Elton John Research Paper

558 Words3 Pages

“I wasn’t a sex symbol like Bowie, Marc Bolan or Freddie Mercury, so I dressed more on the humorous side, because if I was going to be stuck at the piano for two hours, I was going to make people look at me.” Sir Elton Hercules John used these words to explain his fabulous, over-the-top costumes in an interview with W (Elton John Biography). A musical prodigy at the early age of three, Elton John defied his father’s wishes and became one of the most successful musicians of all time (Elton John). Elton John was born on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England as Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Biography). He had a rough relationship with his father, a member of the Royal Air Force. When he was a teenager, his parents divorced (Elton John Biography). At the early age of three, he played The Skater’s Waltz by ear, shocking his family with his new found skill. John won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music when he was eleven, and at the age of seventeen he dropped out of school to follow his dream of being a musician against his father’s wishes (Elton John). …show more content…

His performances began in 1962 with his first band, The Corvettes. The band’s name later changed to Bluesology. John’s stage name was made his legal name in 1967. He made it by combining the names of two members in Bluesology, the saxophonist, Elton Dean, and its lead singer, Long John Baldry. His debut concert in America was played in Los Angeles, California, on August 25, 1970. The band received wonderful reviews, and John literally became an overnight sensation. Many of his greatest hits were written in the 1970s, including “Crocodile Rock”, “Benny and the Jets”, and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” In the 1990s, John worked with Tim Rice on music for Disney’s The Lion King and won his first Academy Award for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” (Elton