Elton John and Bernie Taupin's Songwriting Piano

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Between 1969 and 1972 Elton John and Bernie Taupin used this instrument to co-write the music that made them famous. A historic piece of Rock 'n Roll history, this classic 1910-era A-Day Birdcage upright resulted in over one hundred songs and the first five albums of the songwriting team.

1 History
2 Famous Music Written On Piano
- 2.1 Albums
- 2.2 Songs

[edit] History

In 1972, filmmaker Bryan Forbes embarked on creating the film, "Elton John and Bernie Taupin Say Goodbye to Norma Jean and Other Things", a documentary that chronicled the life of a young Elton John and Bernie Taupin at the infancy of their now famous careers, a project that would take Forbes over a full year to complete. During the filming of the documentary, Forbes formed a close friendship with John and Taupin which led him to do other work with them, including photography on the "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" LPs. John and Taupin gave the piano to Forbes and his family on May 31, 1972 -- a gift to symbolize the duo's appreciation for Forbes' dedication in creating the documentary. Before delivering the piano to the Forbes family, John and Taupin dedicated the piece by inscribing on the inside lift: "To Bryan and Nanette, Sarah and Emma with love Elton John May 31, 1972, original piano, lots of success with it" with Taupin also writing, "Within this piano lays the ghost of a hundred songs, take care of them, they love you. God Bless from the one who writes the words, Bernie Taupin." Around twenty years later, John caught up with the piano again -- still in the hands of Mr. Forbes -- while visiting the Forbes family, and followed up his initial inscription with an update on the face of the piano: "May 1991 - 19 years later - 3 children - 1 hysterectomy - 25 lawsuits - 1 marriage - 751 cats and countless boyfriends is free - Send you both my love, Elton John." Shortly after John completed the second inscription, the piano was given by Forbes to an English auction house, and after being sold at auction the piano was acquired by Mr. Tom Fontaine in 1995. In 2002 the piano was transported to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, where it sat as a centerpiece of the Elton John exhibit. Put up for auction in 2004, the piano now resides at the Cantos Music Foundation in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.