Iconic, multi-awarded singer, Elton John has embarked on a major tour to bid farewell to his audience. Aged 77, and after several decades spent in the showbusiness world, he believes that it is high time for him to take a rest. But the revelations concerning his colorful personality are far from over.
The reason why Elton John changed his first name
Around the world, the artist is known as Sir Elton John, since he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. But like many celebrities, the singer chose to pursue a career under an identity very different from his birth name, as he confided on the set of the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert”.
“You weren’t always Elton John, you were born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, an absolutely charming first name,” commented the presenter, before being taken up by his guest: “It’s an absolutely shitty name. Who calls his baby like that?”, he lamented. “A baby named Reginald? That’s nonsense.” Also, as soon as he had the opportunity, the singer gave up his birth name to officially adopt the one he had chosen: Elton Hercules John.
A family name born from an argument
This interview was an opportunity for Elton John to return to the origin of his birth name, which is also a family name. “I was named after my mother’s brother, because she wanted to call me Raymond, but my father didn’t agree and they had a huge argument – which wasn’t unusual . And I became Reginald,” he explains before clarifying: “I hated my first name. I changed it as soon as I could.”
To choose his new name, Elton John was inspired by several of his heroes: Elton Dean, saxophonist of the 60s group Bluesology, and Long John Baldry, the singer of the group. Hercules, his middle name, comes from the horse in a British sitcom called “Steptoe and Son”.
Changing his name also pushed him to change his personality, making him the artist we know today.
