Bernie Taupin

On her return to London, she worked as a governess for the Taupin family, in which connection she met Robert Taupin, whom she married in 1947.

The family later moved to Rowston Manor, where they lived rent-free because of Robert's promotion to farm manager.

This was a significant step up from Flatters farmhouse, which had no electricity.

Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English-American lyricist and visual artist.

He is most well known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history.

In 1959, Taupin's father decided to try independent farming, and the family moved to the north Lincolnshire village of Owmby-by-Spital, where they lived at the run-down 10-acre Maltkiln Farm, the income from which derived from battery-farming chickens for eggs.

The house lacked heating and up-to-date plumbing.

Taupin's 11-year-younger brother, Kit, was born there.

Unlike his older brother, Tony, who attended a grammar school (selective secondary school) and later went to university, Taupin was not a diligent student, although he showed an early flair for writing.

At 15, he left school and started work as a trainee in the print room of the local newspaper, the Lincolnshire Standard, with aspirations of becoming a journalist.

Taupin soon left that job, and spent the rest of his teenage years hanging out with friends, hitchhiking the country roads to attend youth club dances in the surrounding villages, playing snooker in the Aston Arms pub in Market Rasen and drinking.

Taupin had worked at several part-time jobs when, at 17, he answered the advertisement that eventually led to his collaboration with Elton John.

Taupin's mother had studied French literature, and his maternal grandfather John Leonard Patchett "Poppy" Cort, a classics teacher and graduate of the University of Cambridge, instilled in him an appreciation for nature and literature and narrative poetry, both of which influenced his early lyrics.

Taupin is behind the majority of John's songs, dating back to the 1960s.

In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in the music paper New Musical Express placed by Liberty Records, a company that was seeking new songwriters.

John responded to the same advertisement and they were brought together, collaborating on many albums since.

In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement for talent that was placed in the New Musical Express by Liberty Records A&R Man Ray Williams.

Elton John answered the same advert.

Neither Taupin nor John passed the audition for Liberty Records.

Elton told the man behind the desk that he could not write lyrics, so the man handed Elton a sealed envelope from the pile of people submitting lyrics, which he opened on the London Underground ride home.

The envelope contained poems by Taupin.

The duo have collaborated on more than thirty albums to date.

Taupin wrote the lyrics for "Rocket Man", "Levon", "Crocodile Rock", "Honky Cat", "Tiny Dancer", "Candle in the Wind", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "The Bitch is Back", "Daniel", and 1970's "Your Song", their first hit.

The team took some time off from each other for a while between 1977 and 1979, while Taupin worked with other songwriters, including Alice Cooper, and John worked with other lyricists, including Gary Osborne and Tom Robinson.

(The 1978 single-only A side "Ego" was their only collaboration of note during the period, although John/Taupin B-sides such as "Lovesick" and "I Cry at Night" were issued with the respective singles "Song for Guy" and "Part-time Love" from the album A Single Man.)

John and Taupin resumed writing together on an occasional basis in 1980, with Taupin contributing lyrics to several songs on albums such as The Fox, 21 at 33 and Jump Up!.

Hits in the 1980s include "I'm Still Standing", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", "Sad Songs", and "Nikita."

However, by 1983's Too Low for Zero, the two renewed their partnership on a full-time basis and from that point forward Taupin was again John's primary lyricist for his solo releases.

In the 1990s, Taupin and John had more hits, including "The One", "Simple Life", "The Last Song", "Club at the End of the Street" and "Believe".

The 1991 film documentary Two Rooms described the John/Taupin writing style, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own and John then putting them to music, with no further interaction between the two.

The process is still fundamentally the same, with John composing to Taupin's words, but the two interact on songs far more today, with Taupin joining John in the studio as the songs are written and occasionally during recording sessions.

Taupin and John were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.

Taupin received the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2020, along with John, for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again", was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence Award category in 2023 and on March 20, 2024, Taupin, along with John; was awarded the U.S. Library of Congress' prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song for their partnership, achievements and contributions to the craftwork of songwriting.

Taupin was born at Flatters House, a farmhouse located between the village of Anwick and the town of Sleaford, in the southern part of Lincolnshire, England, the son of Robert Taupin and Daphne (Cort).

His paternal grandparents were French, the Taupin family having come to London at the turn of the 20th century to set up a wine-importing business.

Taupin's father was educated in Dijon and was employed as a stockman by a large farm estate near the town of Market Rasen.

Taupin's mother spent most of the Second World War living in Switzerland.

John often works with other lyricists on specific theatrical or film projects such as 1994's The Lion King and 2000's Aida, both of which featured lyrics by Tim Rice, and 2005's Billy Elliot, which has script and lyrics by the original film's screenwriter, Lee Hall.

Hall also wrote the screenplay for the Elton John biopic Rocketman, in which Taupin features as a major character.

In September 1997, Taupin rewrote the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for "Candle in the Wind 1997", a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.