03/25/1947
Elton John was born on this day.

03/01/1968
Elton John's first single, 'I've Been Loving You', was released in England.

01/17/1969
'Lady Samantha' was released in England. It was one of the very first recordings by Reginald Kenneth Dwight, better known as Elton John.

12/23/1969
Elton John and Bernie Taupin began writing songs together.

04/21/1970
Elton John performed at The Roundhouse in London as part of his first tour. Appearing in the same show are T. Rex, Spooky Tooth and Jackie Lomax.

08/22/1970
Elton John signed to MCA Records.

08/25/1970
Elton John made his first live appearance in the U.S. He opened for David Ackles at 'The Troubadour' in Los Angeles, CA.

11/17/1970
Elton John recorded a show in New York City which was later released as his 11-17-70 album.

11/28/1970
Elton John's 'Your Song' was released.

12/09/1972
Elton John's 'Crocodile Rock' was released.

11/04/1974
Elton John released his 'Greatest Hits' LP.

11/28/1974
Elton John and John Lennon sang a duet of 'I Saw Her Standing There' at Madison Square Garden in New York. The show was John Lennon's last stage appearance.

05/21/1975
'Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy' became the first album to debut on the American charts at number one. Two days later on May 21st, 1975 it was certified Gold, selling over 500,000 copies.

06/07/1975
Elton John's 'Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy' album became the first album ever to enter the US chart at #1.

11/01/1975
The song 'Island Girl' by Elton John topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.

11/21/1975
Elton John received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

03/07/1976
Elton John was put on display in wax at London's Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

07/04/1976
Elton John and Kiki Dee's 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' was released.

07/24/1976
Elton John finally made it to the top of the charts in the UK, with his single with Kiki Dee whom he debuted on a contagious love song, 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' made it to the #1 spot for 6 weeks, then repeating the process in the US chart, for 4 weeks.

11/03/1977
During a concert in London, Elton John announced that he was retiring from live performances. He resumed touring on February 3, 1979 in Sweden.

02/03/1979
Elton John resumed live performing in Sweden 15 months after he had announced that he would not perform live anymore.

05/21/1979
Elton takes Rock to Russia, he played the first of eight concerts in Lenigrad becoming the first solo Western Rock Artist to undertake a tour of the USSR.

09/27/1979
Elton John collapsed onstage while performing 'Better Off Dead' at the Universal Amphitheatre. After a ten-minute delay, John returned and completed the concert. He was suffering from exhaustion brought on by the flu.

09/21/1980
Elton John signed a long-term exclusive contract with Geffen Records.

08/17/1984
The first night of his 'Breaking Hearts' Tour, Elton John announced that he was retiring from touring.

07/13/1985
Elton John resigned with MCA Records in America, his five-album deal being worth 8 million, the biggest advance in history at that time.

12/14/1986
Elton John recorded a live version of 'Candle in the Wind' that would later be released as a single.

01/06/1987
Elton John cancelled all live performances for a year after having throat surgery.

09/08/1988
Elton John sold some of his costumes and concert memorabilia at an auction in London for $6.2 million.

08/29/1990
Elton John checked into a rehab center in Chicago, IL, for bulimia, drinking and drugs.

10/21/1992
Elton John files a $35 Million lawsuit accusing a reporter from the TV show 'Hard Copy' of falsely stating that he had moved to Atlanta to be near an AIDS treatment center.

11/04/1992
Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin sign a $39 million publishing contract with Warner-Chappell music.

11/12/1992
Elton John performed in Mexico for the first time for 90,000 people in Mexico City.

09/19/1997
VH1 aired 'Storytellers' live for the first time. The show was a 90 minute special featuring Elton John from the House of Blues in New Orleans, LA.

11/13/2000
Elton John released his live album 'One Night Only'. It was recorded at Madison Square Garden only 22 days before.

04/18/2006
The five-day sale of 10,000 pieces of designer clothing owned by Sir Elton John and partner David Furnish began on this day. Held in a temporary shop in the Rockefeller Center in New York, the sale raised 395,000 pounds ($700,000) for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

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