50 Fun Facts About Elton John

What was Elton John's birth name?

He legally changed it to Elton Hercules John in January 1972; the 'Hercules' was a later addition.

Where in England was Elton John born and raised?

He grew up in a council house there with his maternal grandparents and started on his grandmother's piano.

Reg Dwight's stage name pays homage to two members of his old band Bluesology. Who were they?

Dean was the saxophonist and Baldry the singer; the band backed touring American soul acts like Patti LaBelle and the Isley Brothers.

At what age did Elton John win a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music?

He had begun formal piano lessons at seven after his mother caught him picking out 'The Skater's Waltz' by ear.

How did Elton John first come to work with lyricist Bernie Taupin in 1967?

Liberty Records A&R man Ray Williams handed him an unopened envelope of Taupin's lyrics at their first meeting.

What was the title of Elton John's 1969 debut album?

Bluesology's former guitarist Caleb Quaye played on it; the breakthrough came a year later with 'Your Song'.

Which single became his first hit as a singer, reaching the UK and US top ten in 1970?

His first American concert followed that August at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, backed by Nigel Olsson and Dee Murray.

At which Los Angeles club did Elton John play his career-making first American concert on 25 August 1970?

He returned in 1975 for a two-night, four-show stand to celebrate the fifth anniversary.

Which was Elton John's first US Billboard Hot 100 number one?

It came from Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, which also produced 'Daniel'.

'Rocket Man' was the lead single from which 1972 album?

Producer Gus Dudgeon had also produced David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', though Taupin says the real inspiration was a Ray Bradbury story.

Which science-fiction writer's short story inspired 'Rocket Man'?

'The Rocket Man' in The Illustrated Man is about an astronaut whose job keeps him away from his family for months.

Which actor recorded a widely parodied spoken-word version of 'Rocket Man' in 1978?

Kate Bush later recorded a more respectful reggae-tinged cover in 1991.

'Tiny Dancer' opens which 1971 album?

Taupin wrote it about California and, he said in 1973, about his then wife Maxine Feibelman; the film Almost Famous revived it in 2000.

Which 2000 Cameron Crowe film gave 'Tiny Dancer' a second life with a tour-bus singalong scene?

Cameron Crowe's film about a teenage rock journalist put the song back in front of a new generation.

'Bennie and the Jets' seems to be a concert recording. How was that effect actually created?

Gus Dudgeon spliced in audience noise from a 1972 Royal Festival Hall show and even a Jimi Hendrix set at the Isle of Wight.

Which US TV show did Elton John appear on in May 1975, one of the first white artists to do so?

He played 'Bennie and the Jets' and 'Philadelphia Freedom'; the song had broken first on Detroit R&B radio via CKLW in Windsor.

Which 1973 double album with 'Candle in the Wind' and 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' topped US and UK charts?

It stayed at number one for two months and is his highest entry on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list.

Which 1975 Elton John album was the first ever to debut at number one on the US album chart?

Rock of the Westies repeated the trick later the same year, and it was autobiographical: Captain Fantastic is Elton, the Brown Dirt Cowboy is Taupin.

Whose cover of 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' did Elton play and sing on in 1974?

Lennon repaid the favour by joining Elton on stage at Madison Square Garden that November, his last major concert appearance.

With whom did Elton John duet on the 1976 chart-topper 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'?

She was signed to his own Rocket Record Company; they sang it again at Live Aid in 1985.

Which football club did Elton John chair from 1976 to 1987 and again from 1997 to 2002?

He appointed Graham Taylor as manager and the club rose three divisions, finishing runners-up in the First Division in 1983.

Which manager took Elton's football club from the Fourth Division to top-flight runners-up?

Watford also reached the 1984 FA Cup Final at Wembley under Taylor, who later managed England.

As which cartoon character did Elton John dress for part of his 1980 Central Park concert?

His stage wardrobe by then included $5,000 glasses that spelled his name in lights and a Statue of Liberty outfit.

In 1979, Elton John became one of the first Western pop artists to tour which country?

He toured with just percussionist Ray Cooper, and also played Israel on the same trip.

Whom did Elton John marry on Valentine's Day 1984?

She was a sound engineer and close friend; the marriage lasted three years, and she sued him in 2020 over passages in his autobiography.

Which song, in 1990, finally gave Elton John his first solo UK number one single?

It came out as a double A-side with 'Healing Hands' and stayed at the top for five weeks.

Whose live duet with Elton John on 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' topped the UK and US charts in 1991?

Elton had introduced him at Live Aid in 1985 for the same song, when Michael was still in Wham!.

With which lyricist did Elton John write the songs for Disney's The Lion King?

Three of the five Best Original Song nominees at the 1995 Oscars were from the film; 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' won.

Which song won Elton John his first Academy Award?

It also took the Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance; his second Oscar came 25 years later for a song from Rocketman.

Who inducted Elton John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994?

Two years earlier the pair had sung 'Bohemian Rhapsody' together with the surviving members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.

The original 1973 'Candle in the Wind' was a tribute to whom?

The opening line 'Goodbye Norma Jean' became 'Goodbye England's rose' when Taupin rewrote it for Princess Diana in 1997.

How many times has Elton John performed 'Candle in the Wind 1997' live?

He sang it at Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997 and has never performed it live since.

How many weeks did 'Candle in the Wind 1997' spend at number one on the Billboard Hot 100?

It was the first single certified Diamond in the US and is the best-selling single in Billboard history.

Elton John and Tim Rice won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for which Broadway musical?

The concept album featured duets with LeAnn Rimes and Janet Jackson; Billy Elliot, written with Lee Hall, later won Best Musical.

Which playwright wrote the words to Elton John's music for Billy Elliot the Musical?

Elton was moved to write it after seeing the 2000 film, saying of the boy, 'he's like me'.

In what year was Elton John knighted for services to music and charity?

He became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020, an honour limited to 65 living people.

Who plays Elton John in the 2019 biopic Rocketman?

Egerton and Elton had already appeared together in Kingsman: The Golden Circle; their duet '(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again' won Elton his second Oscar.

Which pop star's Elton John collaboration 'Cold Heart' hit number one in Australia in 2021?

The Pnau remix was the lead single from The Lockdown Sessions, which also featured Lil Nas X, Gorillaz and Stevie Wonder.

Whose first release after the end of her conservatorship was the 2022 Elton John duet 'Hold Me Closer'?

It was her first new music in six years; the title borrows a line from 'Tiny Dancer'.

What was the name of Elton John's final tour, at the time the highest-grossing tour ever?

It ran from 2018 to 2023 and finished with a Pyramid Stage headline slot at Glastonbury.

Which award completed Elton John's EGOT in 2024?

He became the 19th person to win all four; the special was Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.

What is Elton John's husband David Furnish's profession?

The Canadian and Elton entered a civil partnership in 2005 and married on its ninth anniversary in December 2014.

What is the title of Elton John's 2019 autobiography, described by him as his 'first and only'?

His ex-wife Renate Blauel sued him in 2020 over its account of their marriage, claiming it broke their divorce agreement.

Why did the teenage Reg Dwight start wearing glasses when he did not need them?

The horn-rimmed frames became the seed of a lifetime of ever more outrageous eyewear.

Which relative of Elton John scored in the 1959 FA Cup Final before breaking his leg in the match?

Roy Dwight played for Nottingham Forest; Elton's own football legacy is the Sir Elton John stand at Watford's Vicarage Road.

Elton John's Apple Music radio show, where he interviews young artists, is called what?

He has repeatedly championed 21st-century artists, collaborating with many of them on The Lockdown Sessions.

As which French king did Elton John dress for his 50th birthday party in 1997?

Five hundred friends attended, a month after his 'Live Like Horses' duet with Pavarotti had reached the UK top ten.

Which photographer created the props and video montages for John's Las Vegas show The Red Piano?

The 2003 deal with Caesars Palace called for 75 shows over three years.

Elton John's 1975 hit 'Philadelphia Freedom' was a tribute to a team in which sport?

His friend Billie Jean King was player-coach of the World Team Tennis side the Philadelphia Freedoms.

Which North American Soccer League club was Elton John a part-owner of in 1975-76?

He has stayed friends with footballers including Pelé and David Beckham.