Happy Birthday Elton John

Artwork by Suzi Malin

Happy Birthday to Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947). He is an English singer-songwriter, composer, pianist, record producer, and occasional actor. In his five-decade career Elton John has sold more than 300 million 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, fifty-eight Billboard Top 40 singles, twenty-seven Top 10, four No. 2 and nine No. 1. For 31 consecutive years (1970–2000) he has had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. He has the most No. 1 hits on US Adult Contemporary Chart (16 No. 1's). His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" sold over 33 million copies worldwide and is "the best-selling single of all time". He has received six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards – winning two awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music and the first Brits Icon in 2013, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Disney Legend award, and theKennedy 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 2008, Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on "The Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists" (third overall).

John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, is an inductee into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Having been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, John received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services" in 1998.

Artwork by Suzi Malin

Watch Elton John performing "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" in Wembley- 1984