Elton John’s classic 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road turned 40 this year and to celebrate the anniversary, a tribute album is being put together. The legendary singer said that Hunter Hayes has already recorded a cover of the album’s title track.
According to Billboard, John announced the project during a special appearance at USC on Monday to chat about The Diving Board, which is coming out at the end of this month.
“Hunter Hayes has done 'Yellow Brick Road,' played all the instruments and he blew my mind,” John told USC students. Miguel and John Grant are also among the nine artists who have already recorded songs for the tribute album.
NeonTommy.com reports that the USC event was very special for students, some of whom got the opportunity to perform with John. “We definitely had more students want to perform than we were able to accommodate,” Chris Sampson, vice dean of the division of contemporary music at USC’s Thornton School of Music, said. “However, we were very pleased to be able to put together a small orchestra from USC Thornton Symphony and we also brought in some members of the USC Thornton Chamber Choir.”
During his Q&A session, John namechecked newer artists like Disclosure, Hanni El Khatib, Queens of the Stone Age, and Lorde, noting that they have impressed him. He also called producer T Bone Burnett “a master came in, a grown man, and made an essential record.”
The release date for the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tribute wasn’t announced, but The Diving Board will be out on Sept. 24.
image: NBC