Welcome back to a new edition of Musical Disclosure: the next articles are dedicated to a timeless icon in the history of music. Famous for his eccentric style and extraordinary songwriting talent, in 1998 he was awarded the title of Knight by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music, English culture, and charity: we are talking about Sir Elton John.
Born in 1947 in Pinner, a district in the London borough of Harrow, Elton John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) became passionate about music from childhood. Part of the credit certainly goes to his mother Sheila, who fueled young Reginald's curiosity by constantly bringing home new records for him to listen to. His father Stanley also shared a love for music, but was often away on missions as a pilot for the Royal Air Force, so Reginald found himself living in an all-female environment, made up of his mother Sheila, his aunt Win, and his grandmother Ivy. At the age of seven, he began taking piano lessons and at eleven won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London, which he would leave before the final exams to embark without hesitation on a career as a musician. Particularly critical of this choice was his father Stanley, who wanted a more conventional career for his son, in the military or banking sector. The two, in addition to their life choices, also differed in musical tastes, so much so that Reginald was only allowed to play rock and roll when his father was not at home. After years of arguments and misunderstandings, in 1962 Sheila and Stanley divorced, and Reginald, after moving with his mother, finally felt free to wear what he wanted and listen to his favorite artists, supported by his mother's new partner Fred. At fifteen, he began performing in a pub called the Northwood Hills Hotel, where he played old British standards and Elvis Presley songs, finally convincing himself to pursue a musical career. In the meantime, he teamed up with singer and guitarist Stuart “Stu” Brown, with whom he founded the British blues band Bluesology, which worked hard until 1967 playing in various clubs and venues across England. The real turning point came after meeting songwriter Bernie Taupin, with whom Reginald formed a strong friendship and a fruitful collaboration. The two began recording songs for Dick James Music, which in 1968 released their first single “I’ve Been Loving You.” For the release of the record, Reginald decided to adopt the stage name Elton John, paying tribute to former Bluesology bandmates Long John Baldry and Elton Dean. Despite the limited success of “I’ve Been Loving You,” the John-Taupin duo did not get discouraged and continued to write new songs to offer to other artists. Alongside his growing awareness of his own homosexuality, Elton also became conscious of his own musical vision, which he would channel into his debut album “Empty Sky” in 1969. The record revealed an artistic identity not yet fully defined, but hinted at a broad expressive potential that would emerge the following year in the self-titled “Elton John” (1970). Recorded in just four days with producer Gus Dudgeon and arranger Paul Buckmaster (both already working with Bowie on “Space Oddity”), “Elton John” brought together all the young artist’s musical influences, from rock ‘n roll (“The Cage”) to classical music studies (“The King Must Die”), and pub performances with Bluesology ("No Shoe Strings On Louise"). The innovative approach to rock ‘n roll, blending gospel and orchestral elements, thus became a trademark and a winning formula that, in addition to winning over critics, propelled Elton into the top 5 of the UK charts and to fourth place on the US Billboard.
The album also contains one of the gems of the artist’s entire discography, the sweet ballad “Your Song,” written at 17 by Taupin as a simple yet profound declaration of love, which we invite you to listen to today with this splendid live performance from 1971.
