Sometime Around This Day in 1968, Reginald Dwight Became Elton John

The lore behind musicians’ stage names is something that has always infatuated the music community. Sometimes the back stories behind them are intense, meaningful, and provide a lot of insight into who the artist is as a person. On the other hand, they’re sometimes just simple and are inspired by some arbitrary influence, and that is seemingly how Reginald Dwight became Elton John.

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Now, reportedly, Reginald Dwight discovered his new name somewhere around today, May 7, 1968. However, when it comes to these types of tales, dates and facts are always hard to solidify. Nonetheless, here is how Reginald Dwight became Elton John sometime around this day in 1968.

How a Long Plane Ride Led to the Birth of Elton John

Before Elton John was Elton John, he was Reginald Dwight. For those of you who don’t know, Dwight was a member of the ’60s British Blues group, Bluesology. This was Dwight’s first band, and the one that would ultimately give him the momentum to become one of the biggest rock stars of all time. Also, if it wasn’t for members Elton Dean and Long John Baldry, then Dwight would have never found the name Elton John.

With all that in mind, in 1968, Bluesology had just finished their US tour and were heading back to the UK. While on the plane ride home, Dwight was seemingly bored and trying to craft names for his new musical persona. That being so, he looked to his bandmates Elton and John, and well, thought of his new name. Dwight asked both individuals if he could use their names to create his own; they agreed, and Reginald Dwight was no longer Reginald Dwight.

As stated previously, some of these stories contain a lot of nuance, whereas some do not. John’s story seemingly does not, as he quite literally just named the two people who happened to be sitting in his direct line of sight.

After years of using the name as a pseudonym, the singer made “Elton John” his official government name in 1972. Also, funny enough, he made his middle name “Hercules.” The backstory behind how John found his name is not epic, spiritual, nor is it even all that exciting. Regardless, it’s not about how you get the name, but what you make of it. Needless to say, Elton John did just that after he released his debut album, Empty Sky, in 1969.

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