How old is Elton John? Elton John is 74 years old. Lord Hercules, Sir Elton John. John CH CBE, known professionally as a singer, pianist, and composer, was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in London, England. John has collaborated with Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Early life of Elton John
For his whole childhood, Elton John lived with his maternal grandparents Sheila Eileen and Stanley Dwight in Pinner, Middlesex, where he was nurtured by his maternal grandparents. He was born on March 25, 1947. He was born in a semi-detached home in 1945, when his parents married. When he was 17, he dropped out of Pinner County Grammar School shortly before taking his A-Levels to pursue a career in the music industry.
John’s father, who had served in the Royal Air Force (he rose to the rank of Sergeant before being commissioned in May 1944 and served as squadron leader at RAF Basrah, Iraq, in 1949) tried to steer him toward a more conventional career, such as banking, when he began to seriously consider a music career.
Soon after John began practising on his grandmother’s piano as a child, his mother saw him playing Waldteufel’s “The Skater’s Waltz” by ear on the piano. At the age of seven, he started formal piano instruction after playing at parties and family gatherings. At school, he demonstrated musical talent, including the capacity to write tunes, and acquired reputation by performing at school activities in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis.
He was awarded a junior scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music when he was only 11 years old. Upon hearing a four-page work by George Frideric Handel for the first time, according to one of John’s teachers, he immediately played it again like a “gramophone record”. Elton John (then known as Reg Dwight) attended the Royal Academy of Music in London for five years before going on to study at the Royal College of Music.
Even though she was severe with her son, John’s mother’s personality was more vibrant and free-spirited than that of her spouse. Being raised mostly by his mother and maternal grandmother was a need for John due to his father Stanley Dwight’s disinterest in and frequent absence from his son’s life.
Intense disputes between the Dwights while John’s father was home caused him a tremendous deal of grief. His parents divorced him when he was 14 years old. Fred Farebrother, a local painter, became his mother’s new husband and stepfather, whom John referred him as “Derf” (“Fred” backwards).
Summary
As a junior at the Royal Academy of Music, Elton John received a prestigious scholarship. To pursue a music career, he left out of Pinner County Grammar School at the age of 17 before finishing his A-Levels.
Career of Elton John
Pub pianist to staff songwriter
With the support of his mother and stepfather, John was engaged as a pianist at a local bar, the Northwood Hills Hotel, at the age of 15. His stage name was “Reggie,” and he sang a wide range of well-known songs, as well as his own and Jim Reeves’ and Ray Charles’ compositions.
The Corvettes, a short-lived band, rounded out his musical experience. John started wearing brass instruments spectacles as a teenager to mimic Buddy Holly’s style. The Bluesology was created in 1962 by John and a few of his pals. Daytimes were spent doing administrative work at a music publishing firm, and evenings were spent playing solo shows in London hotel bars or with Bluesology.
The Isley Brothers, Major Lance, Patti LaBelle, and the Bluebelles were among the travelling soul and R&B artists supported by Bluesology in the mid-1960s. The band supported Long John Baldry at the Marquee Club 16 times in 1966.
For John’s first five recordings, including “Your Song,” he used a 1910 piano. In 1967, Ray Williams, as A&R manager for Liberty Records, put an advertisement in the British music journal New Musical Express. John responded to it.
For the following two years, the pair worked for James’ DJM Records as staff composers, writing songs for performers including Roger Cook and Lulu. Whenever Taupin couldn’t come up with music in 30 minutes, he’d hand John a batch of lyrics and throw them out. If John couldn’t come up with anything, Taupin would compose new lyrics. They made easy-listening melodies for James to sell to singers for two years before they were done.
Debut album to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
John and Taupin started developing increasingly difficult songs for John to record for DJM with the guidance of music publisher Steve Brown. Caleb Quaye, the former guitarist of Bluesology, released the song “I’ve Been Loving You” in 1968.
The next year, alongside Quaye, Roger Pope, and Tony Murray, he recorded the song “Lady Samantha” and the album “Empty Sky,” all of which were released the following year. For their second album, Elton John, John, and Taupin recruited the help of producers Gus Dudgeon and Paul Buckmaster.
The Rocket Record Company to 21 at 33
Neil Sedaka and Kiki Dee were among the artists John signed to his own record label, The Rocket Record Company, which was distributed in the United States by MCA and in the United Kingdom by Island. Rather than go it alone, he secured an $8 million deal with MCA instead.
MCA allegedly took out a $25 million life insurance policy on John when the deal was inked in 1974. The RIAA awarded Elton John’s Greatest Hits, which peaked at number one in the UK and the US and sold 17 million copies in the United States, the Diamond certification in 1974.
The Fox to Sleeping with the Past
The Fox, John’s 1981 album with Tom Robinson and Judie Tzuke, was recorded at the same time as 21 at 33. For a free performance in Central Park on September 13, 1980, Olsson and Murray were back in the Elton John Band, and John played to an estimated 400,000 people. “Blue Eyes” was the most popular song from the album Jump Up! which was released in 1982.
“Sacrifice” to Aida
With “Sacrifice” and “Healing Hands” from the album Sleeping with the Past, John earned his first solo UK number one hit single in 1990; it lasted at the top for five weeks.
As a result of his involvement in George Michael’s version of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” during a concert at Wembley Arena the following year, John won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Song for “Basque,” which was also released as a single. John won Best British Male at the 1991 Brit Awards in London.
Billy Elliot the Musical and 60th birthday
At this point in time, “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” and “I Want Love” both featured actors lip-syncing the songs in their respective music videos, something John hated at this point in time. John and Eminem performed “Stan” together at the Grammy Awards in 2001. John participated in the Concert for New York City one month after the September 11 attacks, singing “I Want Love” and “Your Song” alongside Billy Joel in a duet.
With “Are You Ready for Love?” he scored his seventh UK number one song in August 2003. In 2005, John collaborated with writer Lee Hall on the score for a West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical. Four Laurence Olivier Awards were bestowed on the production for its successful premiere, including Best New Musical. The London version of this 11th-longest West End musical lasted until April 2016 with 4,666 performances.
The Union to Wonderful Crazy Night
When Lady Gaga and John performed a piano duet at the Grammy Awards, they sang two of her songs, concluding with “Your Song.” At Ramat Gan Stadium in Palestine on June 17, exactly 17 years after his last appearance there; this was significant given other artists’ recent cancellations as a result of Palestinian raids on the Gaza Flotilla the month before.
On October 19, 2010, John published The Union. After working on the album with American singer-songwriter and sideman Leon Russell, he declared, “I don’t have to create pop recordings anymore.” On September 28, 2011, he started performing his new performance, The Million Dollar Piano, in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He would continue to do so for the next three years there. On the 8th of October 2011, he gave his 3000th performance at Caesars Palace.
Rocketman biopic and retirement tour
After announcing his retirement from performing on January 24, 2018, John revealed that he would be embarking on a three-year farewell tour. On September 8th, 2018, the first concert was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania. John’s retirement was motivated by the desire to spend more time with his children: "The answer to the question, “would you ever quit touring?” ten years ago was an unequivocal “no.” However, the birth of our children fundamentally altered the course of our lives.
Summarize
When Elton John performed, he went by the stage name Reggie and went by the name Elton John. In 1966, the Bluesology accompanied Long John Baldry 16 times at the Marquee Club. To save money, instead of going it alone, Elton John negotiated an $8 million recording contract with MCA. “Sacrifice” from Sleeping with the Past was John’s first solo UK number one smash song.
Musicianship of Elton John
Since 1967, when Liberty Records A&R man Ray Williams advertised for talent in the prominent UK music newspaper The New Musical Express, John has collaborated on songs with Bernie Taupin. To date, they’ve worked together on over 30 albums. Both John and Taupin work independently, with John creating music while Taupin writes lyrics. They never work together on a song while it is being recorded.
John was elected into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1992 with Taupin. British Academy for Songwriters, Composers, and Authors (BASA) (BASCA) FellowBaritone is currently the best classification for his voice, which used to be a tenor. Classical and evangelical music are both evident in his piano performance. During the 1970s, he enlisted Paul Buckmaster to arrange the music for his recordings.
Personal life of Elton John
Sexuality and family
Linda Woodrow, who is referenced in the song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” was John’s first girlfriend in the late 1960s. Woodrow helped John and Taupin financially at the time. After being encouraged by Taupin and Long John Baldry, John broke the relationship two weeks before their planned wedding. Despite having lost touch with Woodrow 50 years before, John helped pay for her medical bills in 2020 when she asked it.
As soon as he arrived in Los Angeles for his first US tour, in 1970 he met Tamla Motown label manager for the UK John Reid, with whom he began his first openly relationship and lost his virginity to. Despite the fact that Reid remained his manager until 1998, the relationship dissolved five years later.
The lavish ceremony at Darling Point in New South Wales, Australia, where John wed German recording engineer Renate Blauel on February 14, 1984. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1976, John revealed that he was bisexual, and in 1992 he said that he was “very comfortable” with being bisexual.
With his spouse David Furnish in tow, John attended the London premiere of his biographical film Rocketman in May of this coming year. As a result of this romance, John married David Furnish, a former advertising executive who went on to become a filmmaker from Toronto, in 1993.
Furnish and John’s children number two. Surrogacy resulted in the birth of Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, the elder, on December 25, 2010 in California. In the same surrogate’s womb, Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John was born on January 11, 2013. Sean Lennon is one of John’s 10 godchildren, along with Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham, Damian Hurley of Elizabeth Hurley, and the daughter of Seymour Stein.
Some Christian organisations in the United States reacted angrily to John’s description of Jesus as a “compassionate, super-intelligent guy who understood human issues” in 2010
A proponent of civil partnerships over marriage in 2008, John had shifted his allegiances by 2012 and was an outspoken advocate for same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom. John remarked. According to him, Jesus would have supported same-sex marriage in 2014.
When John refused to boycott Russia in protest of the Russian bisexual promotion ban in 2013, he informed Moscow concertgoers that the rules were “inhumane and alienating,” he was “very disappointed and outraged by the present legislation.”
Wealth
On the Sunday Times Rich List, John was rated the 322nd richest person in Britain, with a net worth of £175 million (US $265 million) in April 2009. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, John has amassed a fortune of £320 million, making him one of the top 10 richest people in British music.
In addition to his primary property in Old Windsor, Berkshire, John also has homes in Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, Nice, and Venice. Nice’s Mont Boron is home to his nice property. One of the best private photo collections in the world is owned by John, an art collector.
John confessed to spending £30 million in less than two years, or around £1.5 million per month, in 2000. Property purchases totaled more than £9.6 million between January 1996 and September 1997, while floral purchases totaled more than £293,000.
Twenty of John’s vehicles were auctioned off at Christie’s in June of that year due to his frequent travels outside of the United States. There were multiple Ferraris, Bentleys, and Rolls-Royces for sale during the auction, with the most expensive being a 1993 XJ220 Jaguar.
When John decided to modernise his Holland Park home’s interior and showcase part of his contemporary art collection, he sold its contents for an estimated £800,000 at Sotheby’s auction in 2003. From 2004 till the present, John has launched an “Elton’s Closet” store every year, where he sells his used clothing.
In the Pandora Papers, which came out in October of that year, politicians and celebrities were said to have used tax havens to avoid paying back taxes they owed.
In Short
On February 14, 1984, John married German recording engineer Renate Blauel, who had been John’s first girlfriend, in a song titled “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.” John is one of the top ten wealthiest musicians in the United Kingdom, with a net worth of $320 million. He was the 322nd wealthiest Briton in April 2009. He had a fortune of £175 million (US $265 million).
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is mentioned some frequently asked questions related to how old is Elton John.
1. Did Elton John have a child with his wife?
After their divorce in 1988, John married David Furnish, with whom he had two children. Since then, Blauel has maintained a quiet profile.
2. How old are Elton John’s babies?
David Furnish and Sir Elton John have two children: 10-year-old Zachary and an 8-year-old son named Elijah. While the 72-year-old enjoys his current job as a parent, it was something he never saw himself doing when he was in his earlier years.
3. Is Elton divorced?
Ex-wife Renate Blauel and ex-husband Sir Elton John have settled a rumoured £3 million court fight over an agreement to keep their marriage private. In 1988, they broke up after four years of marriage. She said that Sir Elton had caused her mental health problems because he broke the agreement they had made.
4. Was Elton John’s mum mean?
It’s been said that Elton John’s mother, Sheila, wasn’t exactly a loving British matriarch who was always there to provide a helping hand. When Bryce Dallas Howard, who was chosen to portray Sheila, first read Lee Hall’s screenplay for the role, she was shocked by how harsh Sheila is to her only son.
5. Who was Elton John’s first lover?
Ex-Manager John Reid’s True Story: Elton John and John Reid’s True Story “Rocketman” featured Reid as John’s boyfriend and manager for 28 years until a dramatic breakup. “Rocketman” featured Reid as John’s boyfriend and manager for 28 years until a major split.
6. Does Elton John have a relationship with his mom?
Sheila Farebrother, John’s mother, had a tumultuous connection with him. Before she died, John said, he and Farebrother had reunited, and their relationship had not altered dramatically. It was “the one thing that remained the same,” John remarked.
7. How did Elton John get rid of John Reid?
A leaked letter describing John’s expenditures was discovered by Benjamin Pell and published in the Daily Mirror, which led to the breakdown of their working relationship. In 2000, they filed a lawsuit against each other after the termination of their business connection in 1998.
8. How many nannies does Elton John?
John is quick to reassure anybody who asks that the pair just have one nanny and that no cooks are slicing bananas. “The silver spoon is the worst thing you can do to a youngster,” John remarked. “I’ve seen it happen so many times.” Having a famous parent’s kid is a “really challenging” situation, and “we’re extremely conscious of the dangers of that.”
9. Why is Elton called Rocketman?
Elton John has been referred to as the “Rocket Man” because of his music. When it comes to song-based monikers like this one, Elton embraced it (Madonna hates the “Material Girl” moniker). He founded Rocket Records in 1973, the label that published Neil Sedaka’s comeback tracks.
10. Does Elton John still own Watford?
Sir Elton sold the club to Jack Petchey in 1990, but he remained a shareholder and president. The club’s Honorary Life-President remained, and he remained an enthusiastic supporter.
Conclusion
74-year-old Elton John is a British singer, songwriter, and pianist who was one of the most popular performers of the late twentieth century. In a performance and recording career that includes the selling of hundreds of millions of albums, he combined as many styles of popular music and theatrics as Elvis Presley did.
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