When Elton John was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, he said, “Without Bernie [Taupin] there would never have been an Elton John at all.” He then called Taupin, his longtime songwriting partner, onstage and handed him his trophy. And that, claims Taupin, is why he’s only now being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Speaking to Cleveland.com, Taupin, who co-wrote all of Elton’s most beloved hits, said, “In a lot of people’s minds, that’s the reason I was not inducted before now, because certain elements of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame didn’t like the fact Elton brought me up on stage … and gave me his award.”
“So they just assumed that I already had the award so I didn’t need to be inducted myself — which is pretty puerile, if you think about it, and pretty childish and churlish at the same time,” Taupin added.
“But, hey, that’s all in the past. What’s gone is gone and it’s all forgotten now and God’s in his heaven and all is good,” Bernie said.
Taupin said that Elton is “ecstatic” about the induction. Elton will also attend the induction ceremony November 3 in Brooklyn, New York, presumably to induct Taupin. The songwriter is being ushered into the Hall under the category of Musical Excellence, along with Chaka Khan and singer, songwriter, producer and keyboardist Al Kooper.
“I had a lot of people pushing for me and having my back,” Taupin says of the campaign to get him inducted. “I’m grateful to all of them.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will stream live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. ET and will be available for viewing afterward. On January 1, a highlights special will air on ABC TV.
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