Former L.A. Times critic Robert Hilburn once wrote the following about Elton:
”After the turbulent ’60s, you could still hear ringing guitars and loud, rebellious voices on the radio and in college dorms, but the soulful center of the pop experience shifted to folk-based singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor and Neil Young.
”The West Coast citadel of that movement was the Troubadour in West Hollywood. On what proved to be the club’s most historic night, Elton John, a 23-year-old Englishman, made his U.S. debut on Aug. 25, 1970.
”Everything about him was fresh. There were moments of rock energy, but the heart of his sound was in tender, intimate numbers. The gentleness of it seemed revolutionary against the roar of the ’60s.
”After the show, I raced to the office, where I wrote a rave: Elton was going to be the biggest star in pop. It has been 36 years, but John still cites that review giving me credit for making him a star. The funny thing is, at first I believed him. I really thought I had star-making power.
”I soon got over that.”
The journalist has much more to say about Elton and other notables in his upcoming book, Cornflakes With John Lennon And Other Tales From a Rock ‘n’ Roll Life.
As this Web site was the only one to report, Bernie Taupin has written a blurb for the 296-page memoir.
”Cornflakes” is published by Rodale Books.
