“We did Yellow Brick Road in 16 days! That’s the magic you get with a band like that”: Dee Murray was the centerpiece of the early Elton John band – and the last bassist to play onstage with John Lennon

Elton John live at Nippon Budokan, February 1st, 1974, Tokyo, Japan. Elton John, Dee Murray, Davy Johnston.

With his enormous catalog of hit songs and even larger public persona, Elton John has kept audiences enthralled since he first emerged in the late '60s. For his first few records, he turned to various hired guns for stage and studio work, but his decision in 1971 to form a full-time band proved to be a wise one, leading to a string of massively successful albums and tours.

On bass guitar, Dee Murray developed a style that built on the melodic approach Paul McCartney had perfected with the Beatles. “Dee's a player who's been really overlooked,” Davey Johnstone, longtime Elton John guitar guru, told Bass Player. “He was such a fluid player, with beautiful musical ideas.”