ELTON returns to Lee County with flair
_BY NA _NCY STETSON Florida Weekly correspondent
T he first time I heard Elton John on the radio, I thought he was an African-American woman.

It was 37 years ago in New York City, and the tune

was the bluesy, gospel-tinged "Border Song." It was his first American single. I loved it instantly.

But who was singing it? The singer had

a vocal timbre that sounded like

Odetta or Mahalia Jackson

when they sang. And the piano! It reminded me of Aretha Franklin when she moved to Atlantic Records and producer Jerry Wexler was smart enough to put her behind the keyboards and let her accompany herself.

I kept flip-flopping while listening: It's a woman. No, maybe it's a man. No, it's a woman.

The disc jockey's announcement at the end was no help.

"That was 'Border Song' by Elton John."

I'd never heard of anyone named Elton before. It sounded like a man's name, but then again, maybe it was one of those unusual female names.

I didn't know who he was, but I knew a couple of things for sure: I liked the song, I liked the voice, and I liked the piano. It wasn't like anything else being played on the radio. And I wanted to hear more.

The mellow "Your Song" was the next single released, and it hit the Top 10. Although it's "quite simple" as its lyrics proclaim, it struck a chord with listeners and even today its popularity continues.

In October, he released "Tumbleweed Connection." As a kid, I didn't understand the Brits' fascination with the American West or with country music - a style my friends and I looked down upon at the time, because it wasn't seen as being "cool."

Not only was there the "tumbleweed" in the title, but the lyrics spoke of stagecoaches, barns, guns, squirrels, creeks and pines and extolled the wonders of "good old country comforts." But the lyrical music captivated me. And the album contains two of Elton's most beautiful songs that are usually overlooked: "Love Song" and "Come Down in Time." (Sting would perform the latter on the 1991 "Two Rooms" tribute album, with various singers covering 16 songs by Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin.)

Later that year, in November, I heard Elton perform live on WNEW-FM, a progressive rock station that played whatever the DJs wanted. The concert featured Elton on piano, Nigel Olsson on drums and Dee Murray on bass.

Some musicians sound good on vinyl, because of all the tricks that can be done in the studio. But Elton sounded great without all the technical bells and whistles. His exuberance came across on a rollicking version of "Take Me to the Pilot" and a cover of the Stones' "Honky Tonk Women" that opens with the trio singing a cappella in threepart harmony. Then, at the end of the concert, they played a version of "Burn Down the Mission" that runs over 18 minutes and incorporates Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" and the Beatles' "Get Back." Elton really lets loose, going on extended piano solos, the three playing like a rock version of a jazz trio.

It was nothing less than exhilarating, and fans were happy when an album of the concert, "11-17-70," was released, although it didn't contain the entire hour's worth of music. An often-overlooked album, it presents a young, energetic Elton on the verge of not just stardom, but superstardom.

And that was just the first year.

Elton's career just kept going up, up, up, like a rocket headed for the moon or beyond.

He sold out large arenas, became known for his wild glasses and even more outrageous costumes. He was no stranger to sequins, ostrich feathers, and costumes that would light up. He's dressed up as Mozart, the Statue of Liberty, and Donald Duck. Commenting on Elton's costumes, Robin Williams has said that he "used to make Liberace look Amish."

Elton was embracing his inner fabulousness, and I'm sure his example helped countless boys in small towns across America embrace their inner fabulousness as well.

He went through personal and professional ups and downs and rose out of his own problems to help others. He befriended Ryan White, a teenage boy in Indiana who had AIDS. Two years after White's death, he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has since raised over $150 million. He and lyricist Bernie Taupin were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later.

Elton teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice and wrote songs for the animated film "The Lion King." Three of the songs were nominated for Academy Awards for Best Song of the Year and their song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won. The song also won Elton a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and the soundtrack went on to sell 15 million copies. Elton and Rice also collaborated on the Broadway musical "Aida," winning a Tony Award for Best Original Score and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Elton also composed music for "Billy Elliot: the Musical" and collaborated with Taupin on "Lestat: The Musical."

In 1995, he was knighted and became Sir Elton John. Two years later, he performed a special version of "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral in Westminster Abbey and vowed to never perform the song again. (In its place, he performs Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Sand and Water.")

For his 50th birthday in 1997, he threw a party for 500 guests and dressed as Louis XIV. (Ten years later, for his 60th, he performed at Madison Square Garden; not only was it his 60th birthday, but it was also his 60th performance at the Garden.)

In February 1999, as part of a campaign to play smaller venues, Elton John performed locally at TECO Arena in Estero (now renamed Germain Arena.) Who would've thought mega-star Elton John would come to the swamps of Southwest Florida to perform? It was a fabulous concert - just Elton and his piano. The sold-out crowd gave him a standing ovation before he even played a note.

His outfit was a little more distinguished - a black suit - but its sequin trim demonstrated that he still appreciates a little glitter in his life. The sound in the cavernous arena was perfect, demonstrating that with the right technician behind the soundboard, the arena can be just as good as a concert hall.

As a music critic for a local daily at the time, I had the privilege of covering the concert. But it was a two-edged sword. I was enjoying the show tremendously, but my deadline had been pushed up earlier than usual. So I had to leave in the middle of the concert to file my story. It just about killed me to slip out of the arena when things were starting to come to a boil musically.

To make matters worse, the arena had only been open a few months, and the phone jacks I'd been told to use to transmit my story weren't working. I had to find someone at the arena to let me into an office, crawl under the desks, disconnect their phones and connect the laptop I'd been loaned for the night. To make matters worse, my story still wouldn't transmit.

I couldn't hear Elton, but I could hear the crowd's reaction to him. They started cheering like crazy, and I could tell it was the end of the concert. "Well, that's not so bad. At least I didn't miss much," I told myself. Then there were more cheers, and it was obvious Elton had returned to the stage for an encore. I think he proceeded to perform for at least another half hour or so, and I could hear the crowd going crazy in response. I could tell it was the highlight of the concert, that he had saved the best for last. He was whipping the crowd into a frenzy.

I felt like I was outside the gates of a huge celebration, unable to enter or participate. It was like that scene in a Woody Allen movie where he's on a train, and looks across the tracks and sees another train where there's a big party going on. A beautiful laughing woman looks over at him and blows him a kiss.

That's what it was like being in the TECO Arena, but not being able to see Elton John finish the last half of his concert. It was then that I truly knew, with a sick feeling in my gut, the meaning of the phrase "so close, but yet so far."

Elton's returning to the same arena Sunday night. It's part of a series of concerts he's giving in smaller venues before he travels to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tickets at Germain Arena sold out within an hour. It's just one show. So many people wanted to see him; he probably could've sold out 10 more shows, easily.

Sunday night, it will just be Elton and his piano again. No light show, no smoke, no glitter or glitz. No other musicians, no back-up singers.

This is what it all comes down to: a musician, his voice, and his piano.

And that's the true measure of a musician.