Bernie Taupin

The lyricist behind many of Elton John's most memorable pop hits, Bernie Taupin was born May 22, 1950, in rural Lincolnshire, England. The product of a farming family, his primary musical influence was the gunfighter ballads of Marty Robbins, marking the beginning of a lifelong fascination with the American west that surfaced as a recurring theme throughout his work as a songwriter. Taupin quit school at 16 to accept a job with a local newspaper, followed by a stint at a chicken ranch; at 17, he responded to a Liberty Records advertisement seeking new talent and although the l...