Elton John

Reginald Dwight began playing piano as a schoolboy to supplement his earnings as a tea boy at a London music publishing company. At the age of 16 he was earning £1 per night for banging out bar-room favourites such as Roll Out The Barrel at the local pub, to save up enough money to buy an electric piano so that he could join the semi-pro group Bluesology.

In the early days playing with Bluesology, Dwight earned the meagre sum of £15 per week, out of which came his contribution to petrol and maintenance for their shared van. The band backed a roster of stars including visiting US acts such as The Inkspots and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Apparently the band were once due to do a show with Wilson Pickett but he sought alternative musicians after hearing them rehearse!

By the end of 1966 they were Long John Baldry's regular backing band, but disbanded less than a year later when Baldry's bookings became increasingly cabaret-oriented. Around that time, Reg changed his name to Elton John - his inspiration coming from Bluesology's sax player Elton Dean, and Long John himself. Elton concentrated on writing songs with lyricist Bernie Taupin until 1969, when his first album Empty Sky failed to make an impression. 

In February 1971, three years after his first record release, Elton's ballad Your Song hit Number 7 in the UK to give him his first hit single. It was not to be his last! 

Elton re-signed with MCA Records in the USA in July 1974 for a five album deal worth $8 million to the singer. At the time it was the most lucrative recording contract in rock's history. In 1979 he became the first western rock star to tour the Soviet Union, playing eight shows in Leningrad.

In 1987, the English tabloid newspaper The Sun published front-page stories claiming Elton had indulged in sex and drugs orgies with male homosexuals. Elton sued them for libel and in October the newspaper admitted the stories were false, printed an apology and paid him £1 million in damages.