Early life:
Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in the town of Pinner in Middlesex, England. An only child who was overweight and wore glasses, he was afraid of his father, a squadron leader (a ranking officer) with the Royal Air Force, whom he described as "very snobbish and sort of stiff." His mother Sheila, on the other hand, brought home records that introduced him to rock music. John taught himself to play the piano at the age of four. He studied at the London Academy of Music but quit two weeks before graduation to pursue a musical career. He worked for a music publishing company and also played the piano in bars, later joining a band called Bluesology. He created his stage name as a combination of the middle name of Bluesology's singer, Long John Baldry, and the first name of the saxophone player, Elton Dean. Later in his life, John added the middle name Hercules.
Recording career begins:
In 1968 John met Bernie Taupin (1950–), who became his long-term song-writing partner. John's first album, Empty Sky (1969), was a commercial failure. His second album contained "Your Song," a hit in both the United States and England. In 1972 "Rocket Man" became his first number-one single in America. Other hits followed, including "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock" from the album Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player. The album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) contained "Candle in the Wind," written about actress Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962). That same year, John launched his own record label, Rocket Records.
John became famous for his oversize glasses and outrageous outfits. He was called the "Queen Mum of Pop." He also enjoyed many expensive cars, large homes, and shopping sprees. In 1975 he starred as the Pinball Wizard in the film version of the rock opera Tommy. In 1976 a duet with Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," became his first British number-one single. His popularity then began to decline after a series of less successful albums. Admitting that he was attracted to both men and women further damaged his popularity, and he began abusing alcohol and drugs.
Although John continued performing during the 1980s, his drug and drinking problems had caused him to lose his magic touch. While recording Too Low for Zero in 1983, John met Renate Blauel, a German-born, recording-studio worker. They were married on Valentine's Day (February 14) 1984. The British press attacked both the marriage and John, focusing on his sexual history. After less than five years, the couple agreed to divorce.
(notablebiographies.com/Ho-Jo/John-Elton.html)