Misplaced Pages

#489510

110-401: The first recorded use of "honky" in this context may date back to 1946, although the use of " honky-tonk " occurred in films well before that time. The exact origins of the word are generally unknown and postulations about the subject vary. Honky may be a variant of hunky , which was a derivative of Bohunk , a slur for various Slavic and Hungarian immigrants who moved to America from

220-668: A civil partnership with his long-term partner, the Canadian filmmaker David Furnish . They married in 2014, when same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales. John has had more than fifty top-40 hits on the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100 , including nine number ones in both countries, as well as seven consecutive number-one albums in the US. He has sold over 300 million records worldwide, making him one of

330-456: A " racist word association interview". During this period, Steve Martin (as musical guest and stand-up regular on SNL ) performed a rendition of " King Tut " which contained the word honky in its lyrics. On the TV series Barney Miller , Season 5, Episode 8, "Loan Shark", Arthur Dietrich gives an etymology of the word "honky", claiming it was "coined by Blacks in the 1950s in reference to

440-501: A 1969 song by the Rolling Stones, Honky (an album by Melvins ), Honky Reduction (an album by Agoraphobic Nosebleed ), MC Honky ( DJ stage persona ), Honky Château (an album by Elton John , the first track on which is " Honky Cat "), Talkin' Honky Blues (an album by Buck 65 ), and Honky (an album by Keith Emerson ). Honky's Ladder is a 1996 EP by The Afghan Whigs . The Chicago style of polka music

550-797: A UK and US number one that is certified Diamond by the RIAA for US sales of 17   million copies. In 1974, John collaborated with John Lennon on his cover of the Beatles ' " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ", the B-side of which was Lennon's "One Day at a Time". It was number 1 for two weeks in the US. In return, John was featured on " Whatever Gets You Thru the Night " on Lennon's album Walls and Bridges . Later that year, in Lennon's last major live performance,

660-715: A heavier backbeat. James Newton Howard joined to arrange in the studio and to play keyboards. In June 1975 John introduced the line-up at the London, England, Wembley Stadium . The rock-oriented Rock of the Westies entered the US albums chart at number 1, as had Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy , a previously unattained feat. John's stage wardrobe now included ostrich feathers, $ 5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, and costumes such as

770-428: A lower register. A disco -influenced album, Victim of Love , was poorly received. In 1979, John and Taupin reunited, though they did not collaborate on a full album until 1983's Too Low For Zero . 21 at 33 , released in 1980, was a significant career boost, aided by his biggest hit in four years, " Little Jeannie " (number 3 US), with the lyrics by Gary Osborne. In May 1979, John played eight concerts in

880-555: A music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music for an estimated $ 39 million over 12 years, including the largest cash advance in music publishing history. In April 1992, John appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium , performing " The Show Must Go On " with the remaining members of Queen , and " Bohemian Rhapsody " with Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses and Queen's remaining members. In September, John performed "The One" at

990-601: A quartet that was completed by Caleb Quaye and Nigel Olsson . On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin began writing more complex songs for John to record for DJM. The first was the single " I've Been Loving You " (1968), produced by Caleb Quaye , Bluesology's former guitarist. In 1969, with Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Tony Murray, John recorded another single, " Lady Samantha ", and an album, Empty Sky . For their follow-up album, Elton John , John and Taupin enlisted Gus Dudgeon as producer and Paul Buckmaster as musical arranger. Elton John

1100-666: A restrictive childhood. Both his parents were musically inclined, his father having been a trumpet player with the Bob Millar Band, a semi-professional big band that played at military dances. The Dwights were keen record buyers, exposing John to the popular singers and musicians of the day. John started playing his grandmother's piano as a young boy, and within a year his mother heard him picking out Waldteufel 's "The Skater's Waltz " by ear. After performing at parties and family gatherings, at age seven he began formal piano lessons. He showed musical aptitude at school, including

1210-469: A short-lived group called the Corvettes rounded out his time. Although normal-sighted as a teenager, John began wearing horn-rimmed glasses to imitate Buddy Holly . In 1962, John and some friends formed a band called Bluesology . By day, he ran errands for a music publishing company; he divided his nights between solo gigs at a London hotel bar and working with Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology

SECTION 10

#1732793615490

1320-648: A singer. The album soon became his first hit album, reaching number four on the US Billboard 200 and number five on the UK Albums Chart . Backed by former Spencer Davis Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray , John's first American concert took place at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, California on 25 August 1970, and was a success. The concept album Tumbleweed Connection

1430-479: A solo career and met Taupin that same year. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician. In 1969, John released his debut album Empty Sky , and a year later formed the Elton John Band , also releasing his first hit single, " Your Song ". John's critical and commercial success was at its peak in the 1970s, when he released a string of chart-topping albums both in

1540-545: A tempo that is slightly stepped up. It is rhythmically suited for many African-American dance." As Chris Smith and Charles McCarron wrote in their 1916 hit song "Down in Honky Tonk Town", "It's underneath the ground, where all the fun is found." Although the derivation of the term is unknown, honky tonk originally referred to bawdy variety shows in the West ( Oklahoma and Indian Territories and Texas ) and to

1650-471: A work by French ballet legend Maurice Béjart that draws upon the AIDS crisis and the deaths of Freddie Mercury and the company's principal dancer, Jorge Donn . Later in 1997, two close friends died: designer Gianni Versace was murdered on 15 July, and Diana, Princess of Wales died in a Paris car crash on 31 August. In early September, John asked Taupin to revise the lyrics of their 1973 song "Candle in

1760-556: A year later he began hosting his annual AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Party , which has since become one of the biggest high-profile Oscar parties in the Hollywood film industry. John was the chairman and director of Watford Football Club from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 to 2002, and is an honorary life president of the club. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, John developed a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol, but has been clean and sober since 1990. In 2005, he entered

1870-489: Is a 1929 American musical film starring Sophie Tucker . And Honky Tonk is also a 1941 black-and-white Western film starring Clark Gable and Lana Turner . The phrase honky-tonk refers both to a particular type of rowdy country music played live at bars and to the type of bar in which such music is played. Honky is a 1971 movie based on an interracial relationship, starring Brenda Sykes as Sheila Smith and John Neilson as Wayne "Honky" Devine. Honky Tonk

1980-498: Is a gun. You give me a gun and tell me to shoot my enemy, I might shoot Lady Bird ." Honky has occasionally been used even for white allies of African Americans, as seen in the 1968 trial of Black Panther Party member Huey Newton , when fellow Panther Eldridge Cleaver created pins for Newton's white supporters stating "Honkies for Huey". "Father of the Blues" W. C. Handy wrote of "Negroes and hunkies" in his autobiography. In

2090-497: Is also a 1974 Western film starring Richard Crenna and Margot Kidder . Additionally, Honkytonk Man is a 1982 drama film set in the Great Depression . Clint Eastwood , who produced and directed the film, stars in the film with his son, Kyle Eastwood . In a sketch on Saturday Night Live ( SNL ), Chevy Chase and Richard Pryor used both nigger (Chase) and honky (Pryor) in reference to one another during

2200-463: Is also held in the highest regard critically. In the three-year span from 1972 to 1975, John saw seven consecutive albums reach number one in the US, something that had not been accomplished before. All six of his albums to make Rolling Stone ' s 2003 list of " The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time " are from this period, with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked highest at number 91. Between 1972 and 1976 he also had six singles reach number one on

2310-410: Is also known as honky polka. The etymological connection remains unclear, but the word " honky-tonk " occurs often in country music , referring since the late 19th century to working-class nightclubs where country music is played. In 2022 Hank Williams Jr. released a blues album Rich White Honky Blues . In film, there were some movies using "honky" without any derogatory connotation. Honky Tonk

SECTION 20

#1732793615490

2420-699: Is one of 19 entertainers to win the EGOT , which includes an Emmy Award , five Grammy Awards , two Academy Awards , and a Tony Award . He also won two Golden Globes , a Laurence Olivier Award , and the Kennedy Center Honor . He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and is a fellow of The Ivors Academy . He was appointed Knight Bachelor for services to music and charity in 1998 and

2530-464: Is possible, however, these pianos were not manufactured until 1889, at which point the term seems to have already been established. An early source purporting to explain the derivation of the term (spelled honkatonk ) was an article published in 1900 by the New York Sun and widely reprinted in other newspapers. The article, however, reads more like a humorous legend or fable, so its veracity

2640-650: Is questionable. An article in the Los Angeles Times of July 28, 1929, with the headline " 'Honky-Tonk' Origin Told", which was probably in response to the Sophie Tucker movie musical, Honky Tonk (1929), reads: Do you know what a honky tonk is? Seafaring men of a few years ago knew very well, as the honky-tonks of San Francisco 's Barbary Coast constituted perhaps the most vivid spots in their generally uneventful lives. The name originated on

2750-488: Is the first single certified Diamond in the US where it sold over 11   million copies. The 2009 Guinness World Records states it is "the biggest-selling single since UK and US singles charts began in the 1950s, having accumulated worldwide sales of 33   million copies". The song's proceeds of approximately £55   million were donated to Diana's charities via the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund . It won

2860-549: The 11 September attacks , John appeared at the Concert for New York City , performing "I Want Love" as well as "Your Song" as a duet with Billy Joel . In August 2003, John's fifth UK number one single, " Are You Ready for Love ", topped the charts. Returning to musical theatre, John composed music for a West End theatre production of Billy Elliot the Musical in 2005 with playwright Lee Hall . John had been moved to write

2970-500: The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards and closed the ceremony performing " November Rain " with Guns N' Roses. In 1993, he released Duets , which featured collaborations with 15 artists, including Tammy Wynette and RuPaul . This included a new collaboration with Kiki Dee, " True Love ", which reached the Top 10 of the UK charts. In the same year, The Bunbury Tails , a multi-artist charity album,

3080-873: The Austro-Hungarian Empire in the early 1900s. Honky may also derive from the term "xonq nopp" which, in the West African language Wolof , literally means "red-eared person". The term may have originated with Wolof-speaking people brought to the U.S. It has been used by Black Americans as a pejorative for white people . Honky may have come from coal miners in Oak Hill, West Virginia . The miners were segregated; Blacks in one section, English-speaking whites in another. Foreigners who could not speak English, mostly whites, were separated from both groups into an area known as "Hunk Hill". These male laborers were known as "Hunkies". The term may have begun in

3190-474: The Billboard Hot 100. In November 1977, John announced he was retiring from performing; Taupin began collaborating with others. Now producing only one album a year, John issued A Single Man in 1978 with a new lyricist, Gary Osborne ; the album produced no singles that made the top 20 in the US, but the two singles from the album released in the UK, " Part-Time Love " and " Song for Guy ", both made

3300-505: The Deep South and Southwest and serving alcoholic beverages to a working-class clientele. Some honky-tonks offered dancing to music played by pianists or small bands, and some were centers of prostitution . Katrina Hazzard-Gordon wrote that the honky-tonk was "the first urban manifestation of the jook ", and that "the name itself became synonymous with a style of music. Related to the classic blues in tonal structure, honky-tonk has

3410-885: The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards in 1998. The song " Something About the Way You Look Tonight " was released as a double A-side . On 15 September 1997, John appeared at the Music for Montserrat charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall , London, England, performing three songs solo ("Your Song", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Live Like Horses") before finishing with " Hey Jude " alongside Paul McCartney , Eric Clapton, Phil Collins , Mark Knopfler and Sting . Two months later he performed on

Honky - Misplaced Pages Continue

3520-467: The Hammersmith Odeon on 24 December 1982; and introduced George Michael , still then of Wham! , to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me". John also recorded material with Millie Jackson in 1985. Towards the end of the year, John released " Nikita " from the album Ice on Fire , which had a music video directed by Ken Russell . The song reached number three in the UK and number seven in

3630-558: The London Underground . Several instructors have attested that he was a "model student", and during the last few years he took lessons from a private tutor in addition to his classes at the Academy. He left the Academy before taking the final exams. John's mother, though strict with her son, was more vivacious than her husband, and something of a free spirit. With Stanley Dwight uninterested in his son and often absent, John

3740-587: The Statue of Liberty , Donald Duck , and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . In 1975, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . The album features his fifth US number one single, " Island Girl ". To celebrate five years since he had first appeared at the venue, in 1975, John played a two-night, four-show stand at the Troubadour . With seating limited to under 500 per show, the chance to purchase tickets

3850-772: The Tony Award for Best Musical , in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, Chicago, Illinois, Toronto, Ontario, Seoul, South Korea, the Netherlands and São Paulo, Brazil, etc.), grossed over $ 800 million worldwide and won over 80 theatre awards internationally. John's only theatrical project with Taupin is Lestat , based on Anne Rice 's The Vampire Chronicles . It received negative reviews from critics and closed in May 2006 after 39 performances. John featured on rapper Tupac Shakur 's posthumous single " Ghetto Gospel ", which topped

3960-526: The best-selling music artists of all time . He is the most successful solo artist in the history of the US Billboard charts . His tribute single to Diana, Princess of Wales , " Candle in the Wind 1997 ", a rewritten version of his 1974 single , sold over 33   million copies worldwide and is the best-selling chart single of all time . In 2021, he became the first solo artist with UK top 10 singles across six decades. Among John's numerous awards , he

4070-399: The 1970s, outlaw country 's brand of rough honky-tonk was represented by artists such as Gary Stewart , Waylon Jennings , Willie Nelson , David Allan Coe , and Billy Joe Shaver . Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight ; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. Acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during

4180-554: The 1970s, his music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry . His songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful in history. John was raised in Pinner and learned to play piano at an early age, winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music , where he studied for five years. He formed the blues band Bluesology in 1962, but left in 1967 to embark on

4290-406: The 1975 film adaptation of the rock opera Tommy , and to perform the song " Pinball Wizard ". Drawing on power chords , John's version was recorded and used in the movie. The song charted at number 7 in the UK. John, who had adopted a glam aesthetic on stage, would later state glam rock icon Marc Bolan "had a great effect on me." The 1975 autobiographical album Captain Fantastic and

4400-474: The 2012 rap song " Thrift Shop " by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz , "Damn, that's a cold ass honkey!" is used in reference to Macklemore and his secondhand clothes. Eminem , who is also a white American rapper, uses the line "He looked at me and said, 'You gonna die, honkey!'" in 1999's " Brain Damage ." " Play That Funky Music ," a 1976 disco / funk hit by Wild Cherry about a rock band adapting to

4510-465: The Academy in central London, and he has said he enjoyed playing Frédéric Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach and singing in the choir during Saturday classes, but that he was not otherwise a diligent classical student. "I kind of resented going to the Academy," he said. "I was one of those children who could just about get away without practising and still pass, scrape through the grades." He has said that he would sometimes skip classes and ride around on

Honky - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-529: The Atlanta, Georgia, Alliance Theatre and went on to Chicago, Illinois and eventually Broadway in New York City. John released a live compilation album, Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits , featuring songs from his show at Madison Square Garden in New York City that same year. A concept album of songs from the musical Aida , Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida , was also released and featured

4730-704: The BBC's Children in Need charity single " Perfect Day ", which reached number one in the UK. John appeared as himself in the Spice Girls film Spice World , released in December 1997. The Lion King musical debuted on Broadway in 1997 and the West End theatre in 1999. In 2014, it had grossed over $ 6 billion and became the top-earning title in box-office history for both stage productions and films, surpassing

4840-487: The Barbary Coast and was applied to the low " dives " which formed so great a part of this notorious district. In these establishments, which were often of enormous size, much liquor was dispensed at the tables which crowded the floor, and entertainment of doubtful quality was given on a stage at one end of the room. The honky tonk, as a matter of fact, was the predecessor of the present-day cabaret or night club ,

4950-611: The Brown Dirt Cowboy debuted at number one in the US, the first album to do so, and stayed there for seven weeks. John revealed his previously ambiguous personality on the album, with Taupin's lyrics describing their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in London. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that is otherwise rare in his music. The hit single from this album, " Someone Saved My Life Tonight ", captured an early turning point in John's life. The album's release signalled

5060-611: The Elton John Band, and joined by Richie Zito on lead guitar, Tim Renwick on rhythm guitar, and James Newton Howard on keyboards, John performed a free concert to an estimated 400,000 fans on The Great Lawn in Central Park in New York City. He played part of the set dressed as Donald Duck . The album Jump Up! was released in 1982, the biggest hit from which was " Blue Eyes ". With original band members Johnstone, Murray and Olsson together again, John returned to

5170-662: The John duets " Written in the Stars " with LeAnn Rimes , and "I Know the Truth" with Janet Jackson . By this time, John disliked appearing in his own music videos; the video for " This Train Don't Stop There Anymore " featured Justin Timberlake portraying a young John, and the video for " I Want Love " featured Robert Downey, Jr. lip-syncing the song. At the 2001 Grammy Awards , John performed " Stan " with Eminem . One month after

5280-523: The Musical (2005). John's final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road (2018–2023), became the highest-grossing tour ever at the time. His life and career were dramatised in the 2019 biopic Rocketman . John is an HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser and has been involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s. He established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over £300 million since its inception, and

5390-553: The Rain " as a song and dance act with Elton playing piano. Kubrick's Clockwork Orange film had recently featured that song. Plus I designed crazy, over-the-top costumes and giant stage sets – known as 'Legstravaganzas'. Elton loved all of it." The pop album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player came out at the start of 1973 and reached number one in the UK, the US, and Australia, among other countries. The album produced

5500-700: The Soviet Union ; four dates in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and four in Moscow. At the same time, John collaborated with the French couple France Gall and Michel Berger on the songs "Donner pour donner" and "Les Aveux", released together in 1980 as a single. John's 1981 album The Fox was recorded during the same sessions as 21 at 33 and included collaborations with Tom Robinson and Judie Tzuke . On 13 September 1980, with Olsson and Murray back in

5610-506: The UK and topping the charts in the US, Canada and Australia. Reportedly recorded in two weeks between live appearances, it featured " The Bitch Is Back " and " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me ". " Step into Christmas " was released as a stand-alone single in November 1973, and appears in the album's 1995 remastered reissue. Pete Townshend of the Who asked John to play the "Local Lad" in

SECTION 50

#1732793615490

5720-576: The UK charts in July 2005. In October 2003, John announced that he had signed an exclusive agreement to perform 75 shows over three years at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada. The show, The Red Piano , was a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by David LaChapelle . Effectively, he and Celine Dion shared performances at Caesars Palace throughout

5830-402: The US and UK, which began with Honky Château (1972) and culminated with Rock of the Westies (1975) . His success continued in the 1980s and 1990s, having several hit singles and albums in both decades, and he has continued to record new music since. John has also had success in musical films and theatre, composing music for The Lion King (1994), Aida (2000), and Billy Elliot

5940-515: The US by MCA and initially by Island in the UK), and signed acts to it—notably Neil Sedaka (John sang background vocals on Sedaka's " Bad Blood ") and Kiki Dee , in whom he took a personal interest. Instead of releasing his own records on Rocket, he signed an $ 8 million contract with MCA. When the contract was signed in 1974, MCA reportedly took out a $ 25 million insurance policy on John's life. In 1974, MCA released Elton John's Greatest Hits ,

6050-399: The US. John's highest-charting single of the decade was a collaboration with Dionne Warwick , Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder called " That's What Friends Are For ". It reached number one in the US at the beginning of 1986; credited as Dionne and Friends, the song raised funds for HIV/AIDS research . In the same year, a live orchestral version of "Candle in the Wind" reached number six in

6160-541: The US. He also played piano on two tracks on the heavy metal band Saxon 's album Rock the Nations . In 1988, he performed five sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York, giving him 26 for his career. Netting over $ 20 million, 2,000 items of John's memorabilia were auctioned off at Sotheby's in London. He also released " I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That " from the album Reg Strikes Back ,

6270-536: The Wind" to honour Diana, and Taupin agreed. On 6 September 1997, John performed " Candle in the Wind 1997 " live for the only time at Diana's funeral in Westminster Abbey . The song became the fastest- and biggest-selling single of all time, eventually selling over 33   million copies globally. The best-selling single in UK chart history, and the best-selling single in Billboard history, it

6380-422: The ability to compose melodies, and gained some notoriety by playing like Jerry Lee Lewis at school functions. At age 11, he won a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music . According to one of his instructors, John promptly played back, like a "gramophone record", a four-page piece by George Frideric Handel after hearing it for the first time. For the next five years, John attended Saturday classes at

6490-536: The aircast, not just the 40 minutes selected by Dick James Music. John and Taupin wrote the soundtrack to the 1971 film Friends and the album Madman Across the Water , which reached number eight in the US and included the hit songs " Levon " and the album's opening track, " Tiny Dancer ". In 1972, Davey Johnstone joined the Elton John Band on guitar and backing vocals. Released in 1972, Honky Château became John's first US number one album, spending five weeks at

6600-451: The award for " Can You Feel the Love Tonight ". Both that and " Circle of Life " became hits. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" also won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards . The soundtrack for The Lion King remained at the top of the Billboard 200 for nine weeks. On 10 November 1999, the RIAA certified The Lion King " Diamond " for selling 15   million copies. In 1994, John

6710-439: The chart on both sides of the Atlantic, remaining at number one for two months. It also temporarily established John as a glam rock star. It contained the US number 1 " Bennie and the Jets ", along with the hits " Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ", " Candle in the Wind ", " Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting " and " Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding ". John formed his own label, The Rocket Record Company (distributed in

SECTION 60

#1732793615490

6820-527: The charts with the 1983 album Too Low for Zero , which included the singles " I'm Still Standing " (No. 4 UK) and " I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues ", the latter of which featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica and reached number four in the US and number five in the UK. In October 1983, John caused controversy when he broke the United Nations' cultural boycott on apartheid -era South Africa by performing at Sun City . He married his close friend and sound engineer, Renate Blauel, on Valentine's Day 1984;

6930-410: The end of the Elton John Band, as an unhappy and overworked John dismissed Olsson and Murray. According to Circus , a spokesman for John's manager John Reid said the decision was reached mutually via phone while John was in Australia promoting Tommy . Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper were retained, Quaye and Roger Pope returned, and the new bassist was Kenny Passarelli; this rhythm section provided

7040-476: The entertainment of its patrons or the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano ) used to play such music. Bars of this kind are common in the South and Southwest United States. Many prominent country music artists such as Jimmie Rodgers , Ernest Tubb , Lefty Frizzell , Hank Williams , Patsy Cline , Johnny Horton and Merle Haggard began their careers as amateur musicians in honky-tonks. The origin of

7150-526: The family moved to a nearby semi-detached house. He was educated at Pinner Wood Junior School, Reddiford School and Pinner County Grammar School , until he was 17, when he left just before his A-Level examinations to pursue a career in music. When John began to consider a career in music seriously, his father, who served in the Royal Air Force , tried to steer him toward a more conventional career, such as banking. John has said that his wild stage costumes and performances were his way of letting go after

7260-448: The fight against AIDS. And also his bravery in exposing all the triumphs and tragedies of his personal life." — Axl Rose speech inducting Elton John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Along with Tim Rice , John wrote the songs for the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King . At the 67th Academy Awards , three of the five nominees for the Academy Award for Best Original Song were from The Lion King soundtrack . John won

7370-463: The hit song " The One ". It was his first album recorded entirely sober. As John recalled in 2020, "I was used to making records under the haze of alcohol or drugs, and here I was, 100% sober, so it was tough. But I managed to come up with a good song, which was the title of the record." He also released " Runaway Train ", a duet he recorded with his longtime friend Eric Clapton , with whom he played on Clapton's World Tour . John and Taupin then signed

7480-448: The hits " Crocodile Rock ", his first US Billboard Hot 100 number one, and " Daniel ", which reached number two in the US and number four in the UK. The album and "Crocodile Rock" were respectively the first album and single on the consolidated MCA Records label in the US, replacing MCA's other labels, including Uni. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road , a double-album released in October 1973, gained instant critical acclaim and topped

7590-510: The honky-tonk style and Tubb as one of its foremost practitioners. Tubb, from Crisp, Texas, was a fan of Jimmie Rodgers and fused Western swing, which had been using electric guitars for years, with other "country" sounds. He took the sound to Nashville, where he was the first musician to play electric guitar on Grand Ole Opry . In the 1950s, honky tonk entered its golden age , with the popularity of Webb Pierce , Hank Locklin , Lefty Frizzell , Faron Young, George Jones, and Hank Williams. In

7700-435: The loud, boisterous music and noise heard at these establishments. One theory is that the "tonk" portion of the name may have come from the brand name of piano made by William Tonk & Bros., an American manufacturer of large upright pianos (established 1881), which made a piano with the decal "Ernest A. Tonk". The Tonk brothers, William and Max, established the Tonk Bros. Manufacturing Company in 1873, so such an etymology

7810-421: The lyrics if he could not come up with anything quickly. For two years they wrote easy-listening tunes for James to peddle to singers. Their early output included a contender for the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 , for Lulu, called "I Can't Go On (Living Without You)". It came sixth of six songs. In 1969, John provided piano for Roger Hodgson on his first released single, "Mr. Boyd" by Argosy,

7920-451: The marriage lasted three years. In 1984, he released Breaking Hearts , which featured the song " Sad Songs (Say So Much) ", a number five hit in the US and number seven in the UK. In 1985, John was one of the many performers at Live Aid , held at Wembley Stadium . He played "Bennie and the Jets" and "Rocket Man"; then "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Kiki Dee for the first time since

8030-627: The meat packing plants of Chicago . According to Robert Hendrickson, author of the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins , Black workers in Chicago meatpacking plants picked up the term from white workers and began applying it indiscriminately to all whites. Honky was adopted as a pejorative in 1967 by black militants within Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) seeking a rebuttal for

8140-490: The mid- to late 1950s, rockabilly (which melded honky-tonk country with rhythm and blues ) and the slick country music of the Nashville sound ended honky-tonk's initial period of dominance. The Rolling Stones ' number-one single and gold record " Honky Tonk Women " (1969) was based on the sound of 1940s honky-tonk artists like Hank Williams and referred to the reputation of honky-tonk bars as centres of prostitution. In

8250-630: The musical after seeing the 2000 British coming-of-age film Billy Elliot , saying of the titular character, "he's like me". Opening to strong reviews, the show won four Laurence Olivier Awards , including Best New Musical . The 12th-longest-running musical in West End history , the London production, which featured Tom Holland as Billy for two years, ran through April 2016, with 4,566 performances. As of December 2015, Billy Elliot has been seen by over 5.25 million people in London and nearly 11 million people worldwide (on Broadway where it won

8360-485: The name of a horse in British sitcom Steptoe and Son , of which John was a big fan. The team of John and Taupin joined Dick James 's DJM Records as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years wrote material for various artists, among them Roger Cook and Lulu . Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour and give it to John, who would write music for each of them in half an hour, disposing of

8470-575: The nasal tone of Caucasians". On the TV series The Jeffersons , George Jefferson regularly referred to a white person as a honky (or whitey ) as did Redd Foxx on Sanford and Son . This word would later be popularized in episodes of Mork & Mindy by Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters . These and other shows, as exemplified by the controversial All in the Family , attempted to expose racism and prejudice as an issue in society using

8580-609: The original studio album of Randy Newman 's musical Faust . A duet with Luciano Pavarotti , " Live Like Horses ", reached number nine in the UK in December 1996. A compilation album, Love Songs , was released in 1996. Early in 1997, John held a 50th birthday party, costumed as Louis XIV of France , with 500 friends. He performed with the surviving members of Queen in Paris at the opening night (17 January 1997) of Le Presbytère N'a Rien Perdu De Son Charme Ni Le Jardin De Son Éclat ,

8690-416: The pair performed these two number-one hits, along with the Beatles' " I Saw Her Standing There ", at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Lennon made the rare stage appearance with John and his band to keep the promise he had made that he would appear on stage with him if "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" became a US number-one single. Caribou was released in 1974, becoming John's third number one in

8800-490: The principal differences being that the prices were lower and that the former establishment made no pretense of " class ." In this context of the term’s meaning and its possible origin, an example from roughly the same period is the Harvey Oliver Brooks song “They Call Me Sister Honky-Tonk,” sung by Mae West in the 1933 film I’m No Angel . Honky-tonks were rough establishments, providing country music in

8910-534: The ranches of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indian Territories, so the term was still in popular use during the Spanish–American War . The honky-tonk sound has a full rhythm section playing a two-beat rhythm with a crisp backbeat. Steel guitar and fiddle are the dominant instruments. The first music genre to be commonly known as honky-tonk music was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony ;

9020-498: The record previously held by Andrew Lloyd Webber 's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera . In addition to The Lion King , John composed music for Disney's musical production Aida in 1999 with lyricist Tim Rice , for which they received the Tony Award for Best Original Score at the 54th Tony Awards , and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards . The musical had its world premiere at

9130-400: The rise of disco, substitutes "honky" for "white boy" in the final chorus of the uncensored version. The British band Hot Chocolate used "honky" and "spook" in their controversial 1973 hit single " Brother Louie " about an interracial relationship as the terms chosen by the respective fathers to slur their child's newfound lover. Other uses of "honky" in music include " Honky Tonk Women "

9240-477: The same ad. John wrote music for the lyrics and then sent it to Taupin, which began their decades-long partnership that still continues . When the two first met in 1967, they recorded the first John/Taupin song, "Scarecrow". Six months later, John began going by the name Elton John in homage to two members of Bluesology: saxophonist Elton Dean and vocalist Long John Baldry . He legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972. "Hercules" came from

9350-494: The singer-songwriters Floyd Tillman and Hank Williams , but later developed a clear and sharp sound, such as that of George Jones and Faron Young . Lyrics tended to focus on working-class life, with frequently tragic themes of lost love, adultery, loneliness, alcoholism, and self-pity. Copyrighted and released in 1941, " Walking the Floor Over You ", by Ernest Tubb , his sixth release for Decca , helped establish

9460-462: The single reaching number two in the US in 1988. His albums continued to sell, but of those released in the latter half of the 1980s, only Reg Strikes Back (number 16, 1988) placed in the top 20 in the US. In 1990, John achieved his first solo UK number one hit single, with " Sacrifice " (coupled with " Healing Hands ") from the previous year's album Sleeping with the Past ; it stayed at

9570-484: The song was covered by many other musicians, including Oscar Peterson . The twelve-bar blues instrumental " Honky Tonk " by the Bill Doggett Combo, with a sinuous saxophone line and driving, slow beat, was an early rock and roll hit. New Orleans native Fats Domino was another honky-tonk piano man, whose " Blueberry Hill " and " Walkin' to New Orleans " were hits on the popular music charts. In

9680-585: The songs that launched his career as a rock star; he lived there until he had four albums simultaneously in the American Top 40. At age 15, with his mother's and stepfather's help, John was hired as a pianist at a nearby pub, the Northwood Hills Hotel, playing Thursday to Sunday nights. Known simply as "Reggie", he played a range of popular standards, including songs by Jim Reeves and Ray Charles , as well as his own songs. A stint with

9790-412: The style evolved in response to an environment in which the pianos were often poorly cared for, tending to be out of tune and having some nonfunctioning keys. Honky-tonk music influenced the boogie-woogie piano style, as indicated by Jelly Roll Morton 's 1938 record "Honky Tonk Music" and Meade Lux Lewis 's hit "Honky Tonk Train Blues." Lewis recorded the latter many times from 1927 into the 1950s, and

9900-433: The subversive weapon of humor. However, the effect that this theme had on television created both negative and positive criticism and the use of anti-racist messages actually escalates the use of racial slurs. The presence of higher education may countermand this effect. Honky-tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk , honkey-tonk , honky tonk , or tonk ) is either a bar that provides country music for

10010-507: The term nigger . The Department of Defense stated in 1967 that National Chairman of the SNCC, H. Rap Brown , told a Black audience in Cambridge that "You should burn that school down and then go take over the honkie's school" on June 24, 1967. Brown went on to say: "[I]f America don't come 'round, we got to burn it down. You better get some guns, brother. The only thing the honky respects

10120-879: The term honky-tonk is unknown. The earliest known use in print is an article in the Peoria Journal dated June 28, 1874, stating, "The police spent a busy day today raiding the bagnios and honkytonks." There are subsequent citations from 1890 in The Dallas Morning News , 1892 in the Galveston Daily News ( Galveston, Texas ) (which used the term to refer to an adult establishment in Fort Worth ), and in 1894 in The Daily Ardmoreite in Oklahoma. Early uses of

10230-621: The term "honky-tonk" is disputed, originally referring to bawdy variety shows in areas of the old West ( Oklahoma , the Indian Territories and mostly Texas ) and to the actual theaters showing them. The first music genre to be commonly known as honky-tonk was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony ; the style evolved in response to an environment in which pianos were often poorly cared for, tending to be out of tune and having some nonfunctioning keys. This honky-tonk music

10340-421: The term in print mostly appear along a corridor roughly coinciding with cattle drive trails extending from Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, into south central Oklahoma, suggesting that the term may have been a localism spread by cowboys driving cattle to market. The sound of honky-tonk (or honk-a-tonk ) and the types of places that were called honky-tonks suggests that the term may be an onomatopoeic reference to

10450-463: The theaters housing them. The earliest mention of them in print refers to them as "variety theaters" and describe the entertainment as "variety shows". The theaters often had an attached gambling house and always a bar. In recollections long after the frontiers closed, writers such as Wyatt Earp and E.C. Abbott referred to honky-tonks in the cowtowns of Kansas, Nebraska, and Montana in the 1870s and 1880s. Their recollections contain lurid accounts of

10560-496: The top 20 there, with the latter reaching the top 5. In 1979, accompanied by Ray Cooper , John became one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union and Israel. John returned to the US top ten with " Mama Can't Buy You Love " (number 9), a song MCA rejected in 1977, recorded with Philadelphia soul producer Thom Bell . John said Bell was the first person to give him voice lessons and encouraged him to sing in

10670-718: The top of the Billboard 200 , and began a streak of seven consecutive US number-one albums. The album reached number two in the UK, and spawned the hit singles " Rocket Man " and " Honky Cat ". In 1972 John performed at the Royal Variety Performance , where he was upstaged by the dancing of Larry Smith , the drummer with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band . Smith was invited to join John's second US tour; Smith later said: "I suggested adding in various other bizarre elements like me doing " Singin' in

10780-495: The top spot for five weeks. The following year, "Basque" won the Grammy for Best Instrumental , and a guest concert appearance at Wembley Arena John made on George Michael 's cover of " Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me " was released as a single and topped the charts in both the UK and the US. At the 1991 Brit Awards in London, John won Best British Male. In 1992, John released the US number 8 album The One , featuring

10890-586: The women and violence accompanying the shows. However, in contemporary accounts these were nearly always called hurdy-gurdy shows, possibly derived from the term hurdy-gurdy , which was sometimes mistakenly applied to a small, portable barrel organ that was frequently played by organ grinders and buskers . As late as 1913, Col. Edwin Emerson, a former Rough Rider commander, hosted a honky-tonk party in New York City . The Rough Riders were recruited from

11000-675: The year at the first annual Rock Music Awards in Santa Monica, California. In May 1976, the live album Here and There was released, followed in October by the album Blue Moves , which contained the single " Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word ". His biggest success in 1976 was " Don't Go Breaking My Heart ", a duet with Kiki Dee that topped a number of charts, including the UK, the US, Australia, France and Canada. Besides being John's most commercially successful period, 1970–1976

11110-605: The years before World War II, the music industry began to refer to honky-tonk music played from Texas and Oklahoma to the West Coast as hillbilly music . More recently, the term has come to refer to the primary sound in country music , developing in Nashville as Western swing became accepted there. Originally, it featured the guitar , fiddle , string bass , and steel guitar (imported from Hawaiian folk music ). The vocals were originally rough and nasal, as exemplified by

11220-407: Was an important influence on the boogie-woogie piano style. Before World War II, the music industry began to refer to hillbilly music being played from Texas and Oklahoma to the West Coast as "honky-tonk" music. In the 1950s, honky-tonk entered its golden age , with the popularity of Webb Pierce , Hank Locklin , Lefty Frizzell , Faron Young , George Jones , and Hank Williams . The origin of

11330-652: Was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2020. Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner , Middlesex (now part of the London Borough of Harrow ), the eldest child of Stanley Dwight (1925–1991) and only child of Sheila Eileen (née Harris; 1925–2017). He was raised in a council house in Pinner by his maternal grandparents. His parents married in 1945, when

11440-828: Was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians such as the Isley Brothers , Major Lance and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles . In 1966, the band became Long John Baldry 's supporting band and played 16 times at the Marquee Club . In 1967, John answered an advertisement in the British music paper New Musical Express , placed by Ray Williams , then the A&;R manager for Liberty Records . At their first meeting, Williams gave John an unopened envelope of lyrics written by Bernie Taupin , who had answered

11550-542: Was determined by a postcard lottery, with each winner allowed two tickets. Everyone who attended the performances received a hardbound "yearbook" of the band's history. That year, he also played piano on Kevin Ayers 's Sweet Deceiver and was among the first and few white artists to appear on the African-American television series Soul Train . On 9 August 1975, John was named the outstanding rock personality of

11660-515: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Guns N' Roses ' frontman Axl Rose . In 1995, he released the album Made in England (number 3). The title track is an autobiographical recounting of parts of his life. The album also featured the single " Believe ". John performed "Believe" at the 1995 Brit Awards and won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize. In September 1995, he appeared as Angel Rick on

11770-531: Was raised primarily by his mother and maternal grandmother. When his father was home, the Dwights had vehement arguments that greatly distressed John. When he was 14, they divorced. His mother then married a local painter, Fred Farebrother, a caring and supportive stepfather whom John affectionately called "Derf" ("Fred" backward). They moved into flat No. 3A in an eight-unit apartment building called Frome Court, not far from both previous homes. There John wrote

11880-527: Was released in April 1970 on DJM Records/ Pye Records in the UK and Uni Records in the US, and established the formula for subsequent albums: gospel-chorded rockers and poignant ballads. The album's first single, " Border Song ", peaked at 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The second, " Your Song ", reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart and number eight in the US, becoming John's first hit single as

11990-453: Was released in October 1970 and reached number two in the UK and number five in the US. The live album 17-11-70 (titled 11–17–70 in the US) was recorded at a live show aired from A&R Studios on WABC-FM in New York City. Sales of the live album took a blow in the US when an east-coast bootlegger released the performance several weeks before the official album, including all 60 minutes of

12100-715: Was released, which was the soundtrack to the British animated television series of the same name. "Up The Revolution" was John's track, alongside contributions from George Harrison , the Bee Gees and Eric Clapton. The album was issued briefly, and only in the UK. "For myself as well as for many others no one has been there more for inspiration than Elton John. When we talk of great rock duos like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant , John (Lennon) and Paul (McCartney) , Mick (Jagger) and Keith (Richards) , I like to think of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Also tonight I think that Elton should be honoured for his great work and contribution in

#489510