Bernie Taupin

Bernard John Taupin (taw-PIN; born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote the majority of John's songs, dating back to the 1960s.

In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in the music paper New Musical Express placed by Liberty Records, a company that was seeking new songwriters. John responded to the same advertisement and they were brought together, collaborating on many albums since. Taupin and John were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 2020, Taupin and John received the Oscar for Best Original Song for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from the film Rocketman. Taupin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Musical Excellence Award category in 2023. In 2024, Taupin and John were awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Also in 2024, Taupin won the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

Taupin was born at Flatters House, a farmhouse located between the village of Anwick and the town of Sleaford in Lincolnshire, the son of Robert Taupin and Daphne (née Cort). His paternal grandparents were French, the Taupin family having come to London at the turn of the 20th century to set up a wine-importing business.

Taupin's father was educated in Dijon and was employed as a stockman by a large farm estate near the town of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. Taupin's mother spent most of the Second World War living in Switzerland. On her return to London, she worked as a governess for the Taupin family, in which connection she met Robert Taupin, whom she married in 1947. The family later moved to Rowston Manor, where they lived rent-free because of Robert's promotion to farm manager. This was a significant step up from Flatters farmhouse, which had no electricity.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.