Artist	Song
Jerry Lee Lewis	High School Confidential
from Jerry Lee Lewis (1958)
Little Richard	The Girl Can't Help It
from The Georgia Peach (2006)
Fats Domino	I'm Walkin'
from The Fats Domino Jukebox: 20 Greatest Hits (2002)
Ray Charles	I Got a Woman
from Ray Charles (2005)
Elvis Presley	Heartbreak Hotel
from Elvis: 30 #1 Hits (2002)
Bill Haley & His Comets	ABC Boogie (Single Version)
from Rock Around the Clock (2004)
The Rolling Stones	Honky Tonk Women
from Hot Rocks 1964-1971 (2005)
Leon Russell	Shoot Out On the Plantation
from Leon Russell (1995)
The Band	The Weight
from Music From Big Pink (2000)
Van Morrison	And It Stoned Me
from Moondance (2007)
Leonard Cohen	Suzanne
from The Essential Leonard Cohen (2002)
Laura Nyro	Captain Saint Lucifer
from New York Tendaberry (2002)
David Ackles	Down River
from David Ackles (2005)
The Beach Boys	Fun, Fun, Fun
from Sounds of Summer - The Very Best of The Beach Boys (2003)
John Lennon, Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band	Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
from Power to the People - The Hits (Remastered) (2010)
Stevie Wonder	I Was Made to Love Her
from Stevie Wonder: The Definitive Collection (2002)
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas	Nowhere to Run
from The Ultimate Collection: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas (1998)
Billy Stewart	I Do Love You
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billy Stewart (2000)
Winifred Atwell	Let's Have a Party
from Anthology: Winifred Atwell (2010)
Russ Conway	Side Saddle
from Party On (2009)
Liberace	Chopsticks
from 16 Most Requested Songs (1989)
Vladimir Ashkenazy	Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat, Op. 9 No. 2
from Essential Chopin (2003)
Nicholas McGegan	Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook: Minuets No. 04 & 05
from Bach: Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook (Highlights) (2001)
Long John Baldry	Lord, You Made the Night Too Long
from Let the Heartaches Begin (2008)
Marty Robbins	El Paso
from The Essential Marty Robbins (2005)

Comment:

On his arc from unknown songwriter to international superstar, Elton John kept both ears firmly glued to the stereo, never straying far from his record collection . . . 'cause he didn't need to. If there's a soul man inside Elton — and, oh, there is — then let us introduce you to his soul-father, Ray Charles, who dragged "I Got a Woman" straight out the church and right up the R&B chart. Unlike Elton, rockabilly's Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, once literally — not just metaphorically — set his piano aflame, and in the runaway freight train romp of "High School Confidential" he positively scorches. And if ever a group defined the concept of roots, it's the Band, whose rustic take on Americana in "The Weight" set the stage for Elton's Tumbleweed Connection-era career. With musical mentors ranging from the Rolling Stones to Vladimir Ashkenazy, Elton John did his homework like the schoolboy he once was . . . by listening and learning.

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