economics were a big mess and that a lot of his money had gone in mysterious ways. Elton had left all his business to his manager / friend and ex-partner of 28 years without asking any questions. But when he started to suspect that something was quite wrong he contacted his lawyer, Frank Presland. Frank confirmed that Reid had stolen large sums from him. Not only had he sold the rights to Elton's first 6 albums but he had also taken loan in Elton's house in Windsor and in several of his paintings. 20 million pounds was gone. The rumors said that Elton was about to go broke, but as Elton's income is about 40 million pounds a year, nothing could be further from the truth.
Many people wondered why John Reid, whom always had fought Elton's battles and defended his interests, was suddenly betraying him. Some think it was jealousy towards David Furnish. It was hardly the money, when John Reid had earned his share through the years with Elton.
" This Train Don't Stop "
Elton has always had his finger on the pulse what new music concerns. He listens to anything from electronic music to classical. He has performed with artists like Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Moby, Guns 'n' roses and Pet Shop Boys. A lot of mixed emotions emerged when he sang with Eminem at the Grammy awards.
" Song From The West Coast" (2001) was a long waited and needed album for fans. After soundtracks and side projects and "The Big Picture " which was all good, it seemed like an eternity before it arrived. He was the guy whom made records like "Goodbye Yellow brick road ," "Blue Moves," "The One" and a pile of others which all had that sharp and well known piano sound and vocal. For a while he used a lot of new technique and sounds. But with "Songs From The West Coast" he went back to the simple sound again. His piano and voice was once again the main engine, and this has always been what makes a great Elton John album. And this time was no different, " Songs from The West Coast " is one of the best albums he ever made according to fans, critics and himself.
2004 was the year of a new Elton / Taupin release " Peachtree Road"! With this album there's no doubt that Elton is still going strong. " Peachtree Road " is very much in the same spirit as " Songs From The West Coast" although the lyrics may seem a little more optimistic, which shows in songs like " Weight of the World ,"" Too Many Tears " and " Answer in the Sky ."
Even though Elton once said that he wouldn't end up in Las Vegas playing "Crocodile Rock," this has become reality! But Elton is a man whom does things with style all the way, his very own style. The show is called " The Red Piano " and Elton has said that the reason its named that is because of the piano he's playing on is spray painted red, which somebody probably already has guessed. Elton picked this color because it symbolize, love.
2006, a legendary record gets a younger brother .. " Captain And The Kid " What first seemed as an impossible and risky affair, proves to be something some would only dare to dream of. When critics think it's all over with Elton and Bernie's golden days, maybe they should think twice .. " Cause' they are still spinning like a Catherine wheel ! "
Elton is now a happy man with David furnish.
He has survived more demons in his life than most and doesn't drink anything
stronger than diet coke. I guess " I'm still standing " has a
bigger meaning after all.