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(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Elton John has never been shy about the artists that he loves. Despite being one of the biggest names in popular music over the last half-century, he never stopped being a pure fan of music, and that usually meant trying to collaborate with anyone he could when he had the time. However, John didn’t start his career as an icon, and it took a long time before he became worthy of working with true rock and roll greats.
When looking at his career trajectory, no one would have guessed that Reginald Dwight would be one of the biggest stars in the world. He knew his way around the piano and could play beautifully in the background when the time called for it, but even when he reschristened himself ‘Elton John’, it’s not like people were lining up to work with him once he and Bernie Taupin started crafting tunes.
In fact, there was a good chance that Empty Sky knocked them back a few points in many people’s eyes. Tunes like ‘Your Song’ hadn’t been written yet, and this hodgepodge of everything from psychedelic bliss to singer-songwriter tunes was an absolute mess to sit through. If you wanted to see what John was capable of, though, you needed to see what he could do on the live stage.
Throughout his first tour, John started incorporating theatrics into his shows, and all signs pointed to him going to America. There wasn’t a buzz for him to arrive yet, and John only agreed so that he could go to a few record stores while he was there, but the minute that he went to Los Angeles, he got the opportunity of a lifetime when he got a gig playing at the Troubadour.
While the venue hadn’t yet become the rite of passage that it would soon be known as, the gig was so good that it transformed his perception in the public’s mind. This was a born entertainer who was going to do everything he could to get the audience on their feet whenever he played, but there was a small possibility that John could have been joined onstage that night by another rock and roll legend.
According to John, he was supposed to take the stage with Jeff Beck, but due to managerial shenanigans, the guitar virtuoso had to be pulled from the gig, saying, “I’d met him in London and got along with him fantastically well. But Jeff’s manager stepped in and said that because he was already so big in the States, I’d get 10% and Jeff would get 90. I hear [manager] Dick [James] saying: ‘Listen, I guarantee you this boy will be earning $10,000 a night in six months!’. The Jeff Beck thing fell through, and I was sulking.”
Granted, there’s a good chance that having another legend onstage with him that night could have also been a detriment to his career. John already had to worry about legends like Leon Russell being in the audience that night while he played, but if there was someone to anchor him that night, he may not have come out of his shell and become the rock and roll legend he is today.
After all, the best rock and roll stories come from someone that thrives under pressure, and when John first hit the stage, he wasn’t there to deliver a passable performance of his songs, He was going to make sure that every single person in the venue was left shellshocked by what they had witnessed.
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