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'''Darod''' ([[Somali language|Somali]]: '''Daarood''') is a [[Somali people|Somali]] [[clan]] named after a [[Yemen|Yemenite]] [[Arab]], [[Ismail Darod]], who migrated to the coast of present-day [[Somalia]] around [[1200]] [[Common Era|CE]]. Ismail Darod, along with [[Isaaq]], is considered to be one of the common ancestors to all Somalis. Some sources, including the [[Canada|Canadian]] ''Report of the Somalia Commission of Inquiry'', indicate that Darod is the largest Somali clan. Conversely, [[Human Rights Watch]] shows [[Hawiye]] as being the largest. The Darod population is centered in northeast [[Somalia]], with substantial populations in southern Somalia, northern [[Kenya]], and [[Ethiopia]]'s [[Somali Region]] (particularly the [[Ogaden]] area).
[[Image:Wik-elton.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Elton John]]
'''Sir Elton Hercules John''', [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (born [[March 25]], [[1947]]) is a [[Great Britain|British]] [[rock music]] [[singer]], [[songwriter]], and [[pianist]], who is one of the most successful solo artists in music history. He has recorded a long string of records and participated in a number of musical projects over a career that is approaching its fifth decade. His flamboyant fashion sense, on-stage showmanship, and public struggles with his private life have combined with his talent to make him a legend to his many fans around the world.
The third Somalian leader [[Abdirashid Sharmarke]] and the late dictator [[Siad Barre]] were both members of the Darod clan.
John was the dominant commercial force in the rock world in the [[1970s]], as evidenced by seven consecutive #1 records on the U.S. album charts and 15 hit singles, including six #1's and three #2's. His piano-based sound has helped keep that instrument relevant in a guitar-oriented genre. He has maintained a strong public presence in the fight against [[AIDS]], and has had renewed moments of commercial triumph, such as his defiant hit "I'm Still Standing" and his award-winning work on the immensely popular animated film ''[[The Lion King]]''.
== Early life and careerReferences ==
* Hunt, John A. (1951). "[http://www.civicwebs.com/cwvlib/africa/somalia/1951/general_survey/chapter_9.htm#B. Chapter IX: Tribes and Their Stock]." ''A General Survey of the Somaliland Protectorate 1944 - 1950''. [[London]]: Crown Agent for the Colonies. Accessed on [[October 7]], [[2005]] (from Civic Webs Virtual Library archive).
[[Image:Oct272.jpg|frame|Elton writes Your Song in 20 minutes]]
* {{Web reference | title=The Situation in Somalia | work=Report of the Somali Commission of Inquiry, Vol. 1 | url=http://www.dnd.ca/somalia/vol1/v1c11e.htm | date=November 21 | year=2005}}
Elton John was born '''Reginald Kenneth Dwight''' in [[Pinner]], [[England]], the son of [[Royal Air Force]] squadron leader, Stanley Dwight, and his wife, Sheila Dwight. Reginald was raised primarily by his mother, grandmother and aunt, and saw little of his father during his childhood. Stanley and Sheila divorced in [[1962]], when Reginald was 14.
* {{Web reference | title=Somalia: Human Rights Developments | work=Human Rights Watch | url=http://www.hrw.org/reports/1990/WR90/AFRICA.BOU-09.htm | date=Novermber 21 | year=2005}}
Reginald began playing piano when he was four. Somewhat of a child prodigy, he was able to play on piano any melody he heard on radio or phonograph. At age 11, he won a scholarship to the [[Royal Academy of Music]]. He previously attended Pinner County Grammar School. He stayed at the Academy for six years, leaving before graduation to start a musical career.
== External links ==
In [[1960]], Reginald and some of his friends, while still in school, formed a band called the Corvettes, which evolved into Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like [[the Isley Brothers]], [[Major Lance]], [[Doris Troy]], and [[Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles]]. In [[1966]], two years after Reginald left school, the band became musician [[Long John Baldry]]'s supporting band and began touring cabarets with him throughout [[England]]. When Baldry's control over the band greatly increased, Reginald left and started looking for other bands to join. After failing lead vocalist auditions for both [[King Crimson]] and [[Gentle Giant]], Reginald answered an advertisement by [[Liberty Records]]. There he was given a stack of lyrics by lyricist [[Bernie Taupin]]. Reginald then wrote music for the lyrics, and got in touch with Bernie through the mail. Thus began a partnership that continues to this day. When they met six months later, Reginald had changed his name to Elton John, by [[deed poll]], in homage to Bluesology saxophonist [[Elton Dean|'''Elton''' Dean]] and [[Long John Baldry|Long '''John''' Baldry]]. In [[1967]] the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song was recorded. This song was 'Scarecrow'.
*[http://www.civicwebs.com/cwvlib/africa/somalia/1995/reunification/appendix_4.htm ''Reunification of the Somali People'' (Appendix 4)] - History of Somali clans.
*[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/somalia_ethnic_grps_2002.jpg Map: Somalia's Clan Families and Major Subclans]
{{Ethnic-stub}}
Elton and Bernie, now working together, joined Dick James's [[DJM Records]] as staff songwriters in [[1968]], and over the next two years, wrote songs for pop singers like [[Roger Cook]] and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]], while also recording their own songs. In June [[1969]], Elton released his first album ''Empty Sky'' for DJM, without any success.
[[Category:Ethnic groups of Somalia]]
==1970s success==
[[Image:ejohn3.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Elton John in concert, mid-70s.]]
Elton's [[Elton John (album)|self-titled second album]] was released in the summer of [[1970]], and started to sell well in the U.S., where it was released on the [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]]'s Uni subsidiary. "[[Your Song]]", a single from the album, helped the album greatly by reaching the Top Ten on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], and it reached the Top Ten on the [[Billboard 200]]. Elton performed his first American concert at the [[Troubadour (nightclub)|Troubadour]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], around that time, and got mostly positive reviews.
''Elton John'' was followed quickly with the concept album ''[[Tumbleweed Connection]]'' in [[February]] [[1971]]. It reached the Top Ten on the [[Billboard 200]] like its predecessor, and got heavy airplay on album-oriented radio stations in the U.S., which most likely played a part in its success. ''[[Tumbleweed Connection]]'' was followed by the live album ''[[11-17-70]]'', an ambitious and largely underrated album showcasing Elton's considerable talent as a rock pianist, with great interaction between Elton and bassist Dee Murray. Extended versions of his early compositions clearly illustrate the gospel and boogie-woogie influences on Elton's piano playing, as the lead instrument in a successful, yet unusual (for Rock) trio format. The live album was followed by the soundtrack to the obscure film ''Friends'' and the album ''[[Madman Across the Water]]'', both that same year. ''[[Madman Across the Water]]'' reached the Top Ten, and produced the hit “Levon” while the soundtrack album produced the hit "Friends". In [[1972]], Elton released ''[[Honky Chateau]]'', which became his first American number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts, and spawned the hit singles "[[Rocket Man (song)|Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)]]" and "[[Honky Cat]]".
In [[1973]], Elton started his own label, [[Rocket Records]]. That year, Elton released the pop album ''[[Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player]]'' which produced the hits "Crocodile Rock" and "Daniel", and the more thoughtful, album-oriented [[double album|double LP]] ''[[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]'' which gained instant critical acclaim. ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' topped the charts and is considered by many, including John himself, to be his best album. It contains the number 1 hit "Bennie and the Jets", along with the popular title song, "Candle in the Wind" (which went on to become the best selling song of all time), and the FM radio favourite "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)." It also contained gems such as the track "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Grey Seal".
[[Image:ejohn2.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Elton John mugging for the camera with friend [[John Lennon|John Lennon]], mid-70s.]]
In [[1974]], Elton engaged in a noted collaboration with [[John Lennon]], resulting in Elton covering [[The Beatles]]'s "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", Elton being featured on Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Through the Night", and a surprise joint concert performance of these two No. 1 hits along with the Beatles classic "I Saw Her Standing There". Elton got Lennon to perform these songs at [[Madison Square Garden]] in what would be his last public performance. The concert was recorded and released two years later with another live concert recording on the album ''Here & There''. That year, he also became director of a professional soccer team, the [[Watford F.C.|Watford Football Club]], and released the albums ''[[Caribou (album)|Caribou]]'' and ''[[Elton John's Greatest Hits]]'', both #1 hits, like their predecessors. Caribou was widely considered a lesser quality album but demonstrated John's rocking ability with "The Bitch Is Back" and his versatility in orchestral songs with "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". Also in 1974, Elton John was asked to play a character called the "Pinball Wizard" and perform a song of the same name by the British band the Who for their rock opera ''[[Tommy]]''. Drawing on [[power chord]]s, Elton's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976. The song charted #7 in England.
[[Image:Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.jpg|left|thumb|Elton John's cryptic personality was revealed with the autobiographical album, ''[[Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy]]''.]]
[[Image:ejohn4.jpg|frame|right|Elton John sharing a laugh with [[Cher (entertainer)|Cher,]] mid-70s.]]
With the release of the [[1975]] autobiographical album ''[[Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy]]'' Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality. In the album, Taupin and John describe their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in [[London]] and its environs. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that would otherwise be rare in John's music. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life. His next album, the rock-oriented ''[[Rock of the Westies]]'', entered the [[Billboard 200]] chart at #1, a previously unattained feat.
Elton, in a way, owes his success at that time to his concert performances. His flamboyant stage wardrobe that included [[ostrich]] feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, a Statue of Liberty costume and more, and his dressing up like [[Donald Duck]] or [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] among others at his concerts made them a success and created interest for his music.
Elton's career slowed down somewhat after [[1976]]. That year he stated in a interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that he was bisexual. This revelation contributed to a drop in record sales the following years. The decline in his record sales was also probably due to his exhaustion. He cut his performance schedule after that year, and retired from live performances in [[1977]] and started recording only one album per year.
Nevertheless, Elton John completely dominated the rock world in the [[1970s]], as evident by his seven consecutive albums that topped the US album charts: ''[[Honky Château]]'' ([[1972]], #1 for five weeks), ''[[Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player]]'' ([[1973]], #1 for two weeks), ''[[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]'' ([[1973]], #1 for eight weeks), ''[[Caribou (album)|Caribou]]'' ([[1974]], #1 for four weeks), ''[[Elton John's Greatest Hits]]'' ([[1974]], #1 for ten weeks), ''[[Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy]]'' ([[1975]], #1 for seven weeks) and ''[[Rock of the Westies]]'' ([[1975]], #1 for three weeks), and 15 hit singles, including six that went to #1 ("Crocodile Rock," "Bennie and the Jets," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Island Girl," "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart") and three that reached #2 ("Daniel," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me"), during that period.
[[Image:ROCKET PRCD79352.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The cover of the Princess Diana tribute, Candle In The Wind.]]
== 1980s onwards ==
On [[13 September]] [[1980]] Elton John played a free concert to a huge audience on The Great Lawn in [[Central Park]] in [[New York City]], within hearing distance of his friend John Lennon's apartment building. A few months later Lennon would be murdered; Elton would mourn the loss in his [[1982]] hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)".
Elton John's biggest [[1980s]] hits included, among others, "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", "I'm Still Standing", "Nikita" and a [[1986]] live recording of "[[Candle in the Wind]]" which he recorded with the [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]]. The song, which was a tribute to [[Marilyn Monroe]], was originally recorded in 1973 on his ''[[Goodbye Yellow Brick Road]]'' album.
The [[1991]] film documentary ''[[Two Rooms]]'' described the unusual writing style that John and Bernie Taupin use, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the process.
In [[1991]] John's "Basque" won the [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition]].
In [[1992]] John performed "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" and "The Show Must Go On" with [[Queen (band)|Queen]] at the [[Freddie Mercury]] Tribute concert, an AIDS charity event held at [[Wembley Stadium]], [[London]].
Elton John was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[1994]]. He and Bernie Taupin had previously been inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in [[1992]].
In September [[1997]], Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], and John performed it at her funeral in [[Westminster Abbey]]. A recorded version, "[[Candle in the Wind|Candle in the Wind 1997]]", then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds going to the [[Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund]]. John would later win the [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]] for the single.
Elton John was [[Knight#Honours: modern use|knighted]] by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] on [[24 February]] [[1998]].
He continues to release new material to commercial success, and tours extensively, despite being fitted with a [[artificial pacemaker|pacemaker]] in July 1999. His face-to-face tours with fellow pianist [[Billy Joel]] have been a fan favourite throughout the world since the mid-1990s. Elton also has a multi-year contract to perform at [[Caesar's Palace]] in [[Las Vegas]]. The show, entitled ''The Red Piano'', is a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by [[David LaChappelle]].
John's dueted with [[Eminem]] on the rapper's "Stan" at the [[Grammy Awards of 2001]]. This went a long way towards absolving Eminem of charges of [[homophobia]] and thus paving the way for Eminem's greater mainstream acceptance.
He achieved yet another #1 single in the UK, being featured on [[2Pac]]'s posthumous song "[[Ghetto Gospel]]" in [[2005]], from the rapper's album, ''[[Loyal to the Game]]''. The song sampled "Indian Sunset" from John's [[1971]] album, ''[[Madman Across the Water]]''.
On [[2 July]] [[2005]], John performed at the [[Live 8 concert, London|Live 8 concert at Hyde Park in London]].
In July of 2005, [[Madame Tussauds]] made a 227 lb. statue of Elton John, to his measurements. It took more than 1,000 hours to complete. It is currently rumoured that John is planning a two-year world tour, which will enable him to reach places he has never performed at previously.
==Film work==
[[Image:Elton Tommy.jpg|thumb|240px|right|The Pinball Wizard from ''[[Tommy (film)|Tommy]]'' (1975)]]
He has also done work both for and in films. In [[1971]], he wrote the soundtrack for the movie ''Friends''.In 1972 he appeared in the Marc Bolan's musical film 'Born to Boogie' In [[1975]], he appeared as the Pinball Wizard in [[Ken Russell]]'s over-the-top movie version of the rock opera ''[[Tommy]]''.
In [[1994]], along with [[Tim Rice]], he wrote the songs for the [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] animated film ''[[The Lion King]]''. (Rice was reportedly stunned by the rapidity with which John was able to set his words to music.) ''The Lion King'' went on to become the best-grossing traditionally-animated feature of all time, with the songs playing a key part. Three of the five songs nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Song]] that year were John and Rice songs from ''The Lion King'', with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" winning. In versions sung by John, both that and "Circle of Life" became big hits, while the other songs such as "Hakuna Matata" achieved popularity with all ages as well. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" would also win John the [[Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance]].
Five years later, John wrote the score for ''The Muse'', and a year later composed songs for another animated film, [[DreamWorks]]' ''[[The Road to El Dorado]]''. In [[2001]], his [[1970s]] hit, "Tiny Dancer" was featured on the ''[[Almost Famous]]'' soundtrack, and his most recent movie song was "The Heart of Every Girl" (the end title song from [[2003]]'s ''[[Mona Lisa Smile]]'').
==Musicals==
In addition to a [[1998]] adaptation of ''The Lion King'' for [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], John has also composed music for a Disney production of ''[[Aida (musical)|Aida]]'' ([[2000]]) with lyricist Tim Rice, for which they received the [[Tony Award for Best Original Score]] and the [[Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album]].
John also composed music for a [[West End Theatre|West End]] production of ''[[Billy Elliot]]'' ([[2005]]) with [[Lee Hall (playwright)|Lee Hall]], and ''[[The Vampire Lestat]]'' with Bernie Taupin, based on the [[Anne Rice]] vampire novels.
== Personal life ==
John has had a complicated personal history. Coming out first as [[bisexuality|bisexual]] in [[1976]], he married ([[1984]]) and quickly divorced ([[1988]]) [[Renate Blauel]]. He subsequently stated that he was [[gay]] and has lived with his partner [[David Furnish]] for a number of years. He plans to marry Furnish after the British [[civil partnership]] law comes into effect in December 2005. He has occasionally battled addictions to [[cocaine]] and financial difficulties caused by his profligate spending.
[[Image:furnish.jpg|left|thumb|John cuddles with partner [[David Furnish]]]]
In [[1976]] Elton John became involved in [[Watford F.C.|Watford Football Club]] and fulfilled a childhood dream by becoming chairman and director. He resigned in [[2002]] when the club needed a full-time chairman. He remains lifelong president.
John has long been associated with [[AIDS]] charities after the death of his friends [[Ryan White]] and [[Freddie Mercury]], raising large amounts of money and using his public profile to raise awareness of the disease. For example, in [[1986]] he joined with [[Dionne Warwick]], [[Gladys Knight]], and [[Stevie Wonder]] to record the single "[[That's What Friends Are For]]", with all profits being donated to the [[American Foundation for AIDS Research]]. The song won Elton and the others the [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal]] (as well as [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] for its writers, [[Burt Bacharach]] and [[Carole Bayer Sager]]).
John founded the [[Elton John AIDS Foundation]] in 1992 as a charity to fund programmes for HIV/AIDS prevention, for the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals, and for providing services to people living with or at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.
Aside from his main home in Windsor, England, John splits his time in his various residences in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Nice, France; London, England; and Venice, Italy.
He is a noted art collector, and is believed to have one of the largest private photography collections in the world.
== Musical style and voice ==
In the [[1970s]], Elton John's sound was immediately set apart from others by being piano-based in a rock world dominated by guitars. Another early characteristic was a set of dynamic [[string instrument|string]] [[arrangement]]s by [[Paul Buckmaster]]. Coupled with Taupin's often opaque but emotionally resonant lyrics, the results were unique for their time. Songs in this style included "Sixty Years On", "Burn Down the Mission", "Take Me to the Pilot", "Tiny Dancer", "Levon", and "Madman Across the Water".
"Your Song", one of his earliest and most popular hits, incorporates some other features found in many of his songs:
* It is in [[binary form]], with the verse repeated before the chorus begins;
* The piano accompaniment is prominent, though the song also features an [[orchestra]];
* It uses a slowly building [[crescendo]] that brings the song to a ''[[tutti]]'' climax. Other songs that follow this pattern include "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and "Rocket Man".
John also has a distinctive vocal style. In particular, his phrasing is often a bit metronomic and sometimes has a curiously off-kilter, "rushed" quality especially at the end of lines (example: the phrase "like a puppy child" in the song ''Amoreena''). He also, at least in his classic period in the 1970s, would sometimes sweep up from his normal tenor into a [[Four Seasons]]-like falsetto.
Elton John underwent throat surgery to remove potentially cancerous nodules from his vocal chords in January 1987 whilst on tour, a necessity he originally said was due to an infection, but later said was the result of excessive drug abuse. The problems with his voice can clearly be heard in his raspy singing on the ''Live In Australia'' album (released 1987). He made a full recovery but continued to engage in drugs for a few years yet. The surgery in 1987 also had a dramatic affect on John's voice, and he found that he could no longer sing in falsetto as well as he previously could and that he now sang in a lower range.
The change in Elton John's voice has been one that he has largely played down, with Elton commenting fifteen years after the surgery that he was "singing better than ever." The use of studio effects were evidently added to his voice on his first UK #1 Hit "Sacrifice" (1990). The release of ''Songs From The West Coast'', his 2001 album showed very clearly how different his voice is to his prime. It is a matter of opinion which singing style is better but few would deny that Elton John remains an excellent and operatic singer.
== Quotations ==
*"You can call me a fat, balding, talentless, old queen who cant sing--but you cant tell lies about me. (After successfully winning a libel case against the London 'Sun' in 1987 for alleged underage sex.
*"I haven't made a good album in a long while. Not since 1976 and Blue Moves."
*"If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher."
*(After being asked about his sexuality in the 1970s) "I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats, though."
*"Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, S Club Seven, Steps. They've always been around, I'm not knocking the music perhaps, but it's like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just mediocre. And I think it damages real people's chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It's just fodder."
*"There's so much you're expected to do and you follow a pattern. You make a record, you do a video. I like to break the rules a little bit more and I did in the 70s, I should try a little bit more now."
*"Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot. That's me off her Christmas card list. But do I give a toss? No." (about [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]])
*"If I had one finger left, I'd play for you." (After breaking his fingernails by playing too hard)
*"I thought it was a bit of an anti-climax, to be honest. The thought behind it was fantastic, but Hyde Park is a charisma-free zone. There was no sense of occasion and from a musical point, I didn't think there were too many highlights. I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be?" (about Live 8)
*"It is probably one of my lowest-selling albums of all time. It was disappointing everywhere in the world, so I have to hold my hands up and accept that the songs just didn't connect. I'm proud of "Peachtree", but, if I think about it logically, people may have ten or twelve Elton John albums in their collection already. Do they need another one?" (on his unsuccessful 2004 studio album, "Peachtree Road")
== Discography ==
''For a complete discography, see [[Elton John discography]].''
==Band==
===Current members===
* '''Elton John''' - [[piano]], [[lead]] [[vocals]]
* [[Guy Babylon]] - [[keyboards]]
* [[Bob Birch]] - [[bass guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[Davey Johnstone]] - [[guitar]], [[musical director]], [[vocals]]
* [[John Mahon]] - [[percussion instrument|percussion]], [[vocals]]
* [[Nigel Olsson]] - [[drums]], [[percussion instrument|percussion]], [[vocals]]
===Previous band members===
* [[Curt Bisquera]] - [[drums]]
* [[Jack Bruno]] - touring [[drums]]
* [[Ray Cooper]] - [[percussion instrument|percussion]]
* [[John Jorgenson]] - [[guitar]], [[saxophone]], [[mandolin]], [[pedal steel]], [[vocals]]
* [[Jody Linscott]] - [[percussion instrument|percussion]]
* [[Jonathan Moffett]] - [[drums]]
* [[Charlie Morgan]] - [[drums]]
* [[Dee Murray]] - [[bass guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[James Newton Howard]] - [[Conducting|conductor]]
* [[Pino Palladino]] - [[bass guitar]]
* [[Kenny Passarelli]] - [[bass guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[David Patton]] - [[bass guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[Roger Pope]] - [[drums]]
* [[Caleb Quaye]] - [[guitar]]
* [[Tim Renwick]] - [[guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[Ken Stacey]] - additional [[guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[Mark Taylor]] - [[keyboards]]
* [[Billy Trudel]] - [[vocals]]
* [[Romeo Williams]]- [[bass guitar]], [[vocals]]
* [[Ritchie Zito]] - [[drums]]
* [[Gentry Pruett]] - [[keyboards]]
== See also ==
*[[List of best selling music artists]]
*[[List of number-one hits (United States)]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)]]
*[[List of number-one dance hits (United States)]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.eltonjohn.com Elton John's official website]
* [http://www.eltonography.com Elton John Discography and Lyrics]
* [http://www.soundtrackinfo.com/composer.asp?id=490&s=y Elton John at the SoundtrackINFO project]
* [http://www.crazywater.com Crazy Water - Elton John Message Board]
* [http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/singerUnid/E98916284BE40C2F48256876001FCECF Elton John Biography]
* [http://www.eltonchords.com EltonChords.com] Resource for piano chording for Elton John Songs.
* [http://www.eltonscafe.com/ Elton John's Music Cafe]
* [http://ejaf.org/welcome.html Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)]
* [http://www.whizzo.ca/elton/ej.html Cornflakes & Classics - The musical history of Elton John]
* [http://www.eltonjohnfanatic.com Elton John Fanatic]
* [http://www.thelive8concert.com/elton.htm Elton John at Live 8]
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