Bernie Taupin
| Bernie Taupin | |
|---|---|
Taupin attending the premiere of The Union at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bernard John Taupin |
| Born |
22 May 1950 Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Island |
| Associated acts | |
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, and making his lyrics some of the best known in music history.
In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement placed in the UK music paper New Musical Express by Liberty Records, a company that was seeking new songwriters. Around the same time, Elton John responded to the same advertisement, and the pair were brought together, collaborating on many projects since.
In 1971, journalist Penny Valentine wrote that "Bernie Taupin's lyrics were to become as important as Elton [John] himself, proved to have a mercurial brilliance. Not just in their atmospheric qualities and descriptive powers, but in the way he handled words to form them into straightforward poems that were easy to relate to."
Taupin was born at Flatters Farmhouse, which is located between the village of Anwick and the town of Sleaford in the southern part of Lincolnshire, England. Of French ancestry, Taupin's father was educated in Dijon, and was employed as a stockman by a large farm estate near the town of Market Rasen. Taupin's mother worked as a nanny, having previously lived in Switzerland. The family later moved to Rowston Manor, a significant step up from Flatters Farmhouse, which had no electricity.
Taupin's father decided to try his hand at independent farming, and the family moved to the run-down Maltkiln Farm. in the north-Lincolnshire village of Owmby-by-Spital. Taupin's 11-year younger brother, Kit, was born there.
Unlike his older brother Tony who attended a grammar school (secondary school), Taupin was not a diligent student, although he showed an early flair for writing. At age 15, he left school and started work as a trainee in the print room of the local newspaper, The Lincolnshire Standard, with aspirations of becoming a journalist. Taupin soon left that job, and spent the rest of his teenage years hanging out with friends, hitchhiking the country roads to attend youth club dances in the surrounding villages, playing snooker in the Aston Arms Pub in Market Rasen and drinking. Taupin had worked at several part-time, dead-end jobs when, at age 17, he answered the advertisement that eventually led to his collaboration with Elton John.
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