Elton John

Elton John
“Rocket Man â€" Number Ones”
Universal/2007
www.eltonjohn.com

He was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947; but year later in 1966 using the names of influential band mates he change his name to Elton Hercules John. Today is is simply known as Elton John or Sir Elton.

Never one to conform to the norm, Sir Elton entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of eleven and formed his first band while still a teen. His first attempt at an album in 1969 “Empty Sky” was a hit for the critics but a flop in sales.

Hired as a staff writer for Liberty Records young Elton was paired with a fellow songwriter named Bernie Taupin. For the first six months the duo wrote via mail. Once the pair actually teamed up in person they would produce a song in as little as an hour. Once Taupin produced the lyrics Elton could compose the music in half an hour. The pair became one of the most prolific songwriting duos to hit the music world..

After being paired with Taupin, Elton's next album was a hit and every one after that for years to come topped the charts in the UK and in the US. Since then Sir Elton has had 37 gold albums, 26 platinum records, and his “Greatest Hits” album was awarded a Diamond Award for selling 16 million copies. In 1997 Sir Elton re-wrote his hit “Candle in the Wind” â€" a tribute to Marilyn Monroe â€" as a tribute to his friend Princess Diana. The song titled “Candle in the Wind 97” was debuted at her funeral service. The song sold three million copies in the first week and debuted at the number one spot in the UK and in the US. The song held the number one spot for 14 weeks in the US and went on to sell 33 million copies worldwide.