He also released his eighth album 'Caribou', which went to Number 1 and spawned singles such as 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me'. Elton had a big year in 1974 - working with the likes of Beatles star John Lennon and performing together at Madison Square Garden in New York. 'Elton John's Greatest Hits' was released in 1974, and has since been certified Diamond in the US for 16 million sales. Elton founded a record label, The Rocket Record Company, that same year, but chose to release his own music through MCA - signing a whopping $8 million deal with the label in 1974. It's since been certified 8x Platinum in the US, with album sales of 8 million. With songs like 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting', 'Candle in the Wind' and the album's title track, the record hit the top spot in both the UK and the US charts. But it was his seventh album, 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' released in 1973, that drew real acclaim. Elton also gave his first performance in America in 1970 at the Troubadour, and released his third album 'Tumbleweed Connection' later that year.Īfter penning the soundtrack to 1971 film Friends, Elton and Bernie saw huge success with their next few albums - spawning singles like 'Rocket Man', 'Tiny Dancer', 'Crocodile Rock' and 'Daniel'. The pair wrote their first album together, 'Empty Sky', and released it in 1969, putting out follow-up 'Elton John' just a year later in 1970, which contained 'Your Song' - one of Elton's most famous and beloved songs ever. The pair joined DJM Records in 1968 as staff songwriters, writing songs for the likes of Lulu - including her 1969 Eurovision entry, 'I Can't Go On (Living Without You)'. He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John in 1972. They recorded their first single, 'Scarecrow', together in 1967, and Reggie also started going by Elton John as a tribute to his Bluesology bandmates. He then wrote music for the lyrics, and thus began a beautiful partnership which still works today. Reggie met Bernie after answering an advert in the New Musical Express (NME), and met A&R manager Ray Williams who gave him a wad of lyrics written by Bernie.
1967: Meeting Bernie Taupin and initial success
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