AN AMAZINGLY CONTROVERSIAL MUSICIAN: SIR ELTON JOHN

Artistic Figure

"It's a little bit funny this feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide

I don't have much money but boy if I did

I'd buy a big house where we both could live

If I was a sculptor, but then again, no

Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show

I know it's not much but it's the best I can do

My gift is my song and this one's for you

And you can tell everybody this is your song… " 
(Sir Elton John, 1970)

"Your Song" is a ballad composed and performed by the British Elton John and it belongs to the second album produced by him, in the year 1970. With this song this talented British singer, songwriter, actor, pianist, and controversial person reached the US Top Ten. 

During his early career this famous artist had been battling with bulimia, drug and alcohol addiction facing a varied of healthy problems. In the middle of criticisms for promoting homophobia, accusations of using an autocue at his concerts and his bisexuality scandals he went on with his life and with his career as a singer. Elton John is one of the most successful artists of all time, selling more than 250 million records. Now let us see some important recent and past event about this great person. 

Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Sir Elton John) was born on March 25, 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex, England. His parents, Sheila and Stanley Dwight divorced when Elton was young. Elton John started to play the piano at the early age of four. He excelled in music from a young age, attending the prestigious Academy of Music on a scholarship at just eleven years old.  

As time goes by, when Elton was 14 year old, he and friends formed a band, the Corvettes, which evolved into “Bluesology” his first band. In 1969 Elton John presented his first album “Empty Sky” (1000hits.es ) resulting in a big hit.

 In 1970 he released his first self-titled American album, making him a huge international star. He changed his name from Reginald Kenneth Dwight to Elton Hercules John in 1972. Elton went on tour in the US in 1974 and he reached musical royalty status. During this time, in 1975 he played the Pinball Wizard in the Ken Russell movie “Tommy” and performed the title song. In this year, He released an autobiographical album about his ambiguous sexuality, “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” (thebiographychannel).

Soon after, in the following year he announced his bisexuality to the world causing a controversial environment around him. In 1976, John hit the top of charts again with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," later, in this year he decided to take a break during a few years. 

In his personal life, Elton has encountered with bulimia and drug and alcohol addiction through the 1970s and into the 1980s. He has battled various addictions and public scandals (bisexuality, bulimia, drugs, and alcohol addiction). After years of battling substance abuse issues, John went into rehabilitation. 

In 1986 he won The British Phonographic Industry award for Outstanding Contribution. Six years later he decided a foundation in the United States, he founded “The Elton John AIDS Foundation” and few HIV/AIDS programs around the world. 

With a lot of popularity and recovered he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. After several more years of adult contemporary hits in the early '90s, John moved into film, writing the music for Walt Disney's 1994 film The Lion King. (eltonfan.net)

He was knighted in 1998 and he got married with his longtime partner David Furnish in a civil ceremony in 2005. He continued to record new music and in 2006, he released “The Captain & the Kid”.  In the same year, John was named a Disney Legend by the Walt Disney Company in recognition of his musical contributions to films such as 'The Lion King'. Finally, in recent events John and his partner David Furnish became fathers in December 2010. They welcomed baby with help of a surrogate mother. (imdb.com)

Finally, although the singer has caused controversy in numerous occasions in the past and recent years this celebrity has worked hard for what he has achieved. In summary, he has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS creating “Elton John AIDS Foundation” and winning a lot of Outstanding Individual awards for Music. Without any doubts Sir Elton John is one of the best artists around the world.