Elton John net worth is $450 Million. Also know about Elton John bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Elton John Wiki Biography

Sir Elton Hercules John, simply known as Elton John, is a famous English musician, singer, record producer, songwriter, as well as a voice actor. Elton John has been in the music industry for over fifty years and during this time has made a large impact on the world. Elton John has recorded some of the most known and beloved songs, including “Rocket Man”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Daniel” and the best-selling song of all time “Candle in the Wind 1997”, which is a re-written and re-recorded version of the 1993 song of the same name. The single alone sold more than 33 million copies, while Elton John sold a total of 300 million records during his lengthy career.

Considered to be among the 100 influential musicians, Elton John is also an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Among many awards and accolades received, perhaps the biggest honor in Elton John’s career came in 1998 when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to both music and charities, and received an honorable title of “Sir”. A legendary singer, how rich is Elton John then? In 2012, Elton John’s annual salary amounted to $80 million, while in 2013 it was estimated to be $54 million. That same year Elton John collected an impressive $204 million from the ticket sales for his tour. In regards to Elton John’s net worth, it is estimated to be $440 million in total. The majority of it comes from Elton John’s singing career.

Elton John was born in 1947, in Middlesex, England where he attended several high schools but dropped out at the age of 17 when he decided to become a singer instead. Elton John’s career begins at an early age with various performances at parties and other events, before he took professional piano lessons. John then went on to perform at various local pubs where he played piano, and in 1964 formed a band titled “Bluesology” with which he performed at gigs. Eventually, Elton John started to release his solo albums and in 1969 came out with his debut album called “Empty Sky”. The album, which is now considered to be a collector’s item, produced several singles, of which “Skyline Pigeon” is the most known ballad. Several years later, in 1974, Elton John made collaboration with John Lennon, and as a result was featured on the single “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. A year later, John released his tenth studio album titled “Rock of the Westies”, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Due to his lengthy and successful singing career, Elton John managed to collect an impressive net worth. However, Elton John admitted to being a huge money spender, having spent almost 30 million pounds in less than two years. He was also forced to sell twenty of his luxurious cars, including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and Jaguars because he never had an opportunity to drive them.

IMDB Wikipedia “Bluesology” “Candle in the Wind 1997” “Daniel” “Bluesology” “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” “Sir” $450 Million 1947 5 ft 7 in (1.72 m) Actor Bernie Taupin Billboard Hot 100 Bob Birch British people Candle in the Wind Composer Daniel David Furnish David Furnish (m. 2005–2014) David Furnish (m. 2014) Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John Elton Hercules John Elton John Elton John Net Worth Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits England English people Film producer Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song) Grammy Legend Award John Lennon Knights Bachelor Literature London March 25 Middlesex Music MusiCares Person of the Year Musician Pianist Pinner Queen Elizab eth II Record producer Reggie Reginald Dwight Reginald Kenneth Dwight Renate Blauel Renate Blauel (m. 1984–1988) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Rock of the Westies Rock Stars Rocket Man Ser Elton Dzhon Sharon Singer-songwriter Sir Elton Hercules John Sir Elton Hercules John CBE Sir Elton John Sir Elton John CBE Skyline Pigeon Songwriters Hall of Fame Television Producer United Kingdom Vocal music Voice Actor Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John

Elton John Quick Info

Elton John Trademarks

1. Eccentric glasses
2. Red hair
3. Rich falsetto voice
4. Gap between his teeth
5. Earring on right ear
6. Outrageous costumes and spectacles

Elton John Quotes

• [on David Bowie] We all know how inspiring he is. We all know that his music stands. We don’t have to say anything about the music: it speaks for itself. He was innovative, he was boundary-changing and he danced to his own tune – which in any artist is really rare. He kept his illness private in an age we’re living in with Twitter when everyone knows everything about everything – he kept it to himself. He made two albums without anybody knowing he was making them. … And that is the mystique of the man, because we know David Bowie the figure, the singer, the outrageous performer, but actually, we don’t know anything about him – and that’s the way it should be in music and should be in any art form whatsoever.
• [on Russia’s laws banning the promotion of homosexuality] Is Tchaikovsky’s [Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] beautiful music ‘sexually perverting’?
• [on Live Aid (1985)] I got there in a helicopter, yes, from my house in Windsor. Not being grand or anything like that, because I just thought the fucking traffic would be a nightmare.
• [on Live Aid (1985)] It was a wonderful time, it was a wonderful day and it’s all thanks to Bob [Bob Geldof].
• Freddie Mercury could out-party me, which is saying something. We’d be up for nights, sitting there at 11 in the morning, still flying high.
• I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.
• We focus so much on celebrity in our culture, and we don’t focus on the right things. I hate the celebrity that is around now. The vacuous, talentless horror shows that get paid millions of dollars for nothing.
• I’ve always been lucky having great producers, I’ve had Gus Dudgeon and Chris Thomas, and a couple of other people. No point in having a producer unless they tell you what they think, and T-Bone [T Bone Burnett] is a great guitarist and he can see and hear something that you can’t.
• The BBC Theatre is so small and compact, I love playing those kind of venues ‘cos you can actually see the audience and touch ’em practically.
• [on The Diving Board] It’s the first album I’ve done with a piano, bass and drums as the template for the rhythm section. We started with just the three of us and then we added stuff after we’d finished but we wrote and recorded everything with just the three people. That’s how I started off but I’ve never really made a record like it. I went out to lunch with T-Bone and he said “You know, I want you to go back to piano, bass and drums. It would be really, really simple. I want the piano to be the forefront of the album.” And so it seems to have worked. I’ve never been so relaxed in a studio, I’m playing really relaxed, and when you’ve got two instruments battling against you, it’s not the same as having seven or eight. I’ve made 36 or 37 albums and I would never have thought of that and it’s just so obvious to do.
• We should show that we are country committed to the sacred institution of marriage, proud of our tolerant heritage, and brave enough to let lovers like David and I call each other a husband.
• There is a world of difference between calling someone your “partner” and calling them your “husband”. “Partner” is a word that should be preserved for people you play tennis with, or work alongside in business.
• The historic fight for equality must go on. Let’s get on and legalise same-sex marriage. I know a lot of people will say we should count ourselves lucky to live in a country that allows civil partnerships, and call it quits there. I don’t accept that.
• Queen were one of the bands to come out of the Seventies that were so innovative. I mean, when you look at videos today, Queen started videos off really. They were the people that had all the ideas to begin with.
• It’s very hard to be a frontman. I mean there’s not many you can think of that have actually pulled it off. You can think of Jagger [Mick Jagger], you can think of Daltrey [Roger Daltrey], and then you can think of Freddie Mercury.
• I like Simon Cowell, but what he does is TV entertainment. There have been some good acts, but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small, shit clubs.
• I’m not a fan of talent shows. I probably wouldn’t have lasted if I’d gone on one. I was asked to judge American Idol (2002). I couldn’t do it because I won’t slag anyone off. Also, I don’t want to be on television. It’s become boring, arse-paralysingly brain crippling.
• There was no question: I was going to change, or I was going to die. And I desperately wanted to change. I remember many days when I would sit alone in my room, drinking, using, binging, listening to Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush sing “Don’t Give Up” over and over, weeping at the chorus. I was falling further down the rabbit hole with every gram of cocaine. But I couldn’t – or, I should say, wouldn’t – ask for help. Many people in my life suffered through my rage, my denial, my refusal to listen. I was an asshole and knew I had a problem.
• [on “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees] It’s a great kick to see a song stay silent for a while and then a new generation of people pick up on it and think it’s great. That happened with the Take That cover and will happen to The Bee Gees again and again. They have written some of the greatest pop songs ever.
• [on Freddie Mercury] One of my very closest friends, a man whom I loved dearly, and a man who was loved by millions of people around the world. Freddie told me he had AIDS soon after he was diagnosed in 1987. I was devastated. I’d seen what the disease had done to so many of my other friends. I knew exactly what it was going to do to Freddie. As did he. He knew death, agonizing death, was coming. But Freddie was incredibly courageous. He kept up appearances, he kept performing with Queen, and he kept being the funny, outrageous, and profoundly generous person he had always been.
• [in 2012] By all rights, I shouldn’t be here. I should be dead, six feet under, in a wooden box. I should have contracted HIV in the 1980s and died in the 1990s, just like Freddie Mercury, Rock Hudson and many friends and loved ones.
• [on the death of Donna Summer] I’m so sad. This woman was the queen of disco and so much more. Her records sound as good today as they ever did. That she has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace, especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted. She is a great friend to me and to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and I will miss her greatly.
• [on Rod Stewart] Bar none, Rod’s the best singer I’ve heard in rock’n’roll.
• [on “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga] I’ve had the privilege to hear it as she played it to me last year. It’s phenomenal and will be absolutely huge. You can’t stop her – she’s a freight train, she’s a great writer and a great performer.
• Everyone makes all the money off The X Factor (2004) and sells the records but it’s the cart before the horse. What’s the psychological damage going to be when you’ve humped and dumped them, and the next one comes along? They’re a bit like products, to be honest with you. They’re products, and the record comes out at Christmas, and it’s always No.1, and then what happens next year? Why aren’t they touring? Who’s managing these people?
• [on The Beatles] They influenced me just from the songwriting point of view. Lennon (John Lennon) and McCartney (Paul McCartney) – there’s no question of it, no one will ever equal the quality of the songs they wrote. Forget Rodgers (Richard Rodgers) and Hammerstein (Oscar Hammerstein II), people will probably say ‘Well, come on’, but for the amount of songs they wrote, those two people were the finest songwriters of this century by far.
• Look, I’m 63, I don’t want to be on VH1 or MTV. I’m not going to compete with JLS (Jack the Lad Swing) or Lady Gaga. I’m at that stage where I don’t think I can write pop music any more. I can’t sit down and do a proper rock song. It was OK when I was 25 or 26, but not any more. I like to do my little side projects like Scissor Sisters and have fun, but I don’t think Elton John will be putting any pop singles out.
• Fame attracts lunatics. Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, all dead. Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn’t been famous. I never had a bodyguard, ever, until Gianni died.
• An overview of my career is usually … glasses … homosexuality … Watford Football Club … tantrums … flowers. But the music was pretty phenomenal, y’know.
• I tried to commit suicide one day. It was a very Woody Allen-type suicide. I turned on the gas and left all the windows open.
• The X Factor (2004) is a cruise ship show. I’ve got nothing against the people who go on – good luck to them. But I hate how they’re treated. They’re given an awful sense of stardom and pressure straight away but they’re only successful until the next series. The record companies sell a lot of records and those people are gone. It’s cruel. Will Young is the best thing that’s ever come out of those shows. He has proved himself. But it’s no way to find talent. I want to hear new songwriters, people who are creating their own stuff, not just singing my songs every week.
• Some people don’t get hyped enough, people like David Ackles, who could well be hyped as much as I’ve been. But once you’re successful, they’re going to try to get as much hype going as possible.
• [on Hillary Clinton] There is no-one more qualified to lead America. I’m amazed by the misogynistic attitudes of some of the people in this country, and I say to hell with them. I love you Hillary, I’ll be there for you.
• There’s a lot of Liberace in me and as a gay artist as such, but I am an openly gay man. A lot of my audience is the same kind of audience that Liberace would have had and they didn’t seem to give a shit. I think that’s so great.
• I didn’t have sex until I was 23 and that was with a man. I made up for lost time after that in a hurry. I wish I could have had sex when I was, like, 14, 15 or 16 because that’s such an exciting age to have sex.
• [in 2007] The Internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff. Instead, they sit at home and make their own records, which is sometimes OK but it doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision. It’s just a means to an end. We’re talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music and that’s not going to happen with people blogging on the Internet. I mean, get out there – communicate. Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the Internet. Let’s get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging. I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole Internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span. There’s too much technology available. I’m sure, as far as music goes, it would be much more interesting than it is today.
• I am such a Luddite when it comes to making music. All I can do is write at the piano.
• [in 2007] In the early ’70s there were at least ten albums released every week that were fantastic. Now you’re lucky to find ten albums a year of that quality. And there are more albums released each week now than there were then.
• [after it was revealed he had spent £293,000 on flowers in less than two years] Yes, I like flowers.
• I have no one to leave the money to. I’m a single man. I like spending my money.
• [about Dusty Springfield] Hers was the first fan club I belonged to. I had pictures of Dusty all over my walls.
• I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people. Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays. But there are so many people I know who are gay and love their religion. From my point of view I would ban religion completely. Organised religion doesn’t seem to work. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it’s not really compassionate … The world is near escalating to World War Three and where are the leaders of each religion? Why aren’t they having a conclave? Why aren’t they coming together? I said this after 9/11 and people thought I was nuts. Instead of more violence why isn’t there a meeting of religious leaders? It’s like the peace movement in the Sixties. Musicians got through to people by getting out there and doing peace concerts but we don’t seem to do them any more. If John Lennon were alive today he’d be leading it with a vengeance. They seem to do their protesting on-line and that’s not good enough. You have to get out there and be seen to be vocal, and you’ve got to do it time and time again. There was a big march in London when Britain decided to join the war against Iraq and Tony Blair is on the record as saying ‘the people who march today will have blood on their hands’. That’s returned to bite him on the ass. People come to me and I’m a bit like the Queen Mother. I never get those problems. I don’t know what it is with me, people treat me very reverently. It was the same when Dave and I had our civil union – I was expecting the odd flour bomb and there wasn’t. Dave and I as a couple seem to be the acceptable face of gayness, and that’s great. I’m going to fight for them whether I do it silently behind the scenes or so vocally that I get locked up. I can’t just sit back – it’s not in my nature any more. I’m nearly sixty years old after all. I can’t sit back and blindly ignore it and I won’t.
• I’ve dodged so many bullets. Not just because of unsafe sex, but because of the amount of drugs I did, the amount of alcohol, the amount of work I was doing. I started the Elton John AIDS Foundation because I got so lucky.
• I want to bring my songs and melodies to hip-hop beats. It may be a disaster, it could be fantastic, but you don’t know until you try.
• Every artist who makes it goes through a period where it seems they’re invincible. We’ve seen it with Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Prince. It just seems like they can’t fail. And then suddenly everything levels off. I knew it when it started happening to me. I was really tired, I knew I was peaking. I knew it was time for someone else to take over. You have to be realistic about these things.
• [on politics] If I was to say what I am, I’d be a Labour man. I like Tony Blair a lot, I think he’s a good man. And in America I’d definitely be a Democrat; I’d never be a Republican. One government all the time isn’t great for a country. I think it’s very hard to be in power for a long time, I think you lose touch. If Cameron [David Cameron] can bring a strong opposition to the Labour Party, then I think it’s healthy and I’m all for it.
• [November 2004] I’ve never lived in a time so vexing. I just want to scream. It’s a nightmare. Bush [George W. Bush] and this administration are the worst thing that’s ever happened to America. I’m just as angry at Tony Blair. You lied to us, Tony. It was like – these idiots think they can get away with anything! I voted for Tony. He’s basically a nice guy. What happened? Is it because power does that thing to you, that you isolate yourself? It enrages me that people can just smirk their way through it.
• My voice has gotten deeper and it’s all down to when I was living in Australia. I could speak and only barely sing. Deep down I knew that something was chronically wrong with my voice. It was polyps. The first thing the doctor said to me, “You smoke a lot of dope, don’t you?” I gasped and said, “How do you know?” The doctor said, “I can tell by the way you’re talking. If you’re a singer, the worse thing you can do is smoke dope.” We did the operation in Australia and it lowered the timbre of my voice. It’s deeper, has more resonance and it’s stronger. I used to be a piano player who sang and now I’m a singer who plays piano.
• The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star.
• I’ve always wanted to smash a guitar over someone’s head. You just can’t do that with a piano.
• [about his marriage to Renate Blauel] I regret it to this day because I was not honest with Renate. I married her while I knew that my truth was different. I find her a beautiful woman, she could have ruined me financially but she hasn’t done that. That is what I call true friendship.
• [on performing at the Colosseum in 2005]: I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life, I love the food, I love the people, I love the attitudes of Italians.
• I had a hell of a time last year [2004] and this is the end of it. I haven’t spoken to Madonna since. She’s been in Kabbalah meetings ever since. I don’t think I’ll ever be forgiven for that one. Then I had the George Michael-thing and the Victoria Beckham-thing. I will keep my mouth shut now.
• [on his unsuccessful 2004 studio album, “Peachtree Road”]: It is probably one of my lowest-selling albums of all time. It was disappointing everywhere in the world, so I have to hold my hands up and accept that the songs just didn’t connect. I’m proud of “Peachtree”, but, if I think about it logically, people may have ten or twelve Elton John albums in their collection already. Do they need another one?
• [about Live 8 (2005)] I thought it was a bit of an anti-climax, to be honest. The thought behind it was fantastic, but Hyde Park is a charisma-free zone. There was no sense of occasion and from a musical point, I didn’t think there were too many highlights. I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn’t think it was anywhere near as good as the first one (Live Aid (1985)). How could it be?
• [after breaking his fingernails by playing so hard] If I had one finger left, I’d play for you.
• [about Madonna] Anyone who lip syncs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot. That’s me off her Christmas card list. But do I give a toss? No.
• There’s so much you’re expected to do and you follow a pattern. You make a record, you do a video. I like to break the rules a little bit more and I did in the 1970s, I should try a little bit more now.
• Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, S Club 7, Steps. They’ve always been around, I’m not knocking the music perhaps, but it’s like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just mediocre. And I think it damages real people’s chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It’s just fodder.
• [after being asked about his sexuality in the 1970s] I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats, though.
• If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher.
• I haven’t made a good album in a long while. Not since 1976 and Blue Moves.

Elton John Important Facts

• Owns over a thousand pairs of glasses.
• Performed co-vocals on the song “The Rumour” by ‘Olivia Newton-John’, the title track from her album of the same name.
• Godmother of his sons Zachary and Elijah is Lady Gaga.
• His musical, “Billy Elliott The Musical” at the Drury Lane Productions in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2015 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Best Large Musical Production.
• Lifelong friend of George Harrison. John made a cameo appearance on Harrison’s, “When We Was Fab,” dropping a coin in the cup.
• Listening to his third album “Tumbleweed Connection” inspired Hugh Padgham to become a record producer. He would go on to become one of the most successful and award-winning producers of the 1980s and beyond, producing or co-producing many hits by The Police, Sting, Phil Collins and Genesis, among others.
• Counts American singer-songwriter-pianist Laura Nyro as a major early influence on his career.
• Performed 75 shows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada over the next three years. His show was called “The Red Piano” and was directed and created by photographer David LaChapelle. [February 2004]
• When he was still a session musician, Elton played piano on British band The Hollies’ 1969 smash hit, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”, for which he was paid £12.
• Elton and his partner David Furnish welcomed their second son Elijah Joseph Daniel on Friday January 11, 2013.
• A guest at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert.
• His son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, with partner David Furnish, was born via surrogate on 25 December 2010.
• (May 10, 2010) Merited a position in Time magazine’s – The 100 Most Influential People in the World (“Artists” category) – with an homage penned by Stephen Daldry.
• Lives in London, United Kingdom, Nice, France and Atlanta, Georgia.
• He has had at least one charted Billboard hit every year from 1970-2009.
• The Sunday Times List estimated his net worth at $287 million. [2009]
• Collaborated with Kiki Dee at Cherokee Studios for a duet “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” in 1976. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” was also his first No. 1 single in the UK, topping the chart for six weeks in mid 1976. It also became his sixth No. 1 single in the US, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
• Won a Tony for Original Musical Score in 2000 alongside Tim Rice for their work on “Aida”. He was also nominated in the same category in 1998 for the musical version of The Lion King (1994) (alongside Tim Rice, Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer) and in 2009 for the musical version of Billy Elliot (2000) alongside Lee Hall.
• Won Broadway’s Tony Award for Best Musical “Billy Elliot” for which he composed the music and Lee Hall wrote the Book and Lyrics.
• He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
• Raised $2.5m for Hillary Clinton’s US presidential campaign with a concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
• In 2007, Forbes Magazine reported his earnings to be approximately $53 million for the year.
• Ranked #17 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.
• Names The Beatles as a major musical inspiration and became friends with all the members of the band.
• Plays Yamaha concert grand pianos. Yamaha have also produced the Elton John Limited Edition Signature Series Red Piano, based on his Vegas show, The Red Piano.
• Sang in his first and only concert in Puerto Rico in the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot on April 28th 2007.
• Started piano lessons at age four, and showed promise as a musician at an early age.
• Is one of the few artists such as Madonna and Kylie Minogue with #1 hits in both ’80s, ’90s and ’00s.
• 2004: Winner of the Q Classic Songwriter Award.
• Helped compose the single ‘I Don’t Like Dancin’ with The Scissor Sisters.
• Sang a song with Tupac Shakur called “Ghetto Gospel”.
• His 1994 album “The Lion King” sold 15 million copies in the United States.
• 1995: Winner of the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. Having previously won the award in 1986, he became the first person to win the award twice as a solo artist, a record which still stands in 2008.
• In the Independent of Sunday 2006 Pink List – a list of the most influential gay men and women – he came no. 2, down from no. 1.
• Estimated in 2006 to have sold 250 million albums during his career.
• As of March 2006, he has 10 godchildren.
• 2002: Presented (along with musical partner Bernie Taupin) with the Music Industry Trusts’ Award for his outstanding contribution to the British music industry.
• 1986: Winner of the British Phonographic Industry award for Outstanding Contribution.
• 1991: Winner of the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist.
• Registered his civil partnership with long-term partner David Furnish at Windsor Town Hall on December 21, 2005, the first day that civil unions between homosexuals were legal in England and Wales. The ceremony was performed by Registrar Clair Williams, who also presided over the union between ‘Prince Charles’ and Camilla Parker-Bowles. In December 2014, they upgraded their relationship to a marriage following the legalization of homosexual marriage earlier in the year. Their wedding was attended by the likes of Lulu, Kate Bush, Gary Barlow, Ed Sheeran, David Beckham, David Walliams and Elizabeth Hurley.
• One of his all-time favorite singers is Country Music Hall-of-Fame legend “Gentleman” Jim Reeves (1923-1964). Reportedly, he once considered recording Reeves’ megahit (on both Pop and Country Charts) “He’ll Have to Go” (1960), but decided he couldn’t possibly top Reeves’ version.
• Came up with the name Elton John from Soft Machine saxophone player Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.
• 1991: Had a UK #1 hit with his live duet with George Michael, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”.
• 1/17/97: Covered the Queen song “The Show Must Go On” at the Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris, for the gala opening night of “Le Presbytere n’a rien perdu de son charme ni le jardin de son eclat”, a moving work inspired by the premature deaths of Freddie Mercury and the company’s principal dancer Jorge Donn.
• Sang a duet with Luciano Pavarotti called “Live Like Horses”.
• He was voted the 49th Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
• Close friends with David Beckham, Billy Connolly and Billy Joel.
• 1976 song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” was about his real life suicide attempt.
• 2001: Declared that “Songs from the West Coast” would be his final studio album, and thereafter he would concentrate on just live performances. In 2004, however, he released a new album, “Peachtree Road”, which despite some favorable reviews flopped in every country it was released in.
• 1/87: Underwent laser surgery to remove nodules from his vocal chords in Australia. This followed a televised concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in which his voice sounded noticeably rough. In 2004 he admitted this problem had been caused by smoking too many drugs, including marijuana.
• 7/99: Had a pacemaker fitted to correct an irregular heartbeat following an episode of angina on an airplane.
• Has epilepsy.
• 2004: Recipient of the Kennedy Center Honours, along with Joan Sutherland, John Williams, Warren Beatty, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
• 2000: Nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award (1999 season) for Best New Musical for “The Lion King” at the Lyceum Theatre.
• When Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic, he auditioned to take Winwood’s place. Unfortunately, he was turned down.
• Auditioned for the lead vocalist spot in the band King Crimson but was turned down.
• Stated once in the 1970s that if he ever had a daughter, he would name her “Umbrella”.
• His song “All the Girls Love Alice” is a tribute to Alice Cooper.
• His song “On Dark Street” features back-up vocals by Kiki Dee.
• Enjoys tennis.
• 2/6/04: Attended the special dinner at Sony Studios in Los Angeles to honor singer and activist Sting as MusiCares 2004’s Person of the Year. The evening celebrated Sting’s contribution to popular music, honored his charitable work with Amnesty International and the Rainforest Foundation. Other stars in attendance included Kylie Minogue and Dido.
• Duet with Luciano Pavarotti: “Live Like Horses”.
• Likes Indian food.
• Gave his friend Rod Stewart the nickname “Phyllis”.
• Covered the John Lennon song “Give Peace a Chance” on his four-CD boxed set “To Be Continued…”.
• Covered the Queen song “The Show Must Go On”.
• Covered the Kiki Dee song “Sugar on the Floor”.
• His parents, Sheila and Stanley Dwight, divorced when he was young. His mother then married Fred Farebrother, whom Elton affectionately dubbed “Derf”.
• Sang the duet “Donner Pour Donner” in French with singer France Gall.
• The song “You Can Make History (Young Again)” was a tribute to fashion designer Gianni Versace.
• 1994: Rerecorded his 1976 hit “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, this time as a duet with RuPaul.
• Sang with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight on the song “That’s What Friends Are For”.
• Is a co-owner of the chic Sunset Strip restaurant Le Dome in Hollywood.
• Duets he sang with Kiki Dee are “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and “True Love”.
• Has teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice on four projects. The songs for the films The Lion King (1994), The Road to El Dorado (2000) and the Broadway stage productions of “The Lion King” and “Aida”.
• His longtime collaborator is lyricist Bernie Taupin.
• His partner, filmmaker David Furnish, made the documentary about Elton, Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras (1997).
• Started wearing glasses to copy one of his idols, Buddy Holly. After a while, his eyes adjusted to the lenses and he’s worn glasses ever since.
• Often parodied on Saturday Night Live (1975) by Horatio Sanz.
• Is the Godfather of John Lennon’s son, Sean Lennon, Elizabeth Hurley’s son Damian and David Beckham and Victoria Beckham’s sons Brooklyn and Romeo.
• 1974: During one of his concerts at Madison Square Garden, John Lennon joined him on stage to perform three songs. This was part of a bet that if Lennon’s song “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” went to #1, he would join Elton on stage. This proved to be Lennon’s last on-stage performance.
• Has played the piano since he was four years old.
• 1991: Had a UK #1 with his live duet with George Michael, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”.
• Duet with Eric Clapton: “Runaway Train”.
• Duet with Aretha Franklin: “Through the Storm”.
• Duet with Jennifer Rush: “Flames of Paradise”.
• Sang a duet with Cliff Richard called “Slow Rivers”.
• His song “Act of War” was a duet with Millie Jackson.
• Stevie Wonder played harmonica on his song “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”.
• His song “Empty Garden” is a tribute to John Lennon.
• His hit “Song for Guy” was a tribute to Guy Burchett, Rocket Records messenger who was killed in a motorcycle accident.
• 1976: Covered The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”, for the film Tommy (1975); in the film, he is shown performing the song while playing a pinball machine integrated with a miniature piano keyboard. To date (2010), this is the only cover of a Who song to break the top 10. As a tongue-in-cheek “revenge”, on the 1991 Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute album “Two Rooms”, The Who contributed a cover of the song “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting”, performed as if it were a Who composition.
• His song “Philadelphia Freedom” was a tribute to tennis star Billie Jean King.
• Covered The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” in 1974, for the film All This and World War II (1976). John Lennon is featured in this recording, credited as “Dr. Winston O’Boogie”.
• Dusty Springfield sang backing vocals on his song “The Bitch is Back”.
• Christmas hits: “Step into Christmas” (1973) and “Cold as Christmas (In the Middle of the Year)” (1983).
• Reformed drug addict, alcoholic and bulimic.
• He was good friends with the late rock singer Freddie Mercury and performed at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert.
• Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
• He was twice a former Chairman of Watford Football Club.
• At age 11, he entered the Royal Academy of Music, but quit just before graduation to pursue a rock career.
• 1992: Decided that all profits from his singles would be donated to AIDS charities and formed the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The foundation has become one of the world’s largest nonprofit AIDS organizations.
• 1995: Awarded the Polar Music Prize, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music Award.
• Changed his name legally to Elton Hercules John. He chose the middle name “Hercules” not after the hero of mythology, but after the horse named Hercules on the British sitcom Steptoe and Son (1962).
• 9/5/97: Performed a new version of “Candle in the Wind”, in tribute to Princess Diana at her funeral, with new lyrics specially written by Bernie Taupin.
• Grammy award winning singer.
• He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1996 and awarded Knighthood of the British Empire in the 1998 Queen’s New Years Honors List for his services to music and fundraising for AIDS charities.
• 1979: He was the first Western rock star to perform in Israel and the USSR.

Elton John Filmography

Elton John Awards