Bedtime Biography: Me summary

In 1947, Elton John was born in a working-class suburb of north London. His father, Stanley, was in the Royal Air Force, and he was often away from home. So as a small boy, Elton spent most of his time with his mother, Sheila, and his grandmother.

It wasn’t a happy childhood. Sheila had a dreadful temper; she’d fly off the handle with no warning, and always seemed to be looking for a fight. Elton was regularly the victim of her and anger, and so he was terrified of her and her moods.

In 1967, Elton finally got a break. He was invited to audition for a music label. It would be the start of his rise to fame, but not in the way you’d think.

He failed the audition miserably. But, as Elton was about to slope out of the studio, a music executive handed him an envelope. Inside were some song lyrics from a wannabe lyricist called Berne Taupin.

Back in 1968, before Elton was famous, he’d met a woman in a club in Sheffield. Her name was Linda Woodrow. They struck up a conversation and their relationship developed over the following weeks and months. They moved in together. Then they got engaged.

When Elton asked a friend to be best man, he was shocked by the response he received. Why are you getting married? You’re gay! He’d never considered himself to be gay, he wasn’t even sure what being gay actually meant. That very evening a very drunk Elton and Linda ended up in a massive argument. They split that night, and never saw each other again.

Thanks to his rapid rise to the heights of fame, Elton John has always found himself in situations no working-class boy from the London suburbs would expect to be. And all this has given him quite a few stories to tell.

Consider the quiet lunch party that Elton hosted in the 1990s so that his mom could meet his new boyfriend – later husband – David Furnish.

You’ve reached the end of this Bedtime Biography. Thank you for listening. Why not pause listening now so you can stay in a relaxed state? And if you’re off to bed now, I wish you a good night’s sleep.