'' The Lion King '' musical debuted on Broadway in 1997 and the West End in 1999 . In 2014 it had grossed over $ 6 billion and became the top-earning title in box-office history for both stage productions and films , surpassing the record previously held by Andrew Lloyd Webber 's 1986 musical '' The Phantom of the Opera '' . In addition to '' The Lion King '' , John composed music for a Disney 's musical production '' Aida '' in 1999 with lyricist Tim Rice , for which they received the Tony Award for Best Original Score at the 54th Tony Awards , and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards . The musical had its world premiere at Atlanta 's Alliance Theatre and went on to Chicago and eventually Broadway . John released a live compilation album , '' Elton John One Night Only – The Greatest Hits '' , featuring songs from the show he did at Madison Square Garden in New York City that same year . A concept album of songs from the musical '' Aida '' , '' Elton John and Tim Rice 's Aida '' , was also released and featured the John duets " Written in the Stars " with LeAnn Rimes , and " I Know the Truth " with Janet Jackson
54th Tony Awards
54th Tony Awards
Elton John