When it comes to Elton, there’s often a reason to make merry. In a couple of months, his Caribou album turns 50. John Carsello, who has started writing a book, was the manager of the famous recording ranch in Caribou, Colorado, and he’s Radio Elton John’s latest guest!
Elton himself celebrated last week, as it was his 77th birthday. This led to plenty of tributes.
The Live For Live Music production and marketing company focused on memorable live performances. Among them was I’m Still Standing, which Elton played at the afterparty in Cannes, France, following the premiere of his Rocketman biopic.
Incidentally, the Too Low For Zero track has hit a over a billion streams on Spotify, so indeed is still standing!
Too Low For Zero is one of Elton’s best albums, according to Mojo. In honour of the singer’s birthday, the magazine came up with a list of their favourites, the most recent being The Union from 2010. They consider Elton’s ”oakened vocals” a ”perfect foil” to collaborator Leon Russell’s ”high twang.”
The Mirror and Express mentioned Elton’s property portfolio. Both were keen on a property with ties to King Henry VIII. Woodside, at the edge of Windsor Great Park, was originally erected for King Henry VIII‘s surgeon in the 1500s. The king wanted him to be nearby, and if there was an emergency, a flag would be flown at Windsor Castle.
Unfortunately, the house burned down, and has been rebuilt three times since then. It was purchased by Elton in 1975 for 400,000 pounds, and today is worth five million pounds.
On a more personal note, Bernie Taupin wrote of his love and admiration for Elton and his humanitarian work. Jake Shears and David Furnish weighed in, too.
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Shears called his friend a ”wild, wonderful man” and loves him ”to Mars.”
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Furnish praised his husband for being ”the best father, hardest working artist, and bountiful humanitarian.”
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Included in David’s post was a photo of Elton as he held the top portion of a figurine in his mouth. This was Elton in 1975 at Dodger Stadium – apparently the action figure released by Neca a couple of years back.
We can’t help but think of another unusual shot of Elton, from David LaChapelle. It shows the songwriter with a couple of eggs over his eyes, and is part of Elton and David’s photo exhibit, opening on 18 May at the Victoria and Albert museum in London, England. There are eight thematic sections exploring themes such as reportage, celebrity, and fashion.
In other UK developments, Matt Henry (Kinky Boots and The Voice) is joining the West End production of The Devil Wears Prada, opening this fall at London’s Dominion Theatre. Vanessa Williams is the only other cast member announced so far. And on the first of December, a gala performance will be held in support of World AIDS Day.
An invitation to an EJAF Academy Awards Viewing Party is about to be sold by Julien’s Auctions. It was signed by Elton and sent to Tony Bennett, and is to be auctioned off at Lincoln Center in New York. The auction runs from the 18th through 19th of April, and goes on display from the 10th through 16th of the month. Another lot consists of a 75th Birthday Book of Extraordinary Letters. That’s not an exaggeration, seeing the correspondence is from celebrities ranging from Elton to John Travolta, and even a few U.S. presidents.
Before it’s on the East Coast, the exhibition can be viewed at the Fairmont in San Francisco, California, from the 8th through 10th of April.
If you’re looking for collectibles with more of an Elton John connection, we’d recommend Gotta Have Rock and Roll‘s Pop Culture Auction . . . particularly a demo double acetate from Mills Music, recorded in 1968 but never released.
The songs are Friend of Mine, in which Elton sings and plays piano, and Here’s to You, described as a duet with ”an unknown singer.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to learn who that was? Contact us if you have an idea as to this person’s identity.
