Claim: Tim Rice penned a 1970 rock opera with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Sir Elton Hercules John , -LRB- born Reginald Kenneth Dwight ; 25 March 1947 -RRB- is an English singer , pianist , and composer . He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967 ; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date . In his five-decade career Elton John has sold more than 300million records , making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world . He has more than fifty Top 40 hits , including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums , 58 Billboard Top 40 singles , 27 Top 10 , four No. 2 and nine No. 1 . For 31 consecutive years -LRB- 1970 -- 2000 -RRB- he had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100 . His tribute single , re-penned in dedication to the late Princess Diana , `` Candle in the Wind 1997 '' sold over 33million copies worldwide and is the best-selling single in the history of the UK and US singles charts . He has also composed music , produced records , and has occasionally acted in films . John owned Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987 , and 1997 to 2002 . He is an honorary Life President of the club , and in 2014 had a stand named after him at the club 's home stadium .   Raised in the Pinner area of London , John learned to play piano at an early age , and by 1962 had formed Bluesology . John met his songwriting partner , Bernie Taupin , in 1967 , after they had both answered an advert for songwriters . For two years they wrote songs for other artists , including Lulu , and John also worked as a session musician for artists such as the Hollies and the Scaffold . In 1969 his debut album , Empty Sky , was released . In 1970 a single , `` Your Song '' , from his second album , Elton John , reached the top ten in the UK and the US , his first hit single . After decades of commercial chart success , John has also achieved success in musical theatre , both in the West End and on Broadway , composing the music for The Lion King -LRB- film and musical -RRB- , Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical .   He has received five Grammy Awards , five Brit Awards -- winning two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the first Brits Icon in 2013 for his `` lasting impact on British culture '' , an Academy Award , a Golden Globe Award , a Tony Award , a Disney Legends award , and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004 . In 2004 , Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era . In 2013 , Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists -LRB- third overall behind the Beatles and Madonna -RRB- . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 , is an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame , and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters , Composers and Authors . Having been named a Order of the British Empire in 1996 , John was made a Knight Bachelor by Elizabeth II for `` services to music and charitable services '' in 1998 . John has performed at a number of royal events , such as the funeral of Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in 1997 , the Party at the Palace in 2002 and the Queen 's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace in 2012 .   He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s . In 1992 , he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation and a year later began hosting the annual Academy Award Party , which has since become one of the highest-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry . Since its inception , the foundation has raised over . John , who announced he was bisexual in 1976 and has been openly gay since 1988 , entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005 , and after same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales in 2014 , wed Furnish on 21 December 2014 . He continues to be a champion for LGBT social movements worldwide .