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• Elton John is a Grammy and Oscar-winning singer and pianist.

• Current News

  Elton John and his partner, David Furnish, wanted to try to adopt a 14-month old old Ukrainian child that has HIV. However, on September 14, the Ukranian Youth and Sports Minister Yuriy Pavlenko told The Associated Press that the adoption will not happen because adoptive parents must be married and the singer is too old. Regardless, Ukrainians are reluctant to adopt ill children or those older than 10. Pavlenko said that only about 30 HIV-positive children have been adopted since 2007. Sheremet, the head of Ukraine’s Gay Forum, a leading gay rights organization in Ukraine, said the regulations were depriving the boy of a chance to find a family and love. “If I were that child, I would feel very bitter and sad,” he said.

• Fast Facts

  1. Birth Name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
  2. Legal Name: Elton Hercules John
  3. Born: March 25, 1947
  4. Birthplace: Pinner, London
  5. Writes music with lyricist Bernie Taupin
  6. The name "Elton John" is an homage to Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry
  7. Record Label: Universal Records
  8. Has had a Top 40 hit every year from 1970-1999
  9. Won 5 Grammys
  10. Won 1995 Oscar for "Best Original Song"
  11. Written music for 4 musicals
  12. "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the best-selling single of all time
  13. Former president of Watford Football ClubFOX Sports: Elton John resigns as life president of Watford (November 7, 2008)

• History

  A piano prodigy, John was able to play music by ear at a very young age. At 11, he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, though he preferred to play Little Richard melodies over Bach.

  After a short-lived stint with his friends in the band Bluesology, which backed Long John Baldry, Patti LaBelle and the Isley Brothers on various tours, John answered a songwriter ad in the New Musical Express magazine in 1967. His assignment: to write music to a set of lyrics penned by Bernie Taupin.

• Captain Fantastic

  Despite an original intention to write music for other artists to cover, John and Taupin eventually started recording music with John singing. After being partnered with producer Gus Dudgeon and orchestrator Paul Buckmaster, John released his self-titled second album in 1970, featuring the hit ballad "Your Song."

  Following a historic performance at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, John's career took off with seven consecutive #1 albums, and a string of hit singles, including "Tiny Dancer," "Rocket Man," "Daniel," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Crocodile Rock" and "Bennie and the Jets," the latter of which came from the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, considered by many critics to be one of his finest.

• Highs and Lows

  In the 80s, John's career declined in popularity, despite a continuing run of Top 40 singles. After witnessing the plight of AIDS activist Ryan White, John admitted himself to a Chicago hospital to combat his drug abuse, bulimia and alcoholism. John himself later became an activist, establishing the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.

  In the 90s, John's career hit an upswing, starting with the single "Can You Feel The Love Tonight," which won him a "Best Original Song" Oscar in 1995. Two years later, John recorded "Candle In The Wind 1997," which was a re-written hit for Princess Diana following her death. The single went on to becoming the fastest- and biggest-selling single upon its release.

• Present

  With his music being sampled in songs of all genres, like 2Pac's "Ghetto Gospel," and being featured in films like Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous, John has enjoyed a renaissance as of late, recording critically acclaimed albums like Songs From The West Coast and The Captain and the Kid in the 2000s. He continues to write music with Taupin, and he performs many of their biggest hits at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for his "Red Piano" show.

• Personal Life

  John admitted to being bisexual in a 1976 interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Despite a four-year marriage to recording engineer Renate Blauel, John would later come out as being gay instead. On December 21, 2005, John and longtime partner David Furnish officially entered a civil partnership in London.

• Billboard Chart Toppers

  • 1997: Candle in the Wind - #1
  • 1973: Crocodile Rock - #1
  • 1984: I Guess That s Why They Call It The Blues #4
  • 1984: Sad Songs - #5
  • 1986: Nikita - #7 AllMusic: Top Elton John Billboard hits

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