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Elton John and Mary - 22/10/02
Elton John and Mary J Blige have become the first people to
front a TV advert campaign for the MAC Aids Fund and Elton John
AIDS Foundation. The pair filmed the commercial - in bed - in a
lead-up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Courtesy of Heat
Magazine
Toupee Truth - 22/10/02
David Furnish has revealed the secrets behind Elton John's wig.
"When Elton is on stage the whole thing gets soaked and has to be
dried and fluffed," he let slip. "When I first met Elton I found
that a little odd…." Courtesy of Heat Magazine
Elton John is to release new Greatest Hits album - 09/10/02
Elton John is releasing a new greatest hits album in the UK
next month. Elton John: Greatest Hits 1970 - 2002 goes on sale on
November 1. The two CD box set includes a bonus CD containing duets
with Kiki Dee, Luciano Pavarotti and George Michael.
It also includes Elton's version of The Who's Pinball Wizard from
the Tommy soundtrack as well as his version of The Beatles' Lucy
In The Sky With Diamonds, according to his official website.
Elton John to play first Indian gig - 21/08/02
Elton John is to perform in India for the first time. He will play
in the southern city of Bangalore in November, with the exact date
yet to be set.
Bangalore was chosen over Bombay, because the latter has a 50% entertainment
tax and a 10pm curfew for live performances.
part-time Holland Park resident
Biography
When you think of Elton John what comes to mind? Probably his flamboyant
personality and dress sense that have made him an icon for three
decades, his parties attended by Posh 'n'Becks, documented by OK!
and Hello!, and his ever-present 'partner David Furnish'.
Then there is his seemingly endless love affair
with shopping, as revealed in that recent court case, where the
world found out that Elton spent about £250,000 a year on flowers,
and didn't even notice that £10million was missing from his account.
He even takes the mickey out of own spending habits in a new advert
for the Post Office.
So what if Elton doesn't believe in saving and hoarding
money, he has no children or family, so he spends. Big deal. He
spends on himself, yes, but also huge amounts are showered on others
and on charities, particularly his AIDS charity. He recently told
Heat magazine that he'd leave everything to David, his partner of
nine years.
Amonst the tantrums and tiaras
it's too easy to forget that the fact that he's got so much money
to throw around in the first place, is that he's one of the world's
most commercially successful entertainers of the last 30 years,
and writes a cracking good tune to boot.
Elton John was born Reginald Dwight (!) on March
25, 1947 to a middle-class family living in Pinner, England. He
won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music but dropped
out shortly before graduation, to tour England with Bluesology who
were backing bigger-name blues performers.
In 1967 Elton met lyricist Bernard Taupin through
a newspaper ad, and the duo became a professional song writing team
and went on to have million selling worldwide hits. Working with
producer Gus Dudgeon, Elton and Taupin released a new album for
MCA Records in 1970, Elton John, with which he first found fame.
His 1971 follow-up, the concept album Tumbleweed Connection, was
another big hit, reaching the Top 10.
The prolific pair put together several more albums
during 1971-72, culminating in 1972's Honky Chateau, John's first
No.1 album. Its big single, "Rocket Man", inaugurated a string of
hits for the singer-pianist, who scored 16 consecutive Top 20 hits
between late 1972 and mid-1976, releasing up to three albums a year.
Hits like "The Bitch Is Back," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting,"
"Bennie and the Jets," "Yellow Brick Road," "Don't Let the Sun Go
Down On Me," "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and "Crocodile Rock"
became pop classics, turning Elton John into a bona fide superstar.
1975's Captain Fantastic became the first
album ever to debut at No.1.
In 1977 John announced that he would no longer perform
live, due to 'exhaustion', and would limit his record output. In
the light of recent revelations from Elton about this period of
his life, it's probably closer to the truth to say he was close
to killing himself, through drugs or other means. Also, he and Bernard
Taupin had fallen out and had ceased working together, with Elton
bringing in other songwriters and Taupin penning lyrics for other
artists.
In the 80's Elton continued to have hits such as
"I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" and 1984's "Sad Songs
(Say So Much)," but moved from rock/pop to a more mellow adult contemporary
sound. He also took an interest in AIDS research, forming the Elton
John AIDS Foundation in 1991; he also announced that he would donate
all future royalties from his singles to AIDS charities. John mounted
another comeback with 1992's The One, which went double platinum.
That same year he and Taupin signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappel
Music for nearly $40 million.
In 1994 Elton John scored his biggest hit in years
with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King soundtrack,
winning five Grammy nominations and three Oscar nominations. That
same year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Elton John released the album The Big Picture in September 1997.
Earlier that month, he captured the hearts of millions when he sang
a re-written version of "Candle in the Wind" at the funeral of Princess
Diana. A recording of the song, released as "Candle in the Wind
1997" became the first single to outsell Bing Crosby's "White Christmas."
All proceeds from the sale of the single were donated to the Princess
of Wales Memorial Fund.
His latest, Songs From The West Coast, came out
in 2001, and has widely been seen as a return to form, back to the
Elton of old, an album full with really, really good tunes. He too
seems to be happier than ever, touring, performing, collecting art,
clothes, cd's and shoes, buying flowers, appearing in ads for the
Post Office, getting teen idols like Justin Timberlake to play him
in his videos, and of course spending time with David. Bless.
Liz McGrath 04/02
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