Twenty-seven years after Elton John received the honor, his long-term musical partner Bernie Taupin has been made a CBE — Commander of the Order of the British Empire — as part of Queen Elizabeth II‘s annual New Year’s honors list.
Taupin received the honor in recognition of his “exceptional services to music.” A CBE is one step below a knighthood. Elton was made a CBE in 1995, and was subsequently knighted in 1998, which is why he’s now called Sir Elton John.
“Congratulations to my lyricist extraordinaire on his C.B.E that was announced today!” Elton wrote on Instagram. “I love you and you so deserve this recognition.” In the comments, Bernie replied, “Thanks my darling friend. It’s all a bit ironic isn’t it.”
Other music legends who are CBEs include Queen‘s Brian May, Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant, Sting, and the Bee Gees.
Meanwhile, Melanie Brown, aka Mel B, aka Scary Spice of the Spice Girls, was made an MBE — a Member of the Order of the British Empire. However, she wasn’t honored for her music, but for her work with Women’s Aid, a charity that helps “vulnerable women,” specifically victims of domestic violence.
“It’s just something that needs to be done.” That’s the answer Janet Jackson gives as to why she’s allowing an in-depth look into her life and her career in a new extended trailer for the two-night Lifetime special, Janet.
In the trailer, we see stars like Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry, Mariah Carey, Paula Abdul, Whoopi Goldberg, Missy Elliott, Regina King and other famous fans and colleagues comment on Janet, and the star herself talking about her childhood, her life in the spotlight, and the pressures that come with having the last name “Jackson.”
At one point, Janet also admits she felt her own career was affected by the allegations against her late brother, Michael Jackson: “Guilty by association, because that’s what they call it, right?” she notes.
Janet, which is co-produced by Janet and Randy Jackson, is described as an “intimate, honest and unfiltered look” at the superstar’s “untold story,” and the “definitive story on Janet Jackson” that leaves “no stone unturned.”
With 2021 now in the rear-view mirror, it’s a good time to look ahead at some of the artists planning to release new music in the new year — including John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams and Tears for Fears.
Mellencamp’s new album, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack, will be released on January 21, and will include three collaborations with Bruce Springsteen.
Adams has a new album called So Happy It Hurts that’s coming out on March 11.
As for Tears for Fears, the veteran British duo will release their first new studio album in 17 years, The Tipping Point, on February 25.
In addition, Motown legends The Temptations will be celebrating their 60th anniversary with a new album aptly titled Temptations 60 that’s due out on January 28. That same day, U.K. classic rockers Jethro Tull will release their first new studio album in 18 years, The Zealot Gene.
Other releases scheduled for February include Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash and his side group Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators‘ 4 on February 4, plus Scorpions‘ Rock Believer and Guns N’ Roses’ Hard Skool EP on February 25.
Country legend Dolly Parton will release a new album titled Run, Rose, Run in March as a companion to a novel of the same name that she’s co-written with author James Patterson.
Other artists expected to release albums this year include Journey, Todd Rundgren, Joe Walsh, Bonnie Raitt and, possibly, Springsteen, who revealed in May 2021 that he had “a record coming out soon.”
Rundgren’s previously announced album, Space Force, features Todd collaborating with a variety of musicians.
Here’s a list of notable confirmed or expected releases for 2022, by month:
1/7 — David Bowie, TOY (TOY:BOX) (box set focusing on unreleased 2000 album)
1/14 — Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Boy Named If
1/21 — John Mellencamp, Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
1/28 — Jethro Tull, The Zealot Gene
2/4 — Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, 4
2/25 — Guns N’ Roses, Hard Skool EP
2/25 — Scorpions, Rock Believer
2/25 — Soft Cell, Happiness Not Included
2/25 — Tears for Fears, The Tipping Point
March — Dolly Parton, Run, Rose, Run
3/11 — Bryan Adams, So Happy It Hurts
3/25 — Various Artists, Legacy: A Tribute to Leslie West (featuring Slash, Dee Snider, Martin Barre, Joe Lynn Turner, Elliot Easton, Robby Krieger & others)
Unconfirmed or details not yet announced:
Bonnie Raitt — Just Like That…
Todd Rundgren — Space Force
Journey — TBA
Joe Walsh — TBA
Bruce Springsteen — TBA
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of many New Year’s Eve concerts and events, but you’ll still be able to see some of your favorite artists performing Friday night on select TV specials.
Among the veteran stars who will be featured performing to help ring in 2022 are Journey, Duran Duran, and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong.
Journey is one of the artists set to perform on 50th annual installment of ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, which airs at 8 p.m. ET. The Rock & Roll Hall of of Famers are among several acts that will appear live in New York City’s Times Square, along with award-winning Colombian singer Karol G.
Other performers on the special include Avril Lavigne with Travis Barker, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Billy Porter, OneRepublic, AJR with Daisy the Great, Måneskin, French Montana, and Daddy Yankee.
Duran Duran will perform on CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live, hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, which will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. Other artists who will perform or appear on the special include Katy Perry, Patti LaBelle and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Armstrong is slated to to perform on Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party, an NBC special hosted by pop star Miley Cyrus and Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The lineup also includes Brandi Carlile, Saweetie, 24kGoldn and others. Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party airs at 10:30 p.m. ET.
The recently announced documentary Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name, which focuses on the friendship and musical collaboration between the two lauded singer/songwriters, premieres on CNN this Sunday, January 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The documentary takes as its starting point the concert that Carole King and James Taylor did in 2007 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the famous Los Angeles-area club The Troubadour, where they’d first played together in 1970. The ’07 show, which featured them performing songs like “You’ve Got a Friend,” led to a 2010 arena tour.
The film documents the tour and also features new interviews with King and Taylor, as well as with the now-legendary session musicians who played with them in 1970, 2007 and 2010, including guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bass player Lee Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel.
In a preview clip featuring an interview segment with King and Taylor, Carole tells James, “When we first met and we sat down to play…it was like we had played together our entire lives. We had a musical language in common, and we had listened to a lot of the same things.”
Taylor responds, “I think that you and I probably just had the same musical DNA, musical sources who are probably the same…Of course, a lot of what I had been listening to was you.”
Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name was directed and produced by Frank Marshall, who also directed HBO’s acclaimed Bee Gees documentary How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, and produced Hulu’s McCartney 3, 2, 1 docuseries.
Besides airing on CNN, the film will be livestreamed via CNN’s various apps, and then will be available on demand from January 3 through January 9.
Jim Dyson/Getty Images; Phillip Massey/Getty Images; Paras Griffin/Getty Images
The music world said goodbye to many influential and beloved artists in 2021, including two Rock & Roll Hall Fame inductees who both spent more than a half century with their respective bands, and a singer and songwriter who came to fame as the member of a pop-rock group created for a 1960s TV show.
On August 24, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the age of 80. Watts played his first show with the band in February 1963 and went on to keep the beat for the British rock legends for more than 58 years. Shortly before his death, it was announced that Watts had undergone a medical procedure that would likely force him to miss the Stones planned 2021 U.S. tour. Veteran session drummer Steve Jordan was handpicked by Charlie to step in for him on the trek.
Less than a month before Watts’ death, on July 28, ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill passed away at his home in Houston at age 72. Hill joined the legendary Texas trio in 1970, shortly after the band’s formation. At the time of his death, Hill was forced to take a break from the band’s 50th anniversary tour to attend to a medical issue with his hip. ZZ Top’s longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis, had been tapped to fill in for Dusty, and he’s has continued to play bass with the group.
On December 10, Michael Nesmith of The Monkees died of natural causes at age 78. Just a few weeks earlier, Nesmith had completed a farewell Monkees tour with the only other surviving member of the group, Micky Dolenz. Created as a fictional group for the hugely popular comedy series The Monkees, the band members wound up eventually contributing some original songs and playing instruments on some of their recordings. Both in and outside of The Monkees, Nesmith established himself as a respected artist who pioneered the country-rock genre.
Here’s a list many of the music figures who died in 2021, in chronological order:
Gerry Marsden — January 3 — Frontman of popular Liverpool, U.K., band Gerry and the Pacemakers. Died of a heart infection at age 78.
Michael Fonfara — January 8 — Keyboardist for The Electric Flag and Rhinoceros, also played on many Lou Reed albums. Died after a long battle with cancer at age 74.
Sylvain Sylvain — January 13 — Guitarist with the influential glam-punk band The New York Dolls. Died of cancer at age 69.
Tim Bogert — January 13 — Bassist with Vanilla Fudge, Cactus and the supergroup Beck, Bogert & Appice. Died of cancer at age 76.
Stanley Wade — January 13 — Founding singer and bassist with disco/R&B group The Trammps. Died from complications of COVID-19.
Phil Spector — January 16 — Influential producer known for his “Wall of Sound” recording technique. Convicted of shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003. Died of natural causes at age 81 while serving a 19-year prison sentence.
Hilton Valentine — January 29 — Founding guitarist of British Invasion group The Animals. Died at age 77.
Jim Weatherly — February 3 — Songwriter best known for writing some of Gladys Knight & the Pips‘ biggest hits, including “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Died of natural causes at age 77.
Mary Wilson — February 8 — Founding member of legendary Motown group The Supremes. Died of cardiovascular disease at age 76.
Chick Corea — February 9 — Acclaimed jazz keyboardist. Died of cancer at age 79.
James Burke — February 19 — Member of the soul group The Five Stairsteps. Died of pneumonia at age 70.
Gene Taylor — February 20 — Boogie-woogie piano player who played with Canned Heat, The Blasters, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and other artists. Died at age 68.
Bunny Wailer — March 2 — Reggae singer, last surviving founding member of the late Bob Marley‘s band The Wailers. Died of a stroke at age 73.
Alan Cartwright — March 4 — Bassist for Procol Harum from 1971 to 1976. Died of stomach cancer at age 75.
Michael Stanley — March 5 — popular heartland rocker from Cleveland. Died of lung cancer at age 72.
Malcolm Cecil — March 28 — British synthesizer pioneer who collaborated with Stevie Wonder on three of Wonder’s classic 1970s albums. Died after a long illness at age 84.
Morris “B.B.” Dickerson — April 2 — Original bassist of War. Died after a long illness at age 71.
Ralph Schuckett — April 4 — Former keyboardist with Todd Rungren’s Utopia, also played with the ’60s psychedelic groups Clear Light and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, and on some of Carole King‘s early albums. Died at age 73.
Rusty Young — April 14 — Co-founder, singer and lap-steel guitarist with pioneering country-rock group Poco. Died of a heart attack at age 75.
Mike Mitchell — April 16 — Founding lead guitarist of legendary garage-rock band The Kingsmen, known for their classic cover of “Louie Louie.” Died on his 77th birthday.
Jim Steinman — April 19 — Songwriter known for his long association with Meat Loaf, also wrote memorable hits for Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply and Celine Dion. Died at age 73.
Les McKeown — April 20 — Lead singer of 1970s Scottish pop band The Bay City Rollers. Died suddenly at age 65.
Joe Long — April 21 — Played bass with The Four Seasons from 1965 to 1975. Died from complications of COVID at age 79.
Al Schmitt — April 26 — Grammy-winning studio engineer who worked on memorable albums by Steely Dan, Toto, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney and many others. Died at age 91.
Lloyd Price — May 2 — Influential R&B singer and songwriter whose hits included “Stagger Lee” and “Personality.” Died at age 88.
Pervis Staples — May 6 — Co-founding member of the lauded family gospel and soul group The Staple Singers. Died at age 85.
Roger Hawkins — May 20 — Drummer for famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section collective of session musicians, a.k.a. The Swampers, contributed to recordings by dozens of famous artists. Also co-founded Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Died after a long illness at age 75.
B.J. Thomas — May 29 — Pop and country singer whose best-known hits include “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” “Hooked on a Feeling” and “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song.” Died of lung cancer at age 78.
Jeff LaBar — July 14 — Longtime guitarist for glam-metal band Cinderella. Died at age 58.
Gary Corbett — July 14 — Keyboardist and songwriter who toured with KISS and Cinderella, co-wrote the Cyndi Lauper hit “She Bop.” Died of lung cancer.
Robby Steinhardt — July 17 — Longtime violinist and singer with Kansas. Died of acute pancreatitis at age 71.
John “Hutch” Hutchinson — July 25 — British guitarist who played with David Bowie during the early years of Bowie’s career. Died after a long illness.
Dusty Hill — July 28 — Bassist, singer and songwriter for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees ZZ Top for more than 50 years. Died at his home in Houston at age 72.
Paul Cotton — August 1 — Former singer, guitarist and songwriter for influential country-rock band Poco. Passed away unexpectedly at age 78.
Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas — August 7 — Founding member and longtime saxophonist for Kool & the Gang. Died at age 70.
Mike Finnigan — August 11 — Session keyboardist who played on recordings by Jimi Hendrix, Dave Mason, Peter Frampton, Cher, Crosby, Stills & Nash and many others. Died of liver cancer at age 76.
Nanci Griffith — August 13 — Grammy-winning folk-country singer/songwriter. Died at age 68.
Don Everly — August 21 — With his brother Phil, one half of the pioneering rock ‘n’ roll duo The Everly Brothers, among the first artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Died at his home in Nashville at age 84.
Brian Travers — August 22 — Founding sax player for U.K. reggae band UB40. Died of brain cancer at age 62.
Fritz McIntyre — August 24 — Original keyboard player for British pop-soul group Simply Red. Died at age 63.
Charlie Watts — August 24 –Drummer for the iconic British rock band The Rolling Stones from February 1963 until his passing. Died at age 80.
Lee “Scratch” Perry — August 29 — Jamaican singer and producer hailed for breaking boundaries for reggae and dub music during the ’60s and ’70s. Died of an unspecified illness at age 85.
Ron Bushy — August 29 — Longtime drummer of psychedelic band Iron Butterfly. Died at age 79.
John Drake — August 29 — Original lead singer of Michigan psychedelic band The Amboy Dukes, which was led by guitarist Ted Nugent. Died from complications of cancer at age 74.
Sarah Dash — September 20 — Singer, member of The Bluebelles and Labelle with Patti LaBelle and Nona Hendryx. Died unexpectedly at age 76.
Pee Wee Ellis — September 23 — Saxophonist, composer and arranger who played and collaborated with James Brown, Van Morrison, Ginger Baker and many others. Died from complications with his heart at age 80.
George Frayne IV, a.k.a. Commander Cody — September 26 — Veteran country-rock musician who led the group Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Died of cancer at age 77.
Alan Lancaster — September 26 — Founding bassist for popular U.K. rock band Status Quo. Died of multiple sclerosis at age 72.
Everett Morton — October 8 — Drummer for the British ska band The Beat, known as The English Beat in the U.S. Died at age 71.
Paddy Moloney — October 11 — Founder, leader and multi-instrumentalist of the popular traditional Irish band The Chieftains. Died suddenly at age 83.
Ron Tutt — October 16 — Drummer with Elvis Presley‘s TCB Band, also played on recordings by Billy Joel, the Jerry Garcia Band, Neil Diamond and many others. Died at age 83.
Leslie Bricusse — October 19 — British songwriter who co-wrote many memorable songs for movies, including the James Bond themes “Goldfinger” and “You Only Live Twice,” and the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory classics “Candyman” and “Pure Imagination.” Died at age 90.
Jay Black — October 22 — Born David Blatt, powerhouse vocalist who became the second lead singer for the 1960s pop-rock group Jay and the Americans. Died of complications from pneumonia at age 82.
Ronnie Wilson — November 2 — Founding member and multi-instrumentalist for popular R&B/funk group The Gap Band. Died after suffering a stroke at age 73.
Terence “Astro” Wilson — November 6 — Longtime vocalist, percussionist and trumpet player for U.K. reggae band UB40. Died after a short illness at age 64.
Graeme Edge — November 11 — Founding drummer of The Moody Blues, also wrote poetic interludes for the band, including “Late Lament.” Died of cancer at age 80.
Phil Margo — November 13 — Founding member of Brooklyn, New York, doo-wop group The Tokens, best known for their chart-topping 1961 hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Died after suffering a stroke at age 79.
Billy Hinsche — November 20 — One-third of the 1960s boy band Dino, Desi and Billy and longtime member of The Beach Boys‘ touring band. Died of cancer at age 70.
Stephen Sondheim — November 26 — Legendary Broadway composer and lyricist whose compositions include “Send in the Clowns,” “Somewhere” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” Died at age 91.
Melvin Parker — December 3 — Lauded funk drummer who played with James Brown during the 1960s and ’70s; brother of saxophonist Maceo Parker. Died at age 77.
Robbie Shakespeare — December 8 — acclaimed reggae bassist who with Sly Dunbar made up the influential and prolific rhythm section and production team Sly and Robbie. Died following kidney surgery at age 68.
Ralph Tavares — December 8 — Original member of the sibling R&B and disc group Tavares. Died at age 79.
Gil Bridges — December 10 — Founding woodwind player and singer for the rock and soul band Rare Earth. Died of COVID-19 at age 80.
Michael Nesmith — December 10 — Member of The Monkees, also pioneered country-rock as a solo artist and with his backing group The First National Band. Died of natural causes at age 78.
Les Emmersmith — December 10 — Frontman of Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band, best known for their 1971 hit “Signs.” Died of complications of COVID-19 at age 77.
Ken Kragen — December 14 — Music manager and producer who helped organize the recording of “We Are the World.” Died of natural causes at age 85.
Phil Chen — December 14 — Veteran bassist who worked with Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, members of The Doors and many others. Died at age 75 after a long battle with cancer.
Wanda Young Rogers — December 15 — Co-lead singer of famed Motown girl group The Marvelettes, best known for their chart-topping 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman.” Died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at age 78.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales on September 6, 1997 was Elton John‘s emotional performance of his rewritten version of “Candle in the Wind,” in which he sang, “Goodbye England’s Rose.” Now, new files released from the British National Archives reveal that the head of Westminster Abbey, where the funeral took place, made a personal plea to Buckingham Palace to have Elton included in the service.
According to the BBC, the files reveal that the Very Rev. Wesley Carr, Dean of Westminster at the time, wrote to the Palace and pointed out that having Elton sing at the service would be “imaginative and generous,” and would help the millions of people who felt “personally bereaved” by the Princess’ tragic death.
Carr urged “boldness” and the “inclusion of something of the modern world that the princess represented” in the service. If Elton was a no-go, the files show that the backup plan was to have a saxophone player perform a solo.
In his autobiography ME, Elton writes that a few days after Diana’s death, Richard Branson called him and told him that many people were signing the book of condolence at St. James’s Palace by quoting from the original “Candle in the Wind,” and that radio stations were playing it a lot as well. According to Elton, it was Branson who then asked Elton to rewrite the lyrics and sing it at the funeral, and he surmised that Branson had been contacted by Diana’s family to make the request.
After singing the song at the funeral, Elton went straight into the studio and recorded “Candle in the Wind 1997” as a charity single. It went on to became the best-selling single in both U.K. and U.S. history. But Elton has never performed the song since and says he never will, unless Princes William and Harry ask him to.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Go-Go’s had five West Coast concerts scheduled for this week and next, spanning from a December 28 show in San Francisco through a January 3 performance in San Diego, but all of the events have been postponed because a member of the band’s team recently tested positive for COVID-19.
A message from The Go-Go’s announcing the unfortunate news explains, “ALTHOUGH WE ARE, OF COURSE, VERY DISAPPOINTED, we will be following proper protocols and postponing our upcoming west coast dates.”
The band adds, “We will be announcing new dates VERY soon and look forward to getting back to performing and celebrating with everyone. WISHING EVERYONE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON, AND SEE YOU IN THE NEW YEAR!”
The three other postponed concerts were scheduled for tonight, December 29, in Los Angeles, and on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in Las Vegas.
The Go-Go’s were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on October 30 in Cleveland and performed a three-song set at the ceremony. They also played a special club show on December 14 the the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California.
The band’s next scheduled concerts will take place this June, when the group will serve as Billy Idol‘s opening act at a series of U.K. shows.
McLean: Jason Kempin/Getty Images; Taylor: Kevin Mazur/TAS/Getty Images for TAS
When Taylor Swift‘s 10-minute version of “All Too Well” topped the Billboard Hot 100, it set a new record for the longest song ever to hit number one — a record previously held by Don McLean‘s classic 1971 hit, “American Pie.” But no hard feelings: McLean says he’d even be open to a Taylor Swift collaboration.
As previously reported, after “All Too Well” broke the record, Taylor sent a bouquet of flowers to McLean, along with a sweet note. Now, the singer/songwriter, 76, tells People magazine that as far as working with Taylor in the future, “Anything is possible, if it’s done the right way. I’m always interested in doing anything.”
“Taylor takes the whole new form of entertainment to the peak by making these phenomenal videos and records and doing these massive tours that are successful, and so on and so forth,” McLean notes. “It’s really good for young people who want to get into this business.”
“You can make it as a singer with a guitar if you figure out what Ed [Sheeran] did,” he explains. “And you can make it as a major rock and roll force of nature, which is what I call Taylor Swift, if you want to do that.”
McLean is currently scheduled to kick off a tour in January that will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his American Pie album and its title track.
In 2021, all those collaborations that Elton John had been doing for the past year or so really paid off, as he returned to the charts for the first time in decades.
In August, Elton teamed up with his new BFF Dua Lipa, who he became friendly with in 2020, to release “Cold Heart.” The mashup of four Elton songs — “Sacrifice,” “Rocket Man,” “Kiss the Bride” and “Where’s the Shoorah?” — was created by Australian dance act Pnau, with whom the music legend had previously collaborated.
–“Cold Heart” proved to be an unexpected smash, returning Elton to the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the firs time since 1999. It also officially gave him a 50-year span of singles on the top 40: the longest for any artist in Billboard history.
–“Cold Heart” was an even bigger hit in the U.K. When it hit the top 10, it made Elton the only act in the history of the singles chart in that country to score a top-10 hit in six different decades. Then in October, “Cold Heart” topped the U.K. chart, becoming Elton’s first number-one in his home country in 16 years.
–“Cold Heart” also became Elton’s first-ever number one on Billboard‘s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, and his first Australian number-one since 1997, making him, at 74, the oldest person ever to top the Australian chart.
–The number-one success of “Cold Heart” in the U.K. was helped along by Elton’s pal Ed Sheeran. After his song “Shivers” had been number one for four weeks, Ed actively encouraged his fans to stop streaming his song and stream Elton’s instead, writing, “Who doesn’t wanna be knocked off [the top] by Elton anyway?”
–After the release of “Cold Heart,” Elton surprised fans by announcing The Lockdown Sessions, an album featuring Elton duetting with everyone from Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X and Nicki Minaj, to Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder and Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder.
–Released in October, The Lockdown Sessions became Elton’s first top-10 album since 2016 in the U.S., and his first number-one album in the U.K. since 2012.
–In November, Prince Charles presented Elton with the Order of the Companions of Honour, which was first established in 1917 to reward “outstanding achievement.”
–In December, Elton and Ed teamed up for the festive holiday song “Merry Christmas,” which debuted at number one on the U.K. chart. The duo then partnered with the British duo LadBaby to create a parody of their song called “Sausage Rolls for Everyone,” a charity single which raised money for British food banks. The parody went on to become the U.K.’s much-coveted Christmas number one for 2021. It gave Elton his third U.K. number one of 2021.
–The one negative thing that happened to Elton in 2021 was that he had to push back his European tour dates because he had to have a hip operation. But his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is one of the most anticipated of 2022.
