Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March 1947 as Reginald Kenneth Dwight he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11 he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (unsuccessfully) as lead singer for the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Dwight teamed up with lyricist Bernie Taupin and changed his name to Elton John (merging the names of saxophonist Elton Dean and John Bawdry). The duo wrote songs for Lulu and Roger Cook. In the early 1970s he recorded the concept album Tumbleweed Connection. He became the most successful pop artist of the 1970s and he has survived many different pop fads including punk the New Romantics and Britpop to remain one of Britain's most internationally acclaimed musicians.