Radio Elton John

After last month's Better Off Dead, we journey to the song that helps us understand it even better, with the 1968 Elton-Bernie song There's Still Time For Me, which was produced by Caleb Quaye, and which only saw light of day on the Jewel Box collection in 2020.

Mercifully, there was still time for Elton and he went on to become one of the biggest starts in music!

Read more here; eltonjohn.world

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 2 September 2026 Released in full to REJ Platinum subscribers: 5 September 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 19 September 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: Dave Richmond is a very unassuming character, the perfect persona for a successful session musician. Working on hits for Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, Cilla Black, Olivia Newton-John and Labi Siffre, he began on hit 5-4-3-2-1 by Manfred Mann and later John Barry Seven. An accomplished double bassist and bass guitarist, Dave added his tones t...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 7 August 2026 Released in full to REJ Platinum subscribers: 8 August 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 22 August 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: Russ Regan opened the door for Elton John in the USA and saved the budding pianist's global career. As we mark the 56th anniversary of Elton's landmark Troubadour Club appearance on 25 August 1970, we pay tribute to Russ, with special guests Russ's son Daniel, journalist and record executive George Saadi and Troubadour eyewitness Rick Frio. Also enjoy Pinner's latest o...

This is a test. Enjoy!

Back to Elton's first autobiographical album in 1975 for Better Off Dead, as Neil Barrett goes beyond the artwork and the marketing to uncover the truth of this eternal gem.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 7 August 2026 Released in full to REJ Platinum subscribers: 8 August 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 21 August 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: Russ Regan opened the door for Elton John in the USA and saved the budding pianist's global career. As we mark the 56th anniversary of Elton's landmark Troubadour Club appearance on 25 August 1970, we pay tribute to Russ, with special guests Russ's son Daniel, journalist and record executive George Saadi and Troubadour eyewitness Rick Frio. Also enjoy Pinner's latest o...

Songs from the West Coast included this gem, as Neil Barrett investigates the meaning of this song of candour from Elton and Bernie, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 13 June 2026  Released in full to REJ Platinum subscribers: 27 June 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 4 July 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: BBC Radio's Steve Wight is often credited with Elton's Sacrifice reaching number 1 on its second release in 1990. We talk to Jonathan Ruffle, producer of Steve Wright in the Afternoon, about the day in June 1990 when Elton appeared on the show to say a thank you. Hear how the show was put together and enjoy Pinner's latest offering Rocket M...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 13 June 2026  Released in full to REJ Platinum subscribers: 27 June 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 4 July 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: BBC Radio's Steve Wight is often credited with Elton's Sacrifice reaching number 1 on its second release in 1990. We talk to Jonathan Ruffle, producer of Steve Wright in the Afternoon, about the day in June 1990 when Elton appeared on the show to say a thank you. Hear how the show was put together and enjoy Pinner's latest offering Rocket M...

Bang up to date, with an entry from Elton's (and Brandi's) latest album Who Believes In Angels from 2025, Neil Barrett explores the song Little Richard's Bible.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 27 May 2026  Released to REJ Platinum subscribers: 30 May 2026. Released on REJ Silver on 6 June 2026.

Presenter: Bill Hornblower, Executive Producer: None!

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: A mid-life transfer case, DJ Bill Hornblower makes a career-cramping move uninvited when he swoops on the brand-new Radio Elton John studios and decides to fool around. During this wanton sabotage he fails to damage anything, except spoil the launch of an exciting reset for REJ.World. Hear about all-new Platinum for the price of a coffee, and the launch of t...

Back to the 1990s for a song overlooked on the Made In England album, Cold. Neil Barrett gets into the groove to make for lost time.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 23 April 2026  Released to REJ Platinum subscribers: 25 April 2026. Released on REJ Silver n 2 May 2026.

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: There is one man who scares Elton. Why? Because he's Elton's double, Ray Johnson. Able to clear security to get back stage at a Paris gig, he's appeared in loads of commercials and even the Franco-Belgian cinema series The Tuche Family. Starting out on ITV's The Lookalikes Agency, Ray has posed for photos with "Rocketman" the North Korean leader's lookalike a...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 23 April 2026  Released to Platinum subscribers: 25 April 2026. 

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

There is one man who scares Elton. Why? Because he's Elton's double, Ray Johnson. Able to clear security to get back stage at a Paris gig, he's appeared in loads of commercials and even the Franco-Belgian cinema series The Tuche Family. Starting out on ITV's The Lookalikes Agency, Ray has posed for photos with "Rocketman" the North Korean leader's lookalike and even worked four times with Elton - but ne...

Neil Barrett examines the story behind one of Elton and Bernie's most eponymous songs, Levon.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 25 March 2026  Released to Platinum subscribers: 28 March 2026. 

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: As Elton John turns 79 RPM, Pinner celebrate with a special song, Elton's Birthday Parade Broadcast, and we catch up with tribute artist Paul Bacon who once performed a gig for Elton's mum's 90th birthday party! Neil Barrett also joins us for a serious look at Elton's music. And Paul debuts Serious Songs.

Read more about this episode on ⁠eltonjohn.world⁠

To get this show the...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 25 March 2026  Released to Platinum subscribers: 28 March 2026. 

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Welcome to ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: As Elton John turns 79 RPM, Pinner celebrate with a special song, Elton's Birthday Parade Broadcast, and we catch up with tribute artist Paul Bacon who once performed a gig for Elton's mum's 90th birthday party! Neil Barrett also joins us for a serious look at Elton's music. And Paul debuts Serious Songs.

Read more about this episode on ⁠⁠eltonjohn.world⁠⁠

To get this show the way...

Neil Barrett examines whether Bernie Taupin enjoyed his creativity being examined in this expose of Town of Plenty, the opening track of 1988 album Reg Strikes Back.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES

Artist Andre Miripolsky tells George Matlock how he has teamed up with Elton John, David Furnish and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 24 Jan 2026  Released to Platinum subscribers: 31 Jan 2026. 

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to Season 5 of the show, rebranded as ENCORE! on REJ.World.

FULL EPISODE: Alan McCormick was a very popular Elton John fan who set up Wrap It Up!, the mail order service which became a lifeline for Elton fans to buy Elton music and memorabilia before the internet was even born.

Along with guest Peter Thomas, Alan campaigned for more of Elton's music to be made available. Peter has claimed that a li...

Neil Barrett gives us a gust of Heels of the Wind, the 1981 track from album The Fox.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 24 Jan 2026  Released to Platinum subscribers: 31 Jan 2026. 

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Welcome to Season 5 of the show, rebranded as ENCORE! on REJ.World.

Alan McCormick was a very popular Elton John fan who set up Wrap It Up!, the mail order service which became a lifeline for Elton fans to buy Elton music and memorabilia before the internet was even born.

Along with guest Peter Thomas, Alan campaigned for more of Elton's music to be made available. Peter has claimed that a little over 50 pe...

For his second episode, Neil Barrett explores the meaning of I Need You To Turn To.

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 16 Dec 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 24 Dec 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

The holiday edition of Saturday Night’s Alright (for podcasting) is a real treat. We feature recently released EP The Gus Dudgeon Sessions 1975-2025 from one of Rocket Records’ earliest signings, Maldwyn Pope, as well as REJ.World veteran Phil “Phlop” Greenfield join George Matlock. We hear how Davey Johnstone arrived with a truck of instruments to record for Mal, how Elton mentored the “16-year-old failure”, and how Phlop fell out with John Reid but still delivered the master ta...

Podcaster Neill Barrett kicks off a new series for Radio Elton John where he analyses the music and delivery of a specific Elton song.

This week: Burning Buildings from Breaking Hearts (1984).

Be sure to follow this show on Spotify or your favourite podcast player app. That way, when a new episode is added, you get it first! Neil says: "Thank you, it means a lot."

Programme produced for REJ.World

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 23 Nov 2025  Released: 6 Dec 2025   

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Podcaster Neil Barrett joins George Matlock to explain the exciting changes to Silver. Login-free, and full episodes now available free on Silver from REJ.World.

Also Neil explains why he has parked his own podcast to do a fresh show for Radio Elton John called Neil's In The Mix. The new show zooms in and analyses one song of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.

The first episode is released midday on 19 December 2025 and episodes will be rel...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 10 Nov 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 29 Nov 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Know your ABCs? Did you know that Elton John worked with two producers with the same name? Steve Brown. We speak to wife Jacky Brown about Steve who cleaned Nigel Olsson's drum kit in his own bedroom and was shown the light by Gus Dudgeon, before he went on to work on landmark tracks like Roy Wood's I Wish It Could be Christmas Everyday and produced Wham's Club Tropicana. His first production was the first single from 1980s...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 30 Oct 2025  Released: 1 Nov 2025   

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Full episode

1 November is All Saint's Day. Today Radio Elton John pays tribute to those whom we can never interview but who contributed so much to Elton John's creativity and success. Many were friends of broadcaster George Matlock. This is a special edition of Saturday Night's Alright (for podcasting). Others remebered: Dick James and Alan Aldridge.

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 22 Oct 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 25 Oct 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Full Episode

On 24 October 2025, we marked 50 years since Elton John released another chart topper album, Rock of the Westies. The cover was photpgraphed at Caribou Ranch, Colorado and the album was recorded at that infamous studios too. Radio Elton John celebrates this much-loved album as we catch up with those who were there. Guitarists Caleb Quaye and Kenny Passarelli.

Be sure to subscribe on ⁠REJ.World⁠ to hear the show on Platinum. Only $1.99 for ALL...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 15 Sept 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 27 Sept 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

This month our guests are fan-authors Andrea Grasso and Luca Perasi. Fresh from publishing a book Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - The Making of an Epic Album Andrea and Luca tell us about some of their discoveries in the book - but how much will they reveal?

Our thanks to the boys for including Cheryl Herman's article from our sister website eltonjohn.world in their book. There's also a chance to win the book. Check o...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 10 July 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 26 July 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

This month our guest is the acclaimed artist Andre Miripolsky.

Famed for creating THAT outfit, the piano key costume for Elton at the historic Central Park New York concert in 1980, Andre actually created no less than seven costumes for Elton’s 1980 World Tour.

You can see some of them in the gallery on eltonjohn.world and REJ.World

Andre confesses to us his three favourite Elton songs and tells us about the...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 25 May 2025 Released to Platinum subscribers: 31 May 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

On 23 May 1975, Elton John and Bernie Taupin's autobiograhical Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was released in the UK and USA - to become a defining hit album. It was delivered in the most creative album cover to ever grace an Elton John album by Alan Aldridge. We celebrate the half century with a 90-minutes interview with Elton's Art Director David Larkham and Alan's photographer/artist son Miles Aldridge. A very special edition available on REJ.W...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 16 April 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 26 April 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Funeral for a Fan? The last minute was the best minute? Those were some of the suggestions of Elton John fans who delivered their verdict on each and every song on Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s new album Who Believes in Angels? Expert fans on the show included Keith Hayward, Neil Barrett, Jim Turano, Linda Dupuis, Peter Thomas, Stephan Heimbecher, James Mackay, Tom Stanton, Urpu Kallio, Dale DeBakcsy, and Marta Coloma. The Fan Forum also voted out...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 21 March 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 29 March 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

Elton's birthday episode is full of surprises - for the Rocketman and his fans. Dale DeBakcsy plays piano and rips Elton's songs and sheetmusic to shreds on the show! Author of a new book released on 30 March in the UK and USA in May, Elton John - Album By Album, Dale analyses Elton's songwriting. Plus a chance to win the new book! And try out our new poll on Spotify! Expect a real masterclass with Dale as w...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 25 Feb 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 1 March 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

He's a multi-instrumentalist who left his mark on Elton John's music in the second half of the 1990s. It is 30 years on 17 March when album Made In England was released and it spawned a successful tour in 1995. Touring Europe in April, John Jorgenson confesses when the pandemic struck, he thought his time was up. But he's in more demand now than ever before. An old pal of George's expect a lot of unusual stories to emerge in t...

He's a multi-instrumentalist who left his mark on Elton John's music in the second half of the 1990s. It is 30 years on 17 March when album Made In England was released and it spawned a successful tour in 1995. Touring Europe in April, John Jorgenson confesses when the pandemic struck, he thought his time was up. But he's in more demand now than ever before. An old pal of George's expect a lot of unusual stories to emerge in this fun episode!

All Podcasts now available in full at rej.world and radioeltonjohn.world

Be sure to...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 17 Jan 2025  Released to Platinum subscribers: 25 Jan 2025

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

Music legend Sedaka was a top-seller in the 1950s and 1960s. After spending 12 years off the charts, Elton John convinced him to sign with Rocket Records and this led to a successful comeback. Now 85 and still going strong, hear Neil's story only on REJ.World.

To get this show the way the guests experienced it, sign up to ⁠⁠Platinum ⁠⁠today! Costs just $5 a year. Yep, the price of a coffee buys you access to the whole cha...

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 11 Dec 2024  Released to Platinum subscribers: 28 Dec 2024

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

We hope you like the trailer. But you are missing out on the full episode of Saturday Night’s Alright (for podcasting).

Anywhere else?

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 10 Nov 2024  Released to Platinum subscribers: 30 Nov 2024

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: George Matlock

We hope you like the trailer. But you are missing out on the full episode of Saturday Night’s Alright (for podcasting).

Anywhere else?

SHOW NOTES:

Recorded: 14 Oct 2024  Released to Platinum subscribers: 25 Oct 2024

Presenter: George Matlock, Executive Producer: Hezikor Kadouri

We hope you like the trailer. But you are missing out on the full episode of Saturday Night’s Alright (for podcasting).

Anywhere else?