Elton John

Elton John has had a larger impact on the pop music world than just about any other artist in history. In fact, Billboard magazine listed him #3 on the list of the top 100 most frequently charted artists in the history of the famous “Billboard Top 100”; behind only The Beatles and Madonna. He is often cited as the person single-handedly responsible for maintaining the piano as “hip” in the world of rock music.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947, he changed his name to Elton John in 1968, right around the same time that he was first introduced to Bernie Taupin. These two men were to form one of the most proficient song writing teams of all time, with Bernie writing the lyrics and Elton writing the music. To this day, Elton John continues to writing frequently with Bernie Taupin.

In 1970 Elton John had his first top ten single with the release of “Your Song” from the album “Elton John”. Less than one year later, John’s second album “Tumbleweed Connection” was released and quickly made it onto the list of the top ten. This manner of rapid-fire writing, recording and releasing of albums would become a hallmark of Elton John’s career during the 1970’s. Between 1970 and 1979, he released 11 studio albums, 2 live albums, as well as a movie soundtrack. In 1974, his first “greatest hits” compilation was released and eventually sold over 24 million copies.

While the 1980’s weren’t quite as prolific for Elton John as had been the 1970’s, he nonetheless managed to produce several top selling singles. The single “Empty Garden” from the “Jump Up” album of 1982 was a tribute to his long time friend John Lennon, who was shot to death the previous year. In 1983, the album “Too Low for Zero” produced two of John’s best known singles from the decade, “I’m Still Standing” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”.

Since the 1980’s, Elton John has continued to perform and record with young and upcoming musical talents. He has been heavily involved with charity work, especially with charities dedicated to AIDS/HIV work and those that deal with LGBT issues.

Elton John’s portfolio is among the most impressive in pop music history. In a career that has spanned nearly four decades he has produced a staggering amount of work, including a total of 29 top selling studio albums, 4 live albums, 17 compilation albums, 5 movie soundtracks, 3 tribute/cover albums, and an astonishing 128 top selling singles. He continues to sell work in the form of CD’s and mp3 downloads, and still performs to this day. Many of today’s top song writers cite Elton John as a substantial, if not primary influence on their own work.