12 Firsts of Elton John

1. “Your Song,” released in 1968,  was John’s first top ten single in the U.S. It was the first of more than 50 top-40 hits.
2. In 1969, John provided piano for Roger Hodgson on his first released single, "Mr. Boyd" by Argosy, a quartet that was completed by Caleb Quaye and Nigel Olsson.
3. Backed by former Spencer Davis Group drummer Nigel Olsson and bassist Dee Murray, Elton John's first American concert took place at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in August 1970, and was a success.
4. Released in 1972, Honky Château became John's first US number one album, spending five weeks at the top of the Billboard 200, and began a streak of seven consecutive US number one albums.
5. The pop album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player came out at the start of 1973, and reached number one in the UK, the US, Australia among others which produced the hits "Crocodile Rock", his first US Billboard Hot 100 number one, and "Daniel"; number two US, number four UK.
6. Collaborated with Kiki Dee at Cherokee Studios for a duet "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" in 1976. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was also his first No. 1 single in the United Kingdom, topping the chart for six weeks in mid 1976. This also became his sixth No. 1 single in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks.
7. In 1979, accompanied by Ray Cooper, Elton John became one of the first Western artists to tour the Soviet Union, as well as one of the first in Israel.
8. 1995: Winner of the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. Having previously won the award in 1986, he became the first person to win the award twice as a solo artist, a record which still stands in 2008.
9. In 1990, he achieved his first solo UK number one hit single, with "Sacrifice" (coupled with "Healing Hands") from the previous year's album Sleeping with the Past; it would stay at the top spot for six weeks.
10. He performed his first and only concert in Puerto Rico in the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot on April 28, 2007.
11. On 3 February 2012, Elton John visited Costa Rica for the first time when he performed at the recently built National Stadium.
12. In September 2013, John received the first Brits Icon Award for his "lasting impact" on UK Culture.

References:

http://m.imdb.com/name/nm0005056/trivia

http://lancasteronline.com/features/entertainment/tuesday-trivia-things-to-know-about-elton-john/article_19a535c2-b392-11e3-838b-001a4bcf6878.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John