Elton John is vacationing in Saint-Tropez with his husband and children. Elton John (Elton John) - biography, information, personal life Year of birth E John

Elton John(real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born March 25, 1947) is a popular British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995). Elton John had a significant influence on the development of light rock. Over the course of his nearly five-decade career, he sold more than 250 million records. 52 of his singles were in the British Top 40, and the musician ranks 49th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest performers. Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums reaching number one on the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 in the top ten and 6 reaching number one. One of them, “Candle in the Wind” (the version dedicated to Princess Diana) sold 37 million copies. Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.

So, more details. Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born into the family of the commander of an air squadron of the British Empire. Dwight was raised by his mother because he rarely saw his father. However, the parents divorced completely in 1962. Mom married a second time to a man whom Elton called “Derf.”

At the age of four, Reginald began learning to play the piano. Moreover, he turned out to be a child prodigy, since he could play almost any melody. At the age of 11, John received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Later in educational institution The musician studied for 6 years.

Start
In 1960, Dwight and his friends formed the group The Corvettes. The band began playing compositions by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles. A year later the group became Bluesology. Reginald played in a bar at night and carried out assignments for music publishers during the day. Musical affairs were not going badly; by the mid-60s the group was touring the United States. In 1966, the group began collaborating with Long John Baldry, and went on a tour of England.

Dwight later responded to an ad from Ray Williams, then head of A&R at Liberty Records. The latter gave the young musician lyrics by Bernie Taupin, who also responded to the offer to collaborate. But neither one nor the other passed the competition, but together they continued their cooperation, which has survived to this day.

Bernie Taupin and Elton John recorded their first song in 1967. This is Scarecrow. It is worth noting that by that time Dwight had already taken a pseudonym. A little later, colleagues began writing songs for different artists. In 1968, the single “I’ve Been Loving You” was released, and a year later “Lady Samantha” and the album “Empty Sky” appeared. The work was not a commercial success, but it received good feedback. In the USA, the singles and album were not released at all.

Success
In early 1970, the album "Elton John" was released. A formula for success had already been found here: the record contained rock songs and soulful ballads. That same year, Elton John gave his first American concert in Los Angeles. Then the musician’s performance style created a furore among reporters and colleagues. After this, Elton took part in the recording of the football anthem for the English team and released the album “Tumbleweed Connection”. A year later, in 1971, the artist’s sixth studio album, Madman Across the Water, appeared. It's a dark piece with grandiose orchestrations by Paul Buckmaster. The album became a real hit in the USA.

In 1973, John created his own label, Rocket Records, and released the pop-oriented album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. The next album, entitled “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” became even more popular. Critics consider this record to be the best in the singer’s career. By the way, after it, attention was focused on Elton not as a musician, but as a person.

A year later, another album appeared. "Caribou" took first place in the United States, but did not satisfy critics, since it was "designed for an external effect." At the same time, the musician played “Local Guy” in the film adaptation of the rock opera called “Tommy.”

Next came “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”, this is an autobiographical album, the musical story of the still unknown Taupin and John’s stay in London.

Bi
Elton John achieved commercial success in 1976 when he sang in a duet with Kiki Dee. The single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” topped both the American and British charts. Almost immediately, Elton admitted his bisexuality to Rolling Stone magazine. The artist later said that he did not declare his homosexuality so as not to upset his fans.

By the way, in the spring of 1979, Elton came on tour to the USSR, one of the first Western rock musicians. He gave 4 concerts.

In 1980, Elton and Bernie again showed their brainchild; they released the album “21 at 33”, which also became quite successful. Another fruit of joint creativity appeared a year later - this is the album “The Fox”.

In the 1980s, Elton was beset by personal turmoil. In 1984, the artist married, unexpectedly for many, sound engineer Renate Blaell. And two years later he lost his voice and underwent throat surgery. He had his polyps removed, and as a result John's timbre changed slightly.

It is worth noting that in 1984, Watford reached the final of the English Football League Cup. This was a long-time dream of Elton John, who was not only a fan of the team, but also the owner and chairman of the board.

In 1987, the singer won a libel suit against The Sun newspaper, the publication accused the artist of having sex with minors.

Drugs
In 1990, Elton was admitted to a Chicago hospital, where he underwent rehabilitation to combat alcoholism, drug addiction and bulimia. During the course, he loses weight and transplants his hair. A year later, the album “Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin” appears, which many British and American performers helped record.

A year later, Elton created the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It must fund programs to combat AIDS. And direct the money earned in the USA and Britain from the sale of singles to research. The next album, “The One,” is released immediately.

In 1994, Elton worked with Tim Rice on the music for the animated film The Lion King. It became super successful and the songs played an important role here. Three of the five songs from the cartoon that were nominated for an Oscar were by Jonah. That same year, the musician was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a year later he was given the title of Knight Bachelor, simply a prefix to the name “sir.”

Harsh statements
In 2001, the musician announced that the album “Songs From The West Coast” would be his last studio album. Elton John planned to focus on live performances. But another album appeared in 2004 - this is “Peachtree Road”.

In total, Elton John released 29 studio albums and 128 singles. He is the author of music for a number of films, cartoons and productions.

Personal life
Four years after the wedding with Rinata Blauel, the marriage broke up. Elton John later spoke about his homosexuality. The musician was constantly tormented by depression, he began to abuse drugs and alcohol. I had to undergo treatment for addiction more than once. In 1993, Elton met David Furnish. It was he who helped the celebrity get rid of drug addiction and alcoholism. In 2005, John took advantage of the fact that the concept of “same-sex marriage” was introduced into law. He married Furnish.

In 2009, the couple wanted to adopt an HIV-positive baby from a boarding school in Ukraine. However, officials refused, explaining that in Ukraine same-sex marriage are not recognized. But on December 25, 2010, David and Elton finally became dads. surrogate mother She gave birth to their son, Zachary Jackson Levon.

67-year-old British singer Sir Elton John and his partner, 52-year-old Canadian director David Furnish decided to get married after same-sex marriage was legalized in England this spring.

The private wedding ceremony took place at the Windsor estate near London and next to the country residence of Queen Elizabeth II.

On the eve of the wedding, the singer posted a postcard on Instagram inviting everyone to attend the wedding, noting that “the whole world” was invited to his wedding. However, as it turned out later, the invitation was virtual. Only 50 of the couple's closest people were able to attend the wedding ceremony of Sir Elton and David, among whom were such celebrities as David and Victoria Beckham, actress Elizabeth Hurley and rock musician Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon.

Let us remember that the musician met his common-law husband David Furnish in 1993, and in 2005 he entered into a legal civil partnership. During their time together, the couple had two sons - Zachary and Eli. It is noteworthy that the couple repeatedly tried to officially register their relationship, but due to the peculiarities of the legislative system, they could not register as same-sex partners.

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Elton and David's children, 3-year-old Zachary and 2-year-old Eli, were present at the wedding ceremony.

Victoria Beckham with her son at Elton John's wedding .

Actress Liz Hurley .

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, real name Reginald Kenneth Dwight. Born 25 March 1947 in Pinner, England. British rock singer, composer and pianist. Knight Bachelor (1997) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE, Commander, 1995).

Elton John had a significant influence on the development of light rock. Over the course of his 50-year career, he sold more than 250 million records. 52 of his singles were in the British Top 40, and the musician ranks 49th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest performers.

Elton John is one of the most commercially successful artists of the 1970s, with seven of his albums reaching number one on the Billboard 200, 23 singles in the US Top 40, 16 in the top ten and 6 reaching number one. One of them, “Candle in the Wind” (the version dedicated to ) sold 37 million copies.

Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more albums in the US and Britain than any other British solo artist.

Elton John is also known as a public figure, in particular in the field of the fight against the AIDS epidemic that he began in the late 1980s.

Elton John, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, remains one of Britain's most successful rock performers.

Elton John - Believe

Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in Pinner, England, the son of RAF squadron leader Stanley Dwight and his wife Sheila (nee Harris).

Young Dwight was raised primarily by his mother, but did not see his father often. Stanley and Sheila divorced in 1962, when Dwight was 15. His mother married Fred Farebrother, whom Elton affectionately called "Derf."

Dwight started playing the piano when he was four. He was able to play any tune.

At the age of eleven he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied for six years.

In 1960, Dwight and friends formed the band The Corvettes, which began by performing compositions by Ray Charles and Jim Reeves (at the Northwood Hills Hotel in Middlesex), and in 1961 evolved into Bluesology. By day he carried out assignments for music publishers, and by night he performed solo in a London hotel bar and worked with Bluesology.

By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was already touring the United States with such rhythm and blues musicians as The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Doris Troy, Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles. In 1966, the group began collaborating with Long John Baldry (part of the latter's nickname later became part of Elton John's pseudonym) and began a tour of England.

After unsuccessful auditions for King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Dwight answered an ad in the weekly New Musical Express placed by Ray Williams, then head of A&R at Liberty Records. Williams gave Dwight a collection of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin, a songwriter who had responded to the same ad. Neither Dwight nor Taupin were selected in the competition. But Dwight wrote music based on Taupin’s poems, which he then sent to the latter by mail: thus, a partnership was born in joint creativity by correspondence, which continues to this day.

In 1967, Elton John and Bernie Taupin's first composition, "Scarecrow," was recorded.("Scarecrow"): After the first meeting, six months later, Reginald Dwight took the pseudonym Elton John - in honor of Elton Dean and Long John Baldry. Some time later, in 1972, he added a middle name, Hercules: that was the name of the horse in the comedy television series Steptoe and Son.

John and Taupin soon joined Dick James's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968 and spent the next two years writing songs for a variety of artists, including Roger Cook and Lulu. Taupin could sketch out a text in an hour, then send it to John, who wrote music for it in half an hour, and if he couldn’t come up with anything quickly, he ordered the next draft. At the same time, John worked part-time for “budget” labels, recording cover versions of current hits, collections of which were sold in supermarkets.

On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin began writing more complex songs for the DJM label. The first was the single "I've Been Loving You" (1968), recorded by producer Caleb Quaye, former Bluesology guitarist.

In 1969, with Quay, drummer Roger Pope and bassist Tony Murray, John released the single "Lady Samantha" and the album Empty Sky, which was (according to Allmusic) late-Beatlesque in style and, judging by its ambitious arrangements and interesting lyrics, intended as a serious creative statement. Both works received good reviews, but were not commercially successful in Britain, and were not released in the United States at all (only in 1975 the album was re-released there and rose to No. 6 on the Billboard 200).

To work on the next album, John and Taupin invited producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster. The Elton John album was released in the spring of 1970: in the UK by Pye Records (a subsidiary of DJM), in the US by Uni Records. It was here that the authors found a formula for success, which was subsequently developed: rock songs (with elements of gospel music) and soulful ballads. The first single from the album, Border Song, only reached number 92 in the US. But the second, Your Song, became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic (US No. 8, UK No. 7). In the wake of this success, the album itself began to climb the charts.

In August, Elton John gave his first American concert at the Los Angeles club The Troubadour: he was introduced to the audience by Neil Diamond on stage, and was accompanied by drummer Nigel Olsson (ex-Spencer Davis Group, Uriah Heep) and bass guitarist Dee Murray.

Elton John's performance style (in many ways reminiscent of Jerry Lee Lewis's style) impressed not only reporters, but also colleagues, in particular Quincy Jones and Leon Russell.

After contributing to the recording of Back Home, the football anthem for the England team traveling to the World Cup in Mexico, Elton John recorded the concept album Tumbleweed Connection, which was released in October 1970, reached the Billboard top ten and reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Elton John achieved his highest commercial achievement in 1976 in a duet with Kiki Dee: their single “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” topped both the American and English charts.

Shortly after the release of the single, Elton John openly announced his bisexuality in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Later, the singer admitted that this formulation was a compromise: he did not dare to immediately declare his homosexuality, so as not to upset the fans, many of whom were horrified even by this “softened” version of the confession.

In general, the years 1970-1976 were in all respects the most successful in the singer’s career. All six Elton John albums included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" (the highest, 91st place on it) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) belong to this period.

In May 1979, Elton was one of the first Western rock musicians to go on tour to the USSR. At the invitation of the State Concert, he gave 4 concerts in the Leningrad “Big Oktyabrsky Concert Hall” and the Moscow State Central Concert Hall “Russia”.

In 1979, the creative tandem of Elton John and Bernie Taupin reunited. A new album was released next year 21 at 33, which is considered a great achievement in the singer’s creative career. One of the songs included in the album was the song Little Jeannie, which became Elton John's biggest success in four years. It rose to number 3 on the US charts. It should be noted, however, that the lyrics for this song were written by Gary Osborne. In addition to Taupin and Osborne, Elton John collaborated during this period with such poetry authors as Tom Robinson and Judy Tsuki.

The 1980s became a period of strong personal upheaval for the singer. In 1984, unexpectedly for many, he married sound engineer Renate Blauel. In 1986, he lost his voice while touring Australia and soon after had throat surgery to remove polyps from his vocal cords. As a result of this, the timbre of the singer's voice changed somewhat, and from this period he sounded differently.

In 1987, he won a libel suit against The Sun newspaper, which accused him of having sex with minors.

In 1988, he performed five concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York. The artist's total number of performances in this concert hall was then 26, which allowed him to break the record previously held by the American group Grateful Dead.

Elton John was deeply affected by the story of Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana who had AIDS. Together with Michael Jackson, he took an active part in the fate of the child, supporting him and his family until White's tragic death in 1990. Being depressed, Elton John was admitted to a hospital in Chicago in 1990, where he underwent rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia.

In 2001, Elton John announced that Songs From The West Coast would be his last studio album, and that from then on he would concentrate only on live performances. However, later, abandoning this idea (the reason was never announced), in 2004 he released another studio album (28th in a row) - Peachtree Road.

In 2001, Elton John received an invitation to take part in a BBC television show called Have I Got News For You. At first he gave his consent, but at the last moment he changed his mind and refused to participate in the program. This happened just hours before it was due to air, and producers were forced to bring in Ray Johnson, a taxi driver from Holchester who sometimes acted as an Elton John impersonator. He barely said a word during the program, however, when the program aired 24 hours later, his name was present in the credits, and Elton John's name was removed from it.

In the same year, a film was made that told about the singer’s career from the moment he appeared on stage until the early 2000s. The film was called The Elton John Story and aired on VH-1 Classic, but it was never released as a separate disc or cassette.

In 2001, Elton John performed a duet with Eminem on his song Stan at the Grammy Awards. In the same year, he performed the song Friends for the film The Country Bears, and also played one of the cameo roles in this film.

Elton John's height: 172 centimeters.

Personal life of Elton John:

In 1976, during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he announced his bisexuality.

On February 14, 1984, he married sound engineer Renate Blauel. Four years later they divorced. A little later, he announced that he was more homosexual than bisexual. Tormented by constant depression, Elton John gradually began to abuse alcohol and drugs. He repeatedly underwent treatment for drug addiction.

In 1993, he met his future civil partner David Furnish, who helped him overcome his alcoholism and drug addiction.

In 2004, the UK ratified the Civil Status Act, which introduced the concept of “same-sex marriage” into law. Elton was one of the first to take advantage of the opportunity to legalize homosexual relationships. On December 21, 2005, John and Furnish entered into a prenuptial agreement. Only close friends and relatives were invited to the wedding ceremony in Windsor, where Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles were previously married. The press was not allowed to attend the ceremony. In the evening, a banquet was held at the Berkshire estate, where more than 700 people were invited, including celebrities - friends of Elton and David. Celebrity guests such as Brian May, Elizabeth Hurley and Ozzy Osbourne were invited.

In 2009, the couple tried to adopt an HIV-positive boy from a Ukrainian boarding school, but officials refused, citing the fact that same-sex marriage is not recognized in Ukraine. On December 25, 2010, Elton and David finally became fathers - on Catholic Christmas, their son was born from a surrogate mother from California, who was given the name Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John. On January 11, 2013, their second son, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, was born.

On December 21, 2014, Elton John and David Furnish got married and celebrated their 9-year anniversary of civil marriage.

Elton John discography:

Empty Sky (1969)
Elton John (1970)
Tumbleweed Connection (1970)
Madman Across the Water (1971)
Honky Chateau (1972)
Don"t Shoot Me I"m Only the Piano Player (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Caribou (1974)
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Rock of the Westies (1975)
Blue Moves (1976)
A Single Man (1978)
Victim of Love (1979)
21 at 33 (1980)
The Fox (1981)
Jump Up! (1982)
Too Low for Zero (1983)
Breaking Hearts (1984)
Ice on Fire (1985)
Leather Jackets (1986)
Reg Strikes Back (1988)
Sleeping with the Past (1989)
The One (1992)
Duets (1993)
Made in England (1995)
The Big Picture (1997)
Songs from the West Coast (2001)
Peachtree Road (2004)
The Captain & the Kid (2006)
The Union (with Leon Russell) (2010)
The Diving Board (2013).

WITHer Elton John, real namewhomReginald Kenneth Dwight, was born in the British city of Pinner in the family of a military pilot. His parents divorced in 1962, then his mother remarried when Reginald was 15.

At the age of four the boy began to play the piano. At eleven, the young man won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, where he then studied for six years.

At 13years he organizedBluesology group with friends. By the mid-1960s, they were touring the United States with famous rhythm and blues musicians.

After the breakupBluesologyin 1967, the musician recorded his first composition based on the poems of Bernie Taupin Scarecrow. That same year, he adopted the pseudonym Elton John, in honor of musicians Elton Dean and Long John. In 1970, the singer’s first album was released under this name (“Elton John”). The single Your Song became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 1973, the musician released the album Don"t Shoot Me, I"m Only the Piano Player, which went gold. The same year, his double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released, which reached number one on the Billboard album chart.

In 1974, the album Caribou and the collection of greatest hits, Greatest Hits, were released.

In the mid-1970s, 16 of Elton John's consecutive singles entered the Top 20 in Britain, and 12 of them entered the Top 5.

In 1976, the singer presented the album Blue Moves with the single Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.

In 1986, Elton John lost his voice while touring Australia and shortly thereafter underwent throat surgery that changed the sound of his voice. Despite this, the performer continued his musical career.

The 1989 album Sleeping With The Past and the 1992 album The One went platinum.

In 1990, Elton underwent rehabilitation to combat drug addiction, alcoholism and bulimia.

During his career, Elton John recorded over 30 albums, sold more than 250 million records, and had 54 singles in the British Top 40. In 2007, the singer's single Candle in the Wind entered the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling single in the history of music.

Elton was nominated for a Grammy Award 11 times and won five times. In 2001, the musician received an honorary Grammy Award.

Personal life

In 1976, the singer spoke in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine about his bisexuality.

In 1984, he married sound engineer Rinata Blauel. Four years later they divorced. After this, Elton John declared that he was more homosexual than bisexual.

Since 1993, film director David Furnish has become John's companion. In 2005, they legalized their relationship after same-sex marriage was legalized in the UK. The couple has two sons who were born to surrogate mothers: V 2010 Zechariah was born in 2013, and Elijah was born in 2013.

Hobbies

The musician collects original eyeglass frames.

Data

In 1993, Elton John was awarded the degree of officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters, in 1996 he became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and in 1998 he received a knighthood.

early years

Reginald Dwight was born in 1947 in Pinner, UK. As soon as the boy was three years old, his mother, who took on the bulk of raising the children, sent Reginald to piano lessons. Reginald turned out to be a very gifted child and, having shown excellent results at the audition, got into the Royal Conservatory. After graduating from university, the young man created his own group, “The Corvettes”. The young musicians were inspired by the works of the great rock and roll performers, many of the classic rock and roll pieces were remade by The Corvettes. The young man spent all his time ensuring that he and his group moved along career ladder. Soon the guys were offered to perform as the opening act for various rock festivals taking place around the world.

First steps to great success

In 1967, the singer released his first solo song “Scarecrow”; after its release, the young man changed his name to Elton John. DJM Records often supported Elton and allowed him to record music, but limited his time. Most often, Elton received a text and tried to write music for it in less than half an hour; if the process dragged on for a long time, then John put off the lyrics for the next time. The first shift in the musician’s career was the song “I’ve Been Loving You.” Sales were almost zero, but critical reviews and chart positions rose to the top ten. In 1970, the musician and his team managed to find the perfect combination of soulful ballads and rock in the album “Elton John”. One of the compositions, “Your Song,” rose to number 6 in the UK charts, although it did not achieve success in the United States.

Recognition on the native stage

Soon, to increase interest among the American public, Elton gave a concert at The Troubadour club. That same year, the singer recorded “Back Home” for the England football team, which took part in the World Cup. Following the release of this song, John released the theme album "Tumbleweed Connection", which reached number two in the UK chart and tenth in the American charts. The following year, the singer released a live album, which included best songs his repertoire. However, its release was not successful due to the fact that shortly before the release of the official album, a recording of the full concert, and not a trimmed sample version, appeared on the market.

First successes on the world stage

In 1971, Elton released another studio album, Madman Across the Water. The album took a leading position in the world charts and was noted as the singer’s most successful album at this stage of his career. The composition of the team with which John collaborated had already finally taken shape by 1972 and consisted entirely of true professionals in their field. By the time Honky Chateau was released, John had worked so well with his team that some of the songs on the album were written without his participation. Elton soon decided to create his own label, Rocket Records. Almost immediately after opening the label, Elton released his most successful pop disc, “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.”

Creating a unique stage image

In 1973, the singer created “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the most successful album of his entire career, according to music experts. It was from the moment of the release of this collection that the singer began to attract attention not only with his music, but also because he stood out from other performers with his appearance and behavior. That same year, his label began releasing songs by other artists, and the singer himself signed a contract with his previous agency worth US$8 million.

In 1974, the artist created several covers of John Lennon's compositions. After one of the covers aired, Lennon made a bet with Elton that when the song reached first place they would sing a duet. Soon both performers were on the same stage performing "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds".

Group breakup

Shortly after the end of this concert, Elton went on a tour of the United States on his personal plane. In 1974, Elton released his eighth album, “Caribou,” the material for this collection was collected in just over two weeks. Overall the product was a commercial success but a critical failure for many. The same year, the artist was offered a role in the rock opera “Tommy”. A few months after the opera was completed, the singer released the album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which chronicled his early life and rise to fame. At the end of the same year, the team that had accompanied the singer at his concerts all this time broke up. The busy schedule and physically difficult concerts tired many of the participants and Elton had to recruit other guys for the team.

First results of the new composition

The first performance took place on the largest stage in London; 75 thousand listeners attended the concert. The album “Rock of the Westies”, which was released immediately after the line-up change, became the tenth full-length disc.

In 1976, the new album “Blue Moves” was released; the material presented in this collection was different from everything Elton had done before. Filled with sadness and sorrow, full of tragedy, it attracted the attention of many listeners, which surprised experts who perceived the singer’s new creation with misunderstanding. The most successful moment in all of 1976 was the performance of the song “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” in a duet with Kiki Dee. In the same year, the singer openly admitted his gay orientation during one of his interviews.

Losing my voice and my best friend

In 1979, the singer was invited to the USSR, which at that time was quite conservative and rarely allowed musicians from other countries. In the same year, the singer, after a long period of time, managed to write the successful composition “Little Jeannie”. The top five of all charts was completely filled with Elton's songs.

In 1980, the singer held a free concert near John Lennon's house; exactly three months later, Lennon was killed in the same place. In memory of his friend, Elton John held another concert at which he performed the singer’s most popular songs, together with his wife and son, who was John’s godson. Much to the shock of thousands of fans, in 1986 the singer lost his voice during a concert. Soon he underwent surgery, after which his voice timbre changed.

In 1987, the artist was sued over rumors that he had sexual relations with children. After a long time legal proceedings Elton John was found not guilty.

Beginning of depression

In 1988, a difficult period began for the musician; he began to experience depression. He practically did not appear in public and organized a large auction at which he sold his collections. Due to complex psychological problems, the singer begins to have problems with alcohol and drug addiction.

In 1990, he was hospitalized with bulimia.

In 1991, "Basque", a song released that year, had previously won a Grammy Award.

In 1992, the singer opened the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which researches AIDS issues. The same year presented listeners with a new collection “The One”. The album peaked at number eight on the US charts, ending its long period of failure. Soon the artist released another album consisting of duets; many famous performers were invited to create this product.

Cooperation between animation studios and theaters

1994 gave the singer the opportunity to create musical accompaniment for the animated film “The Lion King” from the Disney studio. The cartoon became the most commercially successful at that time and brought Elton three awards and several Oscar nominations. In the same year, the singer was honored to be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the same year, the artist was granted the title of knight, which gave him the opportunity to use “sir” in his name. 1995 gave admirers of Elton John another album, “Made in England.” 1997 was a period of loss for the singer; his close friend and Princess Diana died, at whose funeral he performed the song “Candle in the Wind.” This song became one of the best-selling in the UK and brought huge income not only to the singer, but also to the country. In 1998, the singer released a disc with songs for the musical “Aida”.

Last years of career

The 2000s began for the musician with a project to create musical accompaniment for the cartoon “The Road to Eldorado.” In 2001, the first film about the artist’s life, “The Elton John Story,” was released. In 2003, “Are You Ready for Love” was re-recorded, which in the 70s did not cause any reaction from the public, but after re-recording and changing the arrangement, it took a leading position in the pop charts. 2004 gave the singer a soul mate, David Furnish became Elton John's official partner, and Elton soon became a father through a surrogate mother. The singer decided to focus his attention on concerts and various shows and did not release albums for a long time. IN last years his musical activity the singer held many charity concerts and participated in voice acting and writing music for cartoons. In 2017, Elton is preparing to appear on screen in the film Kingsman 2: The Golden Circle; this film will mark the singer’s debut on the big screen.

• Elton John has a knighthood and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• Elton John is a fan football club Watford, and in 1976-1987 he even owned it. Interestingly, this eleven-year era saw the club's heyday, reaching the FA Cup final in 1984.
• In one of the episodes of the famous animated series South Park, Elton John voiced himself. He also recorded the song "Wake Up Wendy" for the album "Chef Aid: The South Park Album", created based on the series. The album also features Ozzy Osbourne, System of a Down, Joe Strummer from The Clash and other famous artists.
• In 1974, Elton John took part in the recording of John Lennon's song "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". The musicians made a bet: Lennon promised that if the single took 1st place, they would perform this song as a duet at a concert in Madison Square Garden. Actually, that’s what happened.

Awards:

• Oscar Award for Best Original Song (1995)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Song (1995)
• Grammy Hall of Fame (1998, 2003, 2012)
• Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Artist of the Year (1997)