Sir Elton John, the British singer-songwriter, composer, and pianist, has been performing professionally since the mid 1960s.¹ In an industry known for its 1 hit or album wonders, Elton John has proven that he has that elusive something, that makes him among the select few who are the enduring stars in the music industry.
Born with the name Reginald Kenneth Dwight, John and a group of friends formed Bluesology in 1964. After the band’s reincarnation in 1966 as Long John Baldry’s band, Elton Dean joined the group as the sax player.²
When he left Baldry’s band to pursue his own career, John decided it was time for a name change.
If you’re going to make a record, Reg Dwight is not going to make it,
Source: A Star Is Born—Just Not with That Name, Woman’s Day
So Reg Dwight decided to combine the first names of sax player Elton Dean, and band front-man John Baldry, to come up with his new moniker: Elton John.³
Elton Dean may not have become as famous as Elton John, but the alto and Saxello player did alright for himself. According to the biography provided on his BBC artist page:
Dean established his reputation as a member of the Keith Tippett Sextet from 1968 to 1970, and in the band Soft Machine from 1969 to 1972. Shortly before leaving Soft Machine he started his own group, Just Us. From 1975 to 1978 he led a nine-piece band called Ninesense, performing at the Bracknell Jazz Festival and similar events. His own groups since then, usually quartets or quintets, have most often worked in the free jazz mode, with little or no pre-composed material. At the same time, he continued to work with other groups that are very composition-based, such as guitarist Phil Miller’s In Cahoots, drummer Pip Pyle’s Equipe Out, and various projects with former Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper.
Source: BBC Artist page on Elton Dean
This recording was done at the Covent Garden Jazz Saxophone Festival, in 1989.
Source: discogs.com
Elton Dean died on February 8, 2006.
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