“People don’t have to know me, as long as they know my writing.” ~BT
Bernie Taupin, as described by Elton John, is a lyricist, cohort, best friend, and brother. Bernie keeps his description of himself simple: a storyteller. He grew up in the North London countryside, reading stories that inspired him to write stories himself. He followed his passion, and it led to a big life in rock and roll.
Bernie is one of the most admired songwriters of all time, most famously for Elton John classics. You know his lyrics: “Blue Jean Baby,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocketman,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “Bennie and The Jets,” are just a handful. Everyone has a favorite. Bernie has proven songwriting as an art form.
He was born in Lincolnshire, UK. His creative partnership with Elton John dates back to 1967, when they found each other after Elton replied to a newspaper ad from Liberty Records seeking musicians and writers.
Elton got an appointment for an audition, and, admitting he wasn’t a great writer, he was handed an envelope containing Bernie’s poems. He read them on the train ride home, and once he got home to his piano, he started writing music to the words. That established the two teenagers and their working relationship, where Bernie gives Elton the lyrics, and Elton writes the songs. Words first, music second, is famously how the two have always worked together.
Bernie says a “higher power” brought them together at 17. In various interviews and award acceptance speeches over the decades, Elton regards him as “the constant” in his life, describing their relationship as “closer than they were when they started.” Shared successes and shared mistakes, these men have an unbreakable bond. Kindred spirits, you could say.
“Being complete opposites is the key to our longevity,” says Bernie. “If we were two peas in the same pod, we would have soured on each other long ago.”
Bernie and Elton have lived adjacent lives but rarely argue despite their different opinions and lifestyle choices. If you’ve watched Rocketman or read Bernie’s memoir Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me, you’ll learn the men weathered many storms together, not against each other. Now, both in their seventies, they are in joyful phases, enjoying their families, careers, and still, each other.
A singer also, Bernie has released three solo albums. A full-length documentary about his life behind the lyrics is in production. And, of course, there are numerous awards.
In 2020, Bernie and Elton won an Oscar for the Rocketman song “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.” Bernie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. At his acceptance speech for the Gershwin Prize in 2024, he shared his deep appreciation for America, his land of creative freedom. He praised his American wife, Heather, with whom he has two daughters. He stated, “I am America.”
When he’s not collaborating with Elton and fellow artists, he listens to jazz and country, creates art, travels, and spends time with family in his Solvang home. A longtime Californian, Bernie misses California's simpler, sunnier attitude, but he admits it “still has the traits I was drawn to as an impressionable twenty-year-old. Even with all of my ‘If onlys,’ I don’t think there is anywhere else I’d rather live.”
“He writes when he feels as he feels,” says a grainy documentary about him in the English countryside, with long, feathered hair and a typewriter. When asked if his process is similar for creating art, Bernie says, “They both come from the same place, the imagination. One just happens to be sonic, the other visual.”
Bernie has painted since the ‘90s. Influenced by Abstract Expressionists like Hans Hoffman and Anselm Kiefer, his work evolved into sculptural construction using reclaimed materials.
“People donate odd things. I’ve torn material off old buildings and found things on the side of the road,” he explains. “I’ve located strange ephemera on eBay and ordered cases of Heinz baked beans on Amazon.”
Bernie has three art collections he describes as “the visual extension of what I have spent my life creating through words.” Reflections celebrates his 50-plus-year relationship with Elton John; archival pigment prints with familiar lyrics and pop art colors. Music Archaeology features paint-splattered guitars, lyrical tributes, and American flags. And his most recent collection, 2 Sides of The ’60s, portrays political and cultural icons from the decade through mixed media on canvas.
You’ll notice the American flag often in Bernie’s art. “It’s the most iconic and displayed flag in the world,” he says. “Every US flag has a story to tell, and its history, especially in its most distressed form, speaks volumes when interspersed among other elements. I have tremendous respect for it. It’s almost become a motif for my creations.”
On our cover, he's sitting underneath “Sleeping Beauty” on a wall in his home. It can be interpreted freely. “Self-observation is one of the most interesting aspects of contemporary art,” says Bernie. “Drawing your own conclusions as to what a piece represents in your imagination. ‘Sleeping Beauty’ can be and has been interpreted in many different ways, positively and negatively. For me, it represents resilience against adversity.”
While currently on an art hiatus, Bernie always has something creative cooking. He advocates for animal rights, AI regulation, and the Florida Gators, showing his zeal for humanity.
When asked if his daughters, Charley and Georgey, enjoy writing, he explains that they both excel academically in the subject, but they’re pursuing physical talents. His eldest daughter, Charley, is a member of the Texas A&M rodeo team, and his younger daughter, Georgey, was the 2024 Spirit of Fiesta (and our August 2024 cover star).
“Both their lives are a story, and every day that I see their faces, hear their voices, and witness their achievements makes me proud,” Bernie says. “Hopefully, they instinctively draw inspiration from me when needed. They know where the wellspring is.”
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"Every US flag has a story to tell, and its history, especially in its most distressed form, speaks volumes when interspersed among other elements. I have tremendous respect for it."