Elton John calls for household name status of star keyboard players of his youth

Sir Elton John said keyboard players of the 1960s club scene “deserve more recognition and applause than they get”.

The pianist and singer has questioned why British guitar stars become household names, but piano and organ players drop into obscurity, in a piece he wrote for the Guardian.

“The club scene in Britain back then was full of special keyboard players – but Steve Winwood aside, none of them are really household names these days,” Sir Elton wrote.

“It’s funny: there’s still a lot of reverence for the guitar heroes that British rock produced in the 60s – Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page – but the keyboard heroes, my heroes, not so much.

“I think that’s unfair – these were incredible, innovative musicians.”

Sir Elton said overlooked artists such as “astonishing” organist Brian Auger and “technically incredible” Graham Bond were “live artists first and recording artists second”.

“Their records are great, but they often don’t quite capture how exciting they were on stage: you had to be there,” he said.

Meanwhile, he described Ian Stewart as an “integral part of the Rolling Stones’ sound” but said he is not remembered as a core member of the group alongside Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and the late Charlie Watts.

“…He (Stewart) played in the wings, not in front of the audience. Neither he nor his keyboard were deemed sexy enough for the Rolling Stones,” Sir Elton said.

“You can be a showman playing keyboards…but you can’t move around the stage, you’re off somewhere at the side, not out front.”

Sir Elton said while none of the artists from that era are completely forgotten: “I think they deserve more recognition and applause than they get, and to have the spotlight turned on them”.

“They were innovative and important and influential.

“They certainly influenced me, precisely because I couldn’t do any of the things they did.”

It comes after Sir Elton reflected on his mortality, saying: “I don’t know how much time I have left,” in footage from a new documentary.

The film, titled Elton John: Never Too Late, has been directed by RJ Cutler and Sir Elton’s husband, David Furnish, and looks back over his decades-long career.

Earlier this year, Sir Elton became the 19th performer to earn the coveted EGOT status – a winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

His headline set at Glastonbury in 2023 marked his last UK performance as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

He was honoured with the Legacy award at this year’s Attitude Awards.

The documentary streams on Disney+ from December 13.