ELTON JOHN AND BITS AND PIECES FROM HIS CAREER OF A LIFETIME

Elton John is a British singer, composer and pianist. He has sold more than 300 million records in his lifetime. His unique way of mixing pop and rock music made him one of the biggest music icons of 20th century.

John (Reginald Kenneth Dwight) was born on March 25, 1947, in Middlesex, England. He was passionate about music at an early age and when he taught himself how to play the piano he was younger than five. As an extraordinary talent, he won a scholarship to a youth program at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

His father, Stanley Dwight, was a member of the Royal Air Force. His parents divorced when he was a teenager, then he and his father clashed over his future. John wanted to be a musician against his father’s will, he dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream. He started playing with a group called Bluesology that had been formed by some of his musician friends.

John was the singer of the 1969 album Empty Sky, covering songs by himself and Taupin, one of his music partners. It failed to catch on, but in 1970 "Your Song” became his first hit. Soon, more hits followed.

John continued to record and release new music later in his long career. He released The Captain and the Kid in 2006 as a sequel to his 1975 album called Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. In February 2016 John released his 33rd studio album, Wonderful Crazy Night which got generally positive reviews.