Elton John Mini Biography:

Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March, 1947, as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and Long John Baldry). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook. In the early 1970s, he recorded the concept album "Tumbleweed Connection." He became the most successful pop artist of the 1970s, and he has survived many different pop fads including punk, the New Romantics and Britpop to remain one of Britain's most internationally acclaimed musicians.

Elton John announced he was a bisexual in 1976, and in 1984, he married Renate Blauel. The marriage lasted four years before he finally came to terms with the fact that he was actually homosexual. In the 1970s and 1980s, he suffered from drug and alcohol addiction and bulimia but came through it. He is well known as a campaigner for AIDS research and he keeps his finger on the pulse of modern music, enjoying artists such as Eminem, Radiohead, Coldplay and Robbie Williams. He was knighted in 1997.

Tracklist:

01 Your Song
02 I Need You To Turn To
03 Take Me To The Pilot
04 No Shoestrings On Louise
05 First Episode at Hienton
06 Sixty Years On
07 Border Song
08 The Greatest Discovery
09 The Cage
10 The King Must Die

Bonus Disc:
01 Your Song (Demo Version)
02 I Need You To Turn To (Piano Demo)
03 Take Me To The Pilot (Piano Demo)
04 No Shoe Strings On Louise (Piano Demo)
05 Sixty Years On (Piano Demo)
06 The Greatest Discovery (Piano Demo)
07 The Cage (Demo)
08 The King Must Die (Piano Demo)
09 Rock N Roll Madonna (Piano Demo)
10 Thank You Mama (Piano Demo)
11 All The Way Down To El Paso (Piano Demo)
12 I'm Going Home (Piano Demo)
13 Grey Seal (Piano Demo)
14 Rock N Roll Madonna (Alternate Take, Incomplete Band Demo)
15 Bad Side Of The Moon
16 Grey Seal (Original Version)
17 Rock N Roll Madonna
18 Border Song (BBC Session With Hookfoot)
19 Your Song (BBC Session)
20 Take Me To The Pilot (BBC Session)

Personnel:

Elton John - piano, harpsichord, vocals
Frank Clark - acoustic guitar, bass, guitar
Colin Green - guitar, Spanish guitar
Roland Harker - guitar
Clive Hicks - acoustic guitar, guitar, rhythm guitar, 12 string guitar
Alan Parker - rhythm guitar
Caleb Quaye - guitar
Les Hurdle - bass
Dave Richmond - bass
Alan Weighall - bass
Brian Dee - organ
Diana Lewis - Moog synthesiser
Paul Buckmaster - cello
Skaila Kanga - harp
David Katz - violin
Terry Cox - drums
Dennis Lopez - percussion
Barry Morgan - drums
Tex Navarra - percussion
Madeline Bell - vocals, background vocals
Tony Burrows - vocals, background vocals
Roger Cook - vocals, background vocals
Lesley Duncan - vocals, background vocals
Kay Garner - vocals, background vocals
Tony Hazzard - vocals, background vocals
Barbara Moore - vocals, choir, chorus