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- Elton John signed a recording contract as a solo artist with Uni Records, a division of MCA Records.
- Then little-known 23-year-old Elton John performed his first live concert in the United States at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. He appeared alongside singer and songwriter David Ackles and began his 17-concert US tour; according to one source, Neil Diamond introduced him to the audience. Among those in attendance were Don Henley, Quincy Jones and Leon Russell. Elton John performed songs including “Border Song”, “Your Song”, “Take Me to the Pilot” and a cover of The Rolling Stones' “Honky Tonk Women”. The concert received enthusiastic reviews and significantly boosted his career in America.
- Elton John performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario.
- Elton John performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles; actress Linda Lovelace introduced him.
- Elton John released his seventh studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which became his most successful and best-selling studio album. It includes “Candle in the Wind,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and the title track. Bernie Taupin's lyrics were written in two and a half weeks, and Elton John composed most of the music in three days in Kingston, Jamaica. The album sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, sold eight million copies in the United States, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.
- Elton John played at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- The double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is certified gold. According to the supplied source, it is Elton John’s third consecutive album to reach No. 1 on the chart.
- Elton John released the single “The Bitch Is Back” in the UK on DJM Records. The B-side was “Cold Highway”.
- Elton John released the single “The Bitch Is Back” in the United States on MCA Records. The B-side was “Cold Highway”.
- Elton John officially received an RIAA gold record for "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", which had previously spent two weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, behind John Denver's "Annie's Song".
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the US chart with “Bennie and the Jets”.
- Elton John received a gold record for the single “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, which spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100.
- Elton John performed the first of three nights at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. The concerts were intended to raise $150,000 for the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA.
- Elton John’s ninth studio album “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” returned to No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 after a six-week break. That same year, it also topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
- Elton John byl hlavní hvězdou každoročního festivalu Summerfest na Rich Stadium v Buffalu v New Yorku. Jako předskokani vystoupili John Miles a Boz Scaggs.
- Elton John played the first of a series of sold-out concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert series grossed $1.25 million and surpassed The Rolling Stones’ 1975 record. Elton John was promoting his current single with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” and the live album “Here and There.”
- Elton John released the album "Blue Moves" as an advance release in the United Kingdom.
- Elton John became the first non-sporting figure inducted into the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame in New York, in recognition of the record attendance at his concerts in June 1977.
- Elton John released the album Victim of Love, which moved away from his usual piano-driven pop-rock style toward disco music.
- During the opening night of his Breaking Hearts tour, Elton John announced that he was retiring from touring.
- Elton John's album "Leather Jackets" reached No. 1 on the UK chart.
- Elton John, David Lee Roth, and Cher appeared on the premiere broadcast of The Late Show with Joan Rivers.
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with “I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That”. Steve Winwood spent his fourth week at No. 1 with “Roll With It”. George Michael moved from No. 8 to No. 2 with “Monkey”, Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine were at No. 3, and Elton John also had “I Don't Wanna' Go On With You Like That” at No. 4. Chicago were at No. 5, Breathe at No. 6, Terence Trent D'Arby at No. 8, and “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses and “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman entered the Top 10.
- Elton John had 2,000 items of his personal possessions auctioned at Sotheby's in London. The auction raised $6.2 million and included feather boas, hundreds of pairs of glasses and the giant "Pinball Wizard" boots he wore in the film "Tommy", which sold for $20,000.
- Elton John released the album "Sleeping With the Past", one of the albums commemorated as part of the musical anniversaries for August 29.
- On July 29, 1990, Elton John officially registered and was admitted to Parkside Lutheran Hospital in Chicago.
- Elton John performed an updated version of “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey in London. The new version, titled “Candle in the Wind '97,” later became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
- Elton John performed a dramatically rewritten version of "Candle in the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey, later released as "Candle in the Wind 1997". In the new version, he replaced the original lyric "Goodbye Norma Jean" with "Goodbye England's Rose". His performance was estimated to have been watched by 2.5 billion television viewers. The song was subsequently re-recorded and released as a charity single, topping charts around the world and selling more than 33 million copies, making it the best-selling single in the history of the UK and U.S. singles charts according to the source.
- Elton John recorded a new version of "Candle in the Wind" after performing it live at Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral. The original song was written in tribute to Marilyn Monroe, but Elton John revised the lyrics as a tribute to the late princess. His performance was estimated to have been watched by 2.5 billion people worldwide. "Candle in the Wind 1997" reached No. 1 in the U.S., UK and many other countries and subsequently became the best-selling single of all time.
- Elton John's double-sided single "Candle in the Wind 1997" / "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and began a 14-week run at the top. The reworked version of his 1974 song about Marilyn Monroe was adapted as a tribute to Princess Diana following her death and released to support charitable causes. The single topped charts in more than 20 countries, became the best-selling single in UK chart history and sold an estimated 33 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
- During the second of two concerts at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Elton John invited comedian Jim Carrey onto the stage, in the presence of Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, for an unexpected duet of “Rocket Man”. Carrey wore one of Elton’s distinctive red Versace jackets, alternated vocals with him, and harmonized; while singing, he improvised the line “a long, long time” as “friggin' forever”. After the performance, he sat down at the piano and struck his head against the keys.
- Elton John reached No. 1 on the British singles chart with "Are You Ready For Love". The song was recorded in 1977 and released in 1979, when it reached No. 42. It was later used in Sky TV advertisements for the new football season.
- Elton John took "Are You Ready for Love" to No. 1 on the UK singles chart. The song was originally released in 1979 but was later remixed by DJ Ashley Beedle and re-released.
- Elton John filed a lawsuit against the British newspaper The Times over an article published on June 21 that linked him to a tax avoidance scheme. The case was settled in October when the British High Court ruled in favor of The Times.
- The British High Court ruled that The Times had not libeled Elton John in articles about tax avoidance because the singer was not directly connected to the story.
- Elton John received the first-ever Brits Icon award during a special concert that marked his return to the stage following appendix surgery. The award was presented to him by Rod Stewart, who jokingly called him the second-best rock singer of all time.
- In the United Kingdom, Elton John was honored with a new set of Royal Mail postage stamps dedicated to his career. He became only the second individual musical artist to receive the honor, after David Bowie in 2017.