|
Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a
multiple Grammy and Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and
pianist.
In his four-decade career, Elton John has been one of the dominant forces in rock
and popular music, especially in the 1970s.
Elton John has sold more than 250 million albums plus hundreds of millions of
singles , making him one of the most successful artists of all time.
He has more than 50 Top 40 hits including seven consecutive #1 U.S. albums, 59
Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, 4 #2 hits, and nine #1 hits (Crocodile Rock; Bennie and
the Jets; Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds; Island Girl; Philadelphia Freedom; Don't
Go Breaking my Heart (with Kiki Dee); That's What Friends are For (with Dionne
Warwick, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight); Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (with
George Michael); and Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind
'97).
His success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed to
the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Elton John #49 on their list of The
Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time..
Some of the characteristics of Elton John's music are his ability to quickly craft
unique melodies for the lyrics of songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, his rich tenor
voice, his classical and gospel-influenced piano, the aggressive orchestral
arrangements of Paul Buckmaster among others and the flamboyant fashions and
on-stage showmanship, especially evident during the 1970s.
Elton John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s and
was knighted in 1998. He continues to be a champion for the gay rights
movement.
Source : Some of the
information on this page came from a Wikipedia article and is
licensed under the GNU Documentation License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
|