Sir Elton John: The True Superhero of Costumes

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Elton John’s credentials as a True Superhero are impeccable; not just because of Rocketman, the glitzy 2019 Hollywood biopic of his many superheroic exploits, but also the trail that he has blazed through the entertainment industry since the 1970s, clearing a path for countless other gay entertainers following in his wake. It’s been a rocky road, along which Elton has had to battle his own personal demons as well as those of a deeply homophobic culture, but like all True Superheroes he has not just prevailed, but done so with tremendous style, and even taken the role a bit further than most with some extraordinary costume work!

From Reginald to Elton

Elton John was born in the London suburb of Pinner in 1947 and given the less superhero-worthy name of Reginald Dwight by his parents. His family were musical but poor, and as a small child he was raised in his grandmother’s council house. It was here that he first learned how to play the piano, displaying a prodigious talent for the instrument at an early age and winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music when he was just 11 years old, but his father, Stanley, did not approve of his desire to become a musician. Stanley was a strict disciplinarian who wanted to steer his son toward a more conventional career, but Stanley was rarely home and had little time for his son. Elton’s parents divorced when he was 14 and a year later he formed his first band, Bluesology, with help from his mother.

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Bluesology quickly outgrew sleepy Pinner. In 1963, they were hired as regular weekly performers at The Establishment, a fashionable nightclub and comedy venue in London’s West End. By 1965 they had turned professional and were traveling around Europe as a backing band for US soul stars such as Patti LaBelle, the Drifters and the Ink Spots. Bluesology were also recording their own material but, by John’s admission, his efforts as a solo songwriter were lacking. The music was great but he couldn’t write lyrics! Fortunately, this problem was remedied in 1967 when an A&R man called Ray Williams introduced Reginald Dwight to a young lyricist called Bernie Taupin, who would be his writing partner for the rest of his career. Soon after, Reginald Dwight jettisoned his clunky name for one more fitting of a True Superhero pop star - Elton Hercules John. 

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