Before going solo, Elton John played keyboards in the 1960s British blues band Bluesology.
John was still known as Reginald Dwight when he became involved with Bluesology, which formed around 1962 in Pinner, Middlesex. He played keyboards and helped the group work as a backing band for visiting American soul and rhythm-and-blues performers.
Bluesology’s musical connections included artists such as Major Lance, the Isley Brothers, and Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. In 1966, the band became part of Long John Baldry’s backing group, placing Dwight directly in the British blues circuit that influenced his development as a pianist and performer.
The band also explains his later stage name: “Elton” came from saxophonist Elton Dean, while “John” came from singer Long John Baldry. Bluesology is sometimes confused with Steampacket, another band associated with Baldry, but Dwight’s own group was Bluesology.