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Sat 5 September 2026 17:41, UK
There are some musicians who the general public loves for their catchy, accessible songs that please the masses. There are also some musicians who other musicians love for their incredible skill, pioneering spirit, and inspiring technicality. In rare instances, the two combine into an unstoppable force. According to Elton John, one person had it all.
It could be argued that John has it all, too. Ever since his break out in the 1970s, he set out on a golden run that included seven back-to-back number-one albums. From then on, he’s been an unstoppable force both in the eyes of the public and his peers. To the average listener, he’s the man behind a lengthy list of hits that are written into the world’s songbook. To other musicians, he was a pioneering force that combines pop, rock and honky tonk piano into a new and hooking sound.
He’s also a beautifully celebratory cornerstone of the music industry. Still today, John regularly shares his spotlight with other artists of all sizes. On his radio show, he’s constantly giving new artists a spin as he platforms people even way back at the birth of their careers. He’s never shy about dishing out praise, clearly believing that compliments should be shared and artists should be honoured whenever and wherever they can.
When it comes to another titan in the music world, John couldn’t compliment them highly enough. When Rolling Stone gathered the major players of the business to decide upon a list of the 100 best artists of all time, John’s response celebrated a star loved by the public and other musicians alike.
“Stevie is an amazingly positive, peaceful man. When you ask him to do something, he is generous,” he said, complimenting Stevie Wonder as a person in plain and simple terms. However, when it comes to trying to express the impact of his music, even John seems to struggle to find the right words to carry the weight.
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“Let me put it this way: Wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life,” he said of Wonder’s 1976 album. He counts him amongst the true greats as he declared, “When people in decades and centuries to come talk about the history of music, they will talk about Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.”
In particular, John is deeply inspired by his 1960s and ‘70s period. “Stevie’s ’60s hits are amazing — joyful music that still sounds great — but then, starting in the ’70s, he hit a run of albums that’s unsurpassed in music history, from Talking Book to Songs in the Key of Life,” he said.
Further reading: From The Vault
Calling any run of records “unsurpassed” is a huge statement, especially coming from someone who knows a thing or two about having one himself. But Wonder’s great run seemed to have everything. The songs could be immediate and joyful without sacrificing any of their musical ambition, while his playing, writing and production constantly found new places to go without ever leaving the listener behind.
That balance is perhaps what makes John’s admiration feel so natural. Wonder could make incredibly sophisticated music sound completely effortless, never forcing audiences to choose between the technical brilliance of what he was doing and the simple pleasure of a great song. For another piano player who spent his own career finding ways to push musicianship into the pop mainstream, there could hardly be a more impressive example to follow.
It’s easy to see why John would be so inspired and impacted by Wonder. They both blurred genres into their own unique package, and both do it with the piano as their main instrument. For John, looking up to Wonder inspired him to push his playing even further. “I think I’m a pretty good musician, but he’s in a whole other league. He could play with Charlie Parker or John Coltrane and hold his own,” he said.
But it’s bigger than even that. Once again, words fail John who said simply, “He’s so multitalented that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes him one of the greatest ever.” But overall, he simply sees the artist as well and truly racing ahead of the pack within the league of true legends.
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