Elton John – 25 Impressive Facts You Didn’t Know
Reginald Kenneth Dwight, better known as Sir Elton Hercules John, was born on March 25th 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England UK. He is a Singer, pianist and composer and has a string of hits both in the UK and the US.
Those are facts you probably already knew about Elton John, keep reading for 25 impressive facts you never knew.
He Was Making Records When He Was A Teenager
When young Reginald was around 13 years old he performed in a local band called “the Corvettes” along with his neighbour, singer and guitarist Stewart “Stu” Brown. After the band split the pair formed a new band along with Rex Bishop (bass) and Mick Inkpen (drums). They called themselves “Bluesology”.
By 1963 they were playing a weekly spot at The Establishment Club in London. They performed songs by artists like Jimmy Witherspoon, Memphis Slim and Muddy Waters. In 1965 they turned professional and signed on to an agency who hired them out as a backing band for visiting American performers including;Patti LaBelle, The Isley Brothers and Billy Stewart.
He Took His Stage Name From Members Of Bluesology
The members of “Bluesology” dwindled until in September 1966 the band was invited by singer Long John Baldry to become his backing band. Only Brown and Dwight agreed so a new “Bluesology” was formed which included Elton Dean (saxophone).
Baldry’s music moved towards the cabaret market so Dwight , Brown and Dean all left the band in 1967. Dwight used the names of 2 of his old band mates to create his stage name, Elton (Dean) John (Baldry).
He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on January 7th 1972.
He Has Appeared In Several Adverts
Elton John has appeared in TV commercials for Diet Coke, Snickers, the Royal Mail and John Lewis & Partners. He first endorsed Diet Coke in 1990.
He Teamed Up With Bernie Taupin
In 1967 Elton spotted an advert in the New Musical Express (NME) placed by the A&R manager at Liberty Records. When they met, Elton was given an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. Elton wrote music for the lyrics and sent them to Taupin.
That started a songwriting partnership that still continues to this day. 6 months after that initial contact they recorded their first song together, it was called “Scarecrow”
In 1968 the pair joined DJM Records as staff songwriters and during the next 2 years they wrote songs for many artists including; Lulu and Roger Cook.
He Co-Wrote UK’s 1969 Entry For The Eurovision Song Contest
The songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote many easy listening songs including the 1969 Eurovision song contest song “I Can’t Go On (Living Without You)” which Lulu sang in the contest and came 6th out of 6 songs.
His 1st Single Became A Hit For Canadian Band Wednesday
In 1968 Elton released his 1st single “I’ve Been Loving You” which was released to coincide with his 21st birthday. There’s no record of how it fared on the UK charts.
However, 8 years after its UK release, the Canadian band “Wednesday” released a cover version which peaked at number 6 on the Canadian singles chart and stayed there for 2 weeks.
His Glasses Were Originally A Prop
It’s hard to think about Elton John without thinking about his outlandish glasses. There are speculative guesses into how many pairs he owns which run into thousands. But when he started out as a performer, he never needed glasses at all.
At that time he wanted to look like Buddy Holly and so the glasses became an accessory. Over time his eyesight started to fade and he needed prescription strength glasses, but by that time they were already part of his image.
He Started Playing Piano At An Early Age
By the time he was 7 he was picking out tunes by ear on his granny’s piano. At the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
He attended the Royal Academy for 5 years and even had private tuition as well. He left before taking his final exams to pursue a career in music.
He Was A Guest Star On South Park
On the season 2 episode of South Park “Chef Aid”, Elton John appears as himself and agrees to do a benefit show in South Park to raise money for Chef.
He performs a song on the show called “Wake Up Wendy” which was featured on the soundtrack album “Chef Aid: The South Park Album”. The album also features songs from other artists including Ozzy Osbourne, Isaac Hayes, Wyclef Jean, Primus, Ike Turner, Meat Loaf, Joe Strummer and Tom Morello.
He Started Out As A Pub Pianist
When he was 15, his mother and stepfather got him a job as a pianist at the Northwood Hills Hotel, a local pub. Known as “Reggie” he performed every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at the pub.
He played many pop standards including songs by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles as well as performing his own material.
He Wrote The Music For Billy Elliot The Musical
The film “Billy Elliot” was a box office success and was eventually adapted to a stage show. Elton John composed the music for the stage show.
The show won 10 Tony Awards including “Best Musical”.
SEE ALSO: The Very Best Elton John Songs Of All Time (list with chords & lyrics)
He Performed With John Lennon At Madison Square Garden
Elton John had played piano on John Lennon’s song “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” and he bet Lennon that if the song reached number one on the charts that he would have to perform with Elton John on stage.
The song did make the number one spot and so Lennon appeared on stage at Elton’s 1974 Madison Square Garden show. They performed 3 songs together at what turned out to be Lennon’s final public performance.
He Wrote The Music For The Lion King
Although he doesn’t actually perform any of the songs in the film, Elton John wrote the music for the film and stage show of The Lion King. The soundtrack for the film remained at the top of the charts for 9 weeks.
The Lion King became the top earning title in box office history for both the film and the stage show.
He Had A Film Made About His Life Called Rocketman
In 2019 “Rocketman” the biopic film about Elton John was released. It is described as a“ biographical fantasy musical drama film based on the life and career of Elton John”.
The film stars Taron Egerton as Elton and Jamie Bell as Bernie Taupin. The film took years to make due to various problems. It had apparently been in development since the early 2000s . It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 16th 2019.
He Was A Pinball Wizard
In the 1975 film of The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” Elton John plays the part of the “Local Lad” and performs the Who’s song “Pinball Wizard”.
Elton John’s version of the song peaked at number 7 on the UK singles charts.
He Should Be Addressed As “Sir”
In 1995 Elton John was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) This is the 3rd highest rank in Great Britain’s Order of Chivalry.
In 1998 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to music and charity. In 2020 he was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) by Prince Charles for services to music and to charity.
He Publicly Criticised Madonna
At the 2004 Q Awards, Elton John accepted the Best Classic Songwriter award he said this in his acceptance speech,
Madonna, best #@#???? live act? #@#@ off! Since when has lip-synching been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot. Thank you very much. That’s me off her #@#@#@# Christmas card list, but do I give a toss? No.
Elton John
He Was Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
In 1994 Elton John was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses).
Elton John also has 5 Grammy Awards, and 2 Oscars.
SEE ALSO: Elton John Albums Ranked (rated from worst to best)
He Appeared In The Simpsons
Elton John appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons. In the season 10 episode 14 titled “I’m With Cupid” he sang a version of “Your Song”.
He Can Be Booked For Private Shows
If you have $1,000,000 you can book Elton for a private event. He performed at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding reception in 2010 for a million dollar fee.
Elton donated the fee to his AIDS Foundation as he does for all his wedding bookings.
He Supported Hilary Clinton For US President
During Hilary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign, Elton John held a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City to raise money for Hilary’s presidential campaign funds.
There were many other celebrities that joined in including; Andra Day, John Legend and Katy Perry. The show raised a total of $2.5 million.
He Spent Almost £300,000 On Flowers In 18 Months!
Between January 1996 and September 1997, Elton John spent £293,000 on flowers. And during those same 2 years he spent a total of £30 million. He apparently told a judge during a lawsuit,
I have no one to leave the money to. I’m a single man. I like spending my money.
Elton John
He Had The Best Selling Single Of 1997
Elton John has been a highly successful singer, musician and songwriter. One of his biggest successes was born out of tragedy. When Princess Diana died, Elton re recorded his earlier hit “Candle In The Wind” as “Candle In The Wind 1997”.
Elton had been friends with Princess Diana and the proceeds from the sales of this song went towards Princess Diana’s charities. He also performed the song at her funeral.
He’s A Keen Football Fan
Elton John was the chairman and director of Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987 and then again from 1997 to 2002 and is an honorary life president of the club.
For a short while, he was also part-owner of the Los Angeles Aztecs of the North American Soccer League.
He Featured On A Grunge Song
The Alice In Chains song “Black Gives Way To Blue” from the 2009 album of the same name features Elton John playing the piano. The song is a tribute to AIC’s lead vocalist Layne Staley who died of an overdose in 2002.
Apparently AIC’s lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell contacted Elton John and asked if he would be interested in collaborating on the song. He told Elton that the first show that he and Layne had been to was one of Elton’s shows.
SEE ALSO: Alice In Chains Albums Ranked (rated from worst to best)
Do You Know Any We’ve Missed?
That’s our impressive facts about Elton John you never knew, do you know any we’ve missed? We’d love to hear them, let us know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight (he legally changed his name in 1972) on March 25th 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England, UK.
The Elton John album that “Crocodile Rock” was the lead single from in 1972 was “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player “.
The British artist that sang the song written by Bernie Taupin and Elton John in the 1969 Eurovision song contest was Lulu.
The artist that Elton John criticised for lip-synching at the 2004 Q Awards was Madonna.
Elton John did appear In an episode of The Simpsons. He appeared as himself in season 10 episode 14 titled “I’m With Cupid” he sang a version of “Your Song”.
The Grunge band that featured Elton John on one of their songs in memory of Layne Staley was Alice In Chains. The song “Black Gives Way To Blue” from the 2009 album of the same name features Elton John playing the piano. The song is a tribute to AIC’s lead vocalist Layne Staley who died of an overdose in 2002.
Elton John did write the music for The Lion King.
The British football club that made Elton John honorary life president is Watford FC. He was the chairman and director of Watford F.C. from 1976 to 1987 and then again from 1997 to 2002 and is an honorary life president of the club.
The name of the biopic film about Elton John that took almost 20 years to complete is “Rocketman”.
The rock band that wrote the rock opera “Tommy” in which Elton John performed “Pinball Wizard” in the film version was The Who.
Elton John never supported Donald Trump in the 2016 US Presidential election, he supported Hilary Clinton and along with other celebrities he raised $2.5 million in a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The Elton John song that contains the lines “Hey, kids, shake it loose together, the spotlight’s hitting something, that’s been known to change the weather” is “Bennie And The Jets” which is taken from his 1973 album “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.
The title of Elton John’s debut album is “Empty Sky” which was released in 1969.
The brand of soft drink that Elton John has endorsed by appearing in several adverts for the company is Diet Coke.
Elton John’s middle name is Hercules. He legally changed his name from Reginald Kenneth Dwight to Elton Hercules John in 1972.
