Elton John Marries

Elton John, 58, and longtime partner David Furnish, 43, were married Wednesday in England, at Windsor's town hall, where Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles in April.

The much-publicized union took place on the first day on which same-sex couples were allowed a legal status comparable to marriage -- including the same social security, pension, tax and inheritance rights -- in England and Wales. (The law went into effect earlier this week in Northern Ireland and Scotland.)

The ceremony was followed by a party with 700 guests. At a press conference, Prime Minister Tony Blair sent the couple his congratulations.

John is set to begin his twenty-four-date residency at Caesars Palace's Coliseum, dubbed the Red Piano tour, in Las Vegas on January 31st. British pop star George Michael also recently announced his plans to marry longtime boyfriend Kenny Goss in a civil ceremony next year.

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

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