Elton John

Reginald Dwight was born in Pinner, a suburb in Middlesex, in 1947 and later adopted the moniker Elton John. He was the only child of Stanley Dwight and Sheila Eileen, but his grandparents raised him for the early years of his life. However, when it came to his musical education, his mother was critical and indoctrinated him into rock ‘n’ roll from an early age.

Before his big break as an artist, John worked as a session musician and even appeared on ‘He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother’ by The Hollies. During this period, he met Bernie Taupin, with whom he formed a legendary partnership that changed both their lives. Their first hit single was ‘Your Song’, and in the subsequent years, Elton became one of the world’s most prominent artists.

During the 1970s, he had a string of hits such as ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Goodbye Old Yellow Brick Road’, ‘Step Into Christmas’, and ‘Candle In The Wind’. John also collaborated with John Lennon on ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’, which coerced Lennon out of retirement to perform at Madison Square Garden.

John is one of the highest-selling artists of all time and has remarkably sold over 300 million albums worldwide. His largest-selling record is ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, which has sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the highest-selling albums ever. In the United States, he’s achieved 57 hits in the top 40, which has only been bettered by Elvis Presley.

Outside of music, John also purchased his beloved Watford FC, and although he no longer owns the football club, he has a stand named after him. In 2022, Elton played his final show in the United States at the Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles as part of his retirement tour. He also hosts the ‘Rocket Hour’ radio programme for Apple Music.