http://nigelgoodall.co.uk/books/tin-pan-al...-of-elton-john/With first-hand accounts from the people who knew him best, this book details Elton’s formative years: from training as a classical pianist at the Royal Academy of Music; his time as a jobbing songwriter in London’s Tin Pan Alley; performing his first live gigs; his eventual rise to superstardom in the ‘70s.
The author has obtained exclusive interviews with everyone from Elton’s first piano teacher through to band mates in Bluesology and the Elton John Band, managers Ray Williams and John Reid, collaborators such as Kiki Dee, keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, personal friends like film director Bryan Forbes as well as band members and many more. They all contribute to a vivid picture of Elton’s journey along the Yellow Brick Road from Tin Pan Alley to Top Of The Pops.
With two picture sections of never-before-seen photos, Tin Pan Alley: The Rise of Elton John, is the first biography to focus entirely on Elton’s formative years from 1964 to 1979, and the only one that dares to get up close and personal to his private and public life. For Elton’s army of fans and those interested in British musical history, this book is a must.
http://nigelgoodall.co.uk/books/tin-pan-al...uction-excerpt/Advance Introduction Excerpt
This book is not a single biography. It is effectively over forty autobiographies in one, based on interviews, over two or more years with almost every musican, producer, sound engineer, manager and key figure that worked in the 60s and 70s with Reg Dwight, before and when he was Elton John, both in Britain and in America. It is their untold story, about how they contributed to the success of Elton during that time, and how Denmark Street in London, Britain’s Tin Pan Alley also played an unwitting part in his rise to fame.
Although it is my name with my writing partner’s name that appears on the cover, it is really their collection of stories that make this book possible. They were the people who were there, observing what was going on and, in some cases, in close proximity to Elton. It is their thoughts, feelings and observations, and even though I have sometimes been shocked with what I have been told, it really is the story of those who still see Elton as an acquaintance or as a friend. To my knowledge, it is the first time any of them have spoken out about their years working and sharing Elton’s life.
Throughout my research, and since following his career from when he started, I am still amazed and surprised by what an amazingly complicated personality Elton actually is, and now, even more so. Even though this work shows him in both good and bad light, I do hope that Elton himself will consider this book to be an accurate and fair recollection to the formative years of an astonishing career, and remind him of his early beginnings.
My own affinity with Elton John goes back as far as some of those of my contributors. I had just turned eleven when Elton released his first album and single. Like all of Britain, I sat transfixed in front of my radio the first time I head it on Radio Luxembourg, which for most teenagers was listened to under a blanket at night. But when I heard Rocket Man a couple of years later, I was astonished by what I heard because it was such a unique sound, like nothing I had ever heard before. Since that time, and since persuading my younger sister to swap her copy of the record for my 45rpm single of George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, I have wanted to know everything there was to know about the man and his music for the period that this book covers. Eventually, my fascination set me on a path to find out more, talk to the people who were involved in helping to create such an impact on my appreciation for music and write about it. The result is the book that you now hold in your hand. It was something that the BBC also became intrigued by in the summer of 2011 when they commissioned a programme on the very same period I was writing about. Can you imagine when I heard that their documentary, Madman Across The Water: The Making of Elton John, was to follow what I had been researching for the last two years or more, and were even approaching some of those I had interviewed. I was thrilled when each of those interviewees called me up to tell me that they had given me a lot more insight, opinion and recollection for my book than they intended to give to the television programme. I was simply astounded when they asked if I objected to them talking to the BBC about what they had told me, as they really wanted my book to tell the full story.
My greatest wish for this book is that Elton’s fans will enjoy delving into this, so-far untold account of what really happened, how, when and where. Certainly it reveals a very revealing side to the story of his early life and career in far greater detail than has ever been published previously. But I also hope it will be seen as a definitive account that uncovers the history of sixties pop music, cultures, fads and fashions, which, in turn, will hopefully appeal to all those who still work in the business, and of course, for those, interested in its history.
Like the 1950s, the sixties and seventies were unique decades in the world of popular music, which are unlikely to ever be repeated again. My hope is that this book will be a kindly reminder of that time though the words, thoughts and commentary of my collaborators.
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0957144...ASIN=0957144202Attached Image: Tin_Pan-front-web-books
