In recent years, he has collaborated with several younger artists like Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa. John began collaborating with other musicians in the 1970s and early 1980s, including John Lennon, Kiki Dee and George Michael. John continued his success in the 1980s, having several hit singles including " I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues", " I'm Still Standing", " Sad Songs (Say So Much)", " Nikita" and " Sacrifice", and has continued to record new music since then.
John's most commercially successful period was the 1970s, during which he released several hit albums including Madman Across the Water (1971), Honky Château (1972), Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1973), Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975). Since 1970, he has toured with the Elton John Band as the pianist and lead singer. In 1970, his first hit single, " Your Song", from his second album, Elton John, became his first top ten in both the UK and the US. In 1969, John's debut album, Empty Sky, was released. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked as a session musician for artists. He met his longtime musical partner Taupin in 1967, after they both answered an advert for songwriters. Raised in the Pinner area of Greater London, John learned to play piano at an early age, and by 1962 had formed Bluesology, a blues band with whom he played until 1967.
Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. But for the fan who wants a good sampling of Elton throughout the years, this is ideal.Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight 25 March 1947) is an English singer, pianist and composer, with a career spanning six decades. Those who would lament the absence of "Levon," "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," "Mama Can't Buy You Love," "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues," or "I'm Still Standing" should turn to another compilation: this is not the set for them.
All the big songs - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Bennie and the Jets," "Daniel," "Crocodile Rock," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Can't You Feel the Love Tonight," "Your Song," "Candle in the Wind" - are here, which will satisfy the casual fan for whom this is designed. and U.K., there are big hits missing - whether it's classics like "Honky Cat," which never reached the pole position in the U.S., or latter-day number ones like "I Don't Want to Go on You Like That," which did top the adult contemporary chart - but it's hard to argue with what's here (with the possible exception of "Sacrifice," which does represent his late-'80s/early-'90s adult contemporary work but isn't one of his best hits). Of course, even though this pulls number ones from various charts in the U.S. (The American release subtracted one track and was titled Rocket Man: Number Ones.) He's had plenty of collections, including a good single-disc European set that circulated in the late '90s, but Rocket Man is the first to really offer a solid career-spanning overview as a single-disc set. Hard to believe, but there's never been a good single-disc overview of Elton John's biggest hits available in America until 2007's 18-track Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits.