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Elton John was born in Pinner, Middlesex, England on March 25, 1947. His name at birth was Reginald Kenneth Dwight and in his early musical career sometimes went by the nickname of Reggie. His parents were interested in the world of music, as well. They were collectors of record albums and so exposed their son to many artists, including Elvis Presley and Bill Haley and His Comets. John’s dad played the trumpet in the Bob Millar Band, which was a big band with the military.
His dad, Stanley Dwight, was in the Royal Air Force and was a strong disciplinarian. His mother, Sheila Eileen Harris, was much more footloose and fancy free. His parents reportedly had intense bouts of bickering that finally ended in their divorce when h was fifteen. Because Stanley Dwight was absent so often, the boy ended up being raised for quite some time by his mother and grandmother. Sheila later remarried to an artist named Fred Farebrother. Fred was a kind and supportive stepfather and Elton playfully gave him the nickname of Derf, which was Fred in reverse.
Elton John began to play the piano at the age of three. He was a natural at it and by the age of four years old, he was playing waltzes by ear. It wasn’t long before he was paraded before relatives and friends as a performing star of the family. His career had begun. At the age of seven, he began to take formal piano lessons and showed talent and aptitude immediately. He started to compose songs and became well known at school functions. He went to the Royal Academy of Music after winning a scholarship to the school at age eleven.
He traveled to the music academy on Saturdays along with attending his regular local school. Elton John has had a fabulous and long career. He has been called one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold more than 250 million records. He has won Grammy, Tony, Academy, and Golden Globe awards. He became a Knight in 1998 and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
He has also been active in helping with the fight against AIDS. All of his life has not been smooth, however. John has had his share of tough times dueling with his own personal demons. He’s had trouble with drug addition, bulimia, alcoholism and losing his hair. He’s been in rehab, suffered with a drug overdose and has had some rather severe money spending compulsions. It has reportedly spent multi-millions of dollars in short amounts of time on items ranging from flowers to fancy cars. He has been quoted as saying, simply, that he “liked flowers”.
At age sixty-two, Elton John is still going strong. His music is well loved around the world and has been sung by many famous performers as well as by himself.
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