The Singer Who Made Elton John Kick His Singing Game up a Notch

Old age gets everybody. No matter how many health-guru videos you watch or how many salads you eat, old age will still eventually catch up to you. It is one of the many inevitable facts of life. Now, most people worry about old age giving them creaky joints, wrinkles, and a little bit of weight around the gut. However, when it comes to musicians and old age, they worry about their biggest asset: their voice. One singer to undergo some vocal changes due to old age is the one and only Elton John.

Other than his animated persona and songwriting skills, the most notable feature of Elton John is unarguably his voice. Frankly, many people would argue that he is one of the best vocalists of all time. But old age takes what it wants, and for Elton John, it took his ability to sing like he used to. But, the man figured out how to curb the effects of old age, and what helped him do so was watching Tony Bennett.

Elton John Was Astonished by Tony Bennett’s Ability To Perform So Well at 72

While alive, Tony Bennett was one of greatest to ever do it. And he didn’t just do so in his prime; he did it all the way up until he died at the age of 96. Bennett was an enigma of a performer. A multitude of different artists always wondered how exactly he kept his voice sounding so crystal clear.

In his later years, people have criticized Elton John for losing his vocal quality. While that in and of itself is completely unfair, John agreed, though not in the way people would expect. In a 2004 interview with Billboard, John admitted that he somewhat lost his falsetto.

“I get live reviews now that say, ‘He’s lost his falsetto,’” said John. “To a certain degree, I have because it changed the timbre of my voice and made it deeper. […] I still sing certain songs in the same key, I haven’t taken them down, but I just have more resonance in my voice and I’m much happier with that.”

“I’ve learned to breathe properly,” John explained. “I’ve watched other people singing, I’ve become a much better singer.”

That being said, what seemingly made John make this change was seeing Tony Bennett still rip out high notes at such an old age.

“I saw Tony Bennett last year, and he was singing at 72 better than I’ve ever seen him sing,” Elton John continued. “It’s that kind of thing, you’re still trying to learn as an artist, trying to play better, sing better.”

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