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Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, England, on March 25, 1947. He started playing piano at four years of age, and by the time he was 11, he had earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He formed his first band in 1961 at the age of 14 and began to tour with American soul artists to start his career. In 1965, his band turned professional and was signed by Long John Baldry’s band in 1966. He officially changed his name to Elton John, borrowing the first name from former band mate Elton Dean and the last name from John Baldry.
His debut solo album “Empty Sky” was released in 1969 but didn’t sell well. The follow-up self titled album was released the following year, and the single “Your Song” made the top ten in the US and UK. John rode the momentum by releasing 4 albums in 1971 and another in 1972. The album in 1972 also featured the back-up band that Elton John would use for the upcoming albums. In late 1973, John released the album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, widely regarded as one of the greatest rock albums ever released. The biggest singles off the album were “Bennie and the Jets”, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, and the title track. In 1974, Elton John collaborated with Beatles member John Lennon on Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night”. After a few years away from music, John married Renate Blauel in 1984 and had a great show at the “Live Aid” concert of 1985, but during a show in Australia, he collapsed on stage due to excessive use of cocaine and alcohol. 1992 saw Elton John sober up and announce the establishment of the “Elton John AIDS Foundation”. In 1994, Elton helped with the soundtrack for “The Lion King”, even earning an Academy Award in the process. His biggest hit came in 1997 when he rewrote “Candle in the Wind” to honor the passing of his good friend Princess Diana.
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