WHEREAS, Sir Elton John is a living legend. Over the span of his three-decades-long career he has released 43 albums, won multiple Grammy Awards and is known as one of the most enduringly successful singer/songwriters of his generation; and
WHEREAS,
A former student of the Royal Academy of Music in London, England, the man born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947 left school and immediately began his path in the music industry. His first band, Bluesology, was formed in 1961. He would later take his stage name from the Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and their charismatic frontman, Long John Baldry; and
WHEREAS, Sir Elton John has been one of the most prolific recording artists since the 1970s, and he honored Philadelphia with his hit “Philadelphia Freedom” in 1975. He has also collaborated with Tim Rice on music for Disney’s
The Lion King
, earning him an Academy Award. Other Broadway credits include
Aida
,
Billy Elliot: The Musical
(opening in 2005)
,
and
Vampire Lestat
(opening in 2005); and
WHEREAS, In 1991, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, his pioneering charity dedicated to breakthrough work on behalf of those around the world suffering from HIV and related illnesses; and
WHEREAS, On July 4th , 2005, Sir Elton John will perform at the Philadelphia Freedom Concert and Ball with Peter Nero on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. While the concert will be free, organizers expect the event to raise $2 million to fight HIV/AIDS, which will be split between the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the local Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld Fund; and
WHEREAS, The William Way Center, located at the corner of Juniper and Spruce Streets, has been an advocate for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, providing important outreach, support, recreational, cultural and educational programs including valuable support for those infected with HIV/AIDS; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the 300 block of South Juniper Street shall also be known as “Elton’s Way.”
End