In 2010, Elton John was ready to stop making albums. One phone call changed his mind

Elton John was considering giving up making albums after becoming disillusioned by the poor promotion of *The Captain and the Kid*. A chance phone call to musician Leon Russell, whom John admired, led to their 2010 collaboration *The Union* and renewed his enthusiasm for recording.

Russell was in poor health when they reconnected, and John saw the album as a way to honour and support his musical hero. Though *The Union* was not a commercial project, it became a turning point: John grew more willing to make music for his own satisfaction and later worked with artists including Gorillaz and Dua Lipa.