Songs in the Key of Life in a series of concert dates in the U.S. and Canada. The start of the tour coincided with the 38th anniversary of the release of "Songs in the Key of Life". Highly anticipated, the album surpassed all commercial expectations. It debuted at number 1 on the "Billboard" Pop Albums Chart on October 8, 1976, becoming only the third album in history to achieve that feat and the first by an American artist (after British singer/composer Elton John's albums "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" and "Rock of the Westies", both in 1975). In Canada, the album achieved the same
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy the results. The album's producer was quoted in Elizabeth Rosenthal's "His Song", an exhaustive detailed accounting of nearly all John's recorded work, as saying he thought "Captain Fantastic" was the best the band and Elton had ever played, lauded their vocal work, and soundly praised Elton and Bernie's songwriting. "There's not one song on it that's less than incredible," Dudgeon said. The 2006 album "The Captain & the Kid" is the sequel, and continues the autobiography where "Captain Fantastic" leaves off. The intricate cover art was designed by pop artist Alan Aldridge, drawing fantastic imagery from the Renaissance painting "The