The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members (albeit not continuously) since 1970, 1971 and 1973 respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both British, American, and European musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.
The band was originally formed by John in 1970 as a trio, consisting of himself, drummer Olsson, and bassist Dee Murray. They first appeared together on disc with John on the album Tumbleweed Connection, which was released that same year. Over the next few years, guitarist Johnstone and percussionist Cooper also joined the band, forming the band's classic lineup. The critical success of the band was at its peak in the 1970s, when they released a streak of chart-topping albums in the US and UK, which began with Honky Château (1972) and culminated with Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975).
After the release of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, John fired Murray and Olsson from the band and added several new musicians to the band's lineup, including Kenny Passarelli, Caleb Quaye, James Newton Howard, and Cindy Bullens, as John wanted to achieve a different sound. This lineup first appeared on disc on the 1975 album Rock of the Westies, but all left the band by either the late 1970s or early 1980s respectively. Olsson rejoined the band in 1980 alongside Murray, who continued to perform with the band until his death in 1992. New musicians that joined the band around this time include Richie Zito, Tim Renwick, Fred Mandel, Charlie Morgan, David Paton, Helena Springs, Jody Linscott, Jonathan Moffett, and Guy Babylon. Of these musicians, Babylon remained a member of the band for the longest amount of the time, being in the group from 1988 until his death in 2009, whereas the other members left at some point before the end of the 1980s. John Mahon joined the band in 1997, and Kim Bullard and Matt Bissonette joined in 2009 and 2012 respectively, which alongside John, Olsson, Johnstone, and Cooper, formed the current lineup of the band. Their most recent album is Wonderful Crazy Night, released in 2016.
Since the group's formation, John performed with his band over 4,000 times, beginning with the Elton John 1970 World Tour and concluding with the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which began in 2018 and concluded in 2023.[1] John and Cooper also toured outside of the band as a duo between 1977 and 2012.[2]
The Elton John Band was formed in 1970, and was initially a trio consisting of Elton John on piano and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and backing vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and backing vocals.[3][4][5] Murray and Olsson first appeared together on disc with John on the song "Amoreena" from the 1970 studio album Tumbleweed Connection. The following year, they were featured on the live album 17-11-70.
Davey Johnstone, who had previously played on John's lyricist Bernie Taupin's 1971 solo album Taupin, first appeared on disc with John and his band on the 1971 album Madman Across the Water, after which he was invited to join the Elton John Band as a full member.[6] Johnstone's debut album with John as a full-time member of his band was Honky Château, on which he played electric and acoustic guitars, slide guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and also sang backing vocals alongside Murray and Olsson. Ray Cooper began playing with the band as a percussionist in 1973, though he did not become a full-time member of the band until 2016. The arrival of he and Johnstone in the group formed the classic line-up of the band, which played on the albums Honky Château, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, and went on several world tours.[7][8]
In February 1975, the non-album single "Philadelphia Freedom" was credited to The Elton John Band, along with the single's B-side "I Saw Her Standing There" (recorded live with John Lennon at Madison Square Garden) and the band's 1974 cover of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (which also featured Lennon on backing vocals and guitar). After the release of Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Murray and Olsson were released from the band because John wanted to achieve a different sound. He added several new musicians to the band's lineup, including Kenny Passarelli, Caleb Quaye, James Newton Howard, and Cindy Bullens, who first appeared together on disc with John on the album Rock of the Westies, but all left the band by either the late 1970s or early 1980s respectively.[9] In 1979, John and Cooper toured Israel and the USSR as a duo, which proved successful. They also performed concerts together a total of 234 times in ten of the years between 1977 and 2012.[2][10]
Murray and Olsson rejoined the band in 1980, starting with 21 at 33. He and Olsson backed John during his landmark concert in New York City's Central Park before more than 400,000 fans on the Great Lawn on 13 September 1980, and appeared on The Fox in 1981. Murray went on to contribute all the bass tracks on Jump Up! in 1982, and joined Olsson and Johnstone for the Jump Up! Tour, followed by albums and tours for Too Low for Zero (1983) and Breaking Hearts (1984), and Reg Strikes Back (1988). New musicians that joined the band around this time include Richie Zito, Tim Renwick, Fred Mandel, Charlie Morgan, David Paton, Helena Springs, Jody Linscott, Jonathan Moffett, and Guy Babylon. Of these new musicians, Babylon remained a member of the band for the longest amount of the time, being in the group from 1988 until his death in 2009, whereas the other members left at some point before the end of the 1980s.
Murray died in 1992, having suffered a stroke after battling skin cancer for a number of years. According to Murray's obituary,[11] that March, John and his band performed two tribute concerts at the Grand Ole Opry to raise money to support Murray's family.[11] New musicians that joined the band in the 1990s included Bob Birch (who remained in the band until his death in 2012) and John Jorgenson (who left the band in 2000). John and his band toured with fellow pianist and musician Billy Joel in 1994, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, and 2010. John Mahon joined the band in 1997, and Kim Bullard and Matt Bissonette joined the band in 2009 and 2012 respectively. John, Olsson, Johnstone and Cooper are the only members left from the band's classic lineup in the early 1970s. In 2016, this lineup of the band joined John for the Wonderful Crazy Night tour, and two years later joined John for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour, which was John and his band's final tour consisting of more than 300 concerts worldwide.[12]
By the end of the first leg of the tour on 18 March 2019, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour grossed over $125 million and won a Billboard Music Award in the category Top Rock Tour.[13][14] The leg in Oceania became the highest-grossing tour of 2020, ending right before the tour was put on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16][17][18][19] In January 2022, the tour had resumed and the dates for 2020 and 2021 were rescheduled to 2022 and 2023. It was also announced by Olsson that the members of the band would wear masks and have tests every two days during the tour.[20] Two gigs in Dallas were postponed after John tested positive for COVID-19 and began experiencing mild symptoms from the disease.[21][22][23] These Dallas gigs were resumed after John made a full recovery from the virus. John and his band toured across the UK and Europe (including gigs at Liverpool and Watford) throughout early 2022, and did three consecutive gigs at Dodger Stadium in late 2022. On 2 December 2022 John announced the final leg of the UK tour would be headlining Glastonbury festival in 2023, saying "There is no more fitting way to say goodbye to my British fans". The tour concluded following a performance at Stockholm on 8 July 2023, and became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. John has said that he will now only perform in small venues.[24][25][26]
Madman Across the Water is the fourth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1971 through DJM and Uni Records. The album was his third album to be released in 1971, at which point John had been rising to prominence as a popular music artist. John's first progressive rock album, Madman Across the Water contains nine tracks, each composed and performed by John and with lyrics written by songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman plays Hammond organ on two songs.
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is the ninth studio album by English musician Elton John. The album is an autobiographical account of the early musical careers of Elton John and his long-term lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was released in May 1975 by MCA Records in America and DJM in the UK and was an instant commercial success. The album was certified gold before its release, and reached No. 1 in its first week of release on the US Billboard 200, the first album to achieve both honours. It sold 1.4 million copies within four days of release, and stayed in the top position in the chart for seven weeks.
"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier.
Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.
David William Logan Johnstone is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band.
Breaking Hearts is the eighteenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1984. It features the quartet of John, Davey Johnstone, Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson. There were four top-40 singles from the album: "Sad Songs ", "Who Wears These Shoes", "In Neon", and the UK No. 5 hit "Passengers".
"Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France, where John and his team had previously recorded the Honky Château album. It was released on 27 October 1972 in the UK and 20 November 1972 in the U.S., as a pre-release single from his forthcoming 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, and became his first U.S. number-one single, reaching the top spot on 3 February 1973, and staying there for three consecutive weeks. In the U.S., it was certified Gold on 5 February 1973 and Platinum on 13 September 1995 by the RIAA.
David Murray Oates, known as Dee Murray, was an English bass guitarist. He was best known for his long-time collaboration with Elton John as a member of the Elton John Band.
The Night and Day Concert is a concert performed by Elton John on 30 June 1984 in the Wembley Stadium. It was broadcast live in full on BBC Radio 1, borrowing Radio 2's FM stereo frequencies.
"Have Mercy on the Criminal" is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the most frequent live-track on the album besides the two dominating singles, "Daniel" and "Crocodile Rock".
Breaking Hearts Tour was the North American leg of the Elton John Breaking Hearts Tour. The European leg was dubbed "European Express". The tour started on 17 August 1984, at Tempe, Arizona. It included five sold-out concerts in New York City performed at Madison Square Garden.
The Too Low for Zero Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 17th studio album Too Low for Zero. The tour consisted in 24 shows across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
The Jump Up! Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 16th studio album Jump Up!. The tour included five legs and a total of 135 shows.
The Diving Board Tour was a concert tour by British musician Elton John taking place in North, South and Central America and Europe in promotion of John's 2013 album The Diving Board.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John taking place in North America and Europe in promotion of the 40th anniversary re-release of 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
All the Hits Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John that took place in North America, Europe and Oceania in 2015.
The Final Curtain Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John which took place in North America in 2015.
The 1980 World Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 14th studio album 21 at 33. the tour included two legs and a total of 63 shows.
The Rock of the Westies Tour was a North American concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. The tour included a total of 17 shows across the United States and Canada.
The Louder Than Concorde Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer Elton John, in support of his 10th studio album Rock of the Westies. the tour included two legs and a total of 62 shows.
References
↑ "The Band". Elton John. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
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