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Sir Elton drums up a glam reunion

From the archive, first published Thursday 8th Jun 2000.

WHEN they last met it was during the heady days of glam rock, touring the world as a hit singer and drummer playing in front of tens of thousands of adoring fans.

Now, 23 years on, Sir Elton John and his former drummer Roger Pope, who comes from Bitterne Park, Southampton, have been reunited backstage at Broadlands, near Romsey where the singer last night completed two successful open air concerts.

In 1978 the pair lost touch due to the extremes of their rock 'n' roll lifestyles. But, when Roger heard the star was performing near his home turf, his fiancee Sue Tresidder wrote to Elton suggesting a reunion.

The star wrote back offering them the best tickets in the house and the chance to meet up again before the show.

Roger, 53, from Castle Road, said after the meeting: "It was amazing. When we were chatting it seemed just like yesterday, reminiscing about people we used to know."

In the Seventies Roger, then from Sholing in Southampton, hit the big time after being hired as a session musician to play drums on Elton's first hit single Lady Samantha.

Before that that he had played in local city band Johnny Keeping and Lonely Ones. They became The Soul Agents and backed Rod Stewart for a year. Roger went on to form his own band Hookfoot, then drummed in the Kiki Dee Band in 1973.

His musicianship so impressed Elton that he pinched Roger for his own band, writing the smash hit Don't Go Breaking My Heart as a peace offering to a miffed Kiki.

Roger then went on to perform in stadiums all over the world. He still plays in Southampton, but is currently taking a break for health reasons.

When Roger joined Elton's band back in 1975, the singer was determined to put the glam and the glitter behind him and get back to the roots of rock.

Speaking of the days when they toured together in Britain, Canada and America from 1975 to 1977, playing over 300 gigs, he said: "Elton just wanted to get back to playing out-and-out rock. We were all buddies on tour, we were a real band."

He fondly recalled the days when the band jetted around America on Elton's private plane The Starship.

"We had all the trappings of stardom. The normal seats were ripped out of the plane and it was armchairs, video screens, a bar, mirrors, the works.

"At a hotel we had a suite each and stayed for three weeks at a time, travelling to gigs in a convoy of limos."

"It was brilliant meeting him again after all this time. At the bottom line, he's a damn good musician."

Sue, who had never met the singer before, added: "I always knew he would be as nice as he is, because you can hear it in the way he plays his piano and sings his songs.

"He's a warm person and he seemed really pleased to see Roger again.

"It's all just sinking in now - Roger put his hand out to shake Elton's and he just grabbed him and gave him the biggest hug. It was the best reception he could have hoped for."

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

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