Elton John: Encyclopedia II - Elton John - Early life and career

Elton John - Early life and career

Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in Pinner, England, the son of Squadron Leader Stanley Dwight, RAF, and his wife, Sheila Dwight. Reginald was raised primarily by his mother and other female relatives, and saw little of his father as a kid. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962, when Reginald was 14.

Reginald began playing piano when he was four. Something of a child prodigy, he was able to play on piano any melody he heard on radio or phonograph. At 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. He stayed at the Academy for six years, leaving before graduation to focus on his music.

In 1960, Reginald and some of his friends formed a band called the Corvettes, which evolved into Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like the Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1966 the band became musician Long John Baldry's supporting band and began touring cabarets with him throughout England. Reginald left soon after, as Baldry contol had risen greatly. After failing lead vocalist auditions for both King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Reginald answered an advertisement in the New Musical Express placed by Ray Williams then the young A&R manager for Liberty Records. There Ray gave him lyrics written by Bernie Taupin who had answered the same ad. Reginald then wrote music for the lyrics, and mailed it to Bernie. Thus began a partnership that continues to this day. When they met six months later, Reginald had changed his name to Elton John, by deed poll, in homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. In 1967 the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, Scarecrow, was recorded.

Elton and Bernie, now partners, joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years, wrote songs for pop singers like Roger Cook and Lulu, while also recording their own songs. Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour, and give it to John who write music for them in half-hour, tossing out a song if he couldn't come up with anything.

In June 1969, Elton released Empty Sky, his first album, for DJM. Despite good reviews, it failed to click with the record buying public.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Early life and career", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki