Elvis Costello - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello at a promotional performance in the Summer of 2006.
Elvis Costello at a promotional performance in the Summer of 2006.
Background information
Birth nameDeclan Patrick MacManus
Born (1954-08-25) 25 August 1954 (age 70)
London, England
GenresRock
Pop
New Wave
Pub rock
Power pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Guitar
Years active1977 – present
LabelsStiff, Radar, F-Beat, Demon, Columbia, Warner Bros., Deutsche Grammophon, Lost Highway
WebsiteElvis Costello.com

Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus, 25 August 1954) is an English singer and songwriter.[1] He was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London.[2] He was an important musician in the late 1970s punk rock and new wave music styles.[3][4] In the 1980s, he played an original style of rock and roll. Later he wrote and performed music in a number of different styles from classical to jazz.

Costello has won multiple awards in his career. These include a Grammy Award. He has twice been nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male.[5] In 2003, Elvis Costello & the Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[6] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Costello number 80 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[7]

After two earlier marriages he married jazz pianist Diana Krall in 2003.[8]

Influences

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Costello stated music artists like Bob Dylan, David Ackles, Gram Parsons, Randy Newman, The Band, Van Morrison, Georgie Fame, Moses Allison, Cole Porter, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, Charles Brown, Grateful Dead, Warren Zevon, Brinsley Schwarz, George Jones, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Beatles, Burt Bacharach, James Carr, The Kinks, Jerome Kern, The Byrds, Tom Waits, Elvis Presley and The Flying Burrito Brothers as influences.

Elvis Costello in 1979

Costello appeared with his friend Burt Bacharach in the 1999 Austin Powers movie The Spy Who Shagged Me. They played "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" during the scene where Mike Myers danced with Heather Graham.

In 2010, Elvis Costello appeared as himself in David Simon's television series, Treme.[9]

In 2011, Elvis Costello appeared as himself on Sesame Street. He did a song with Elmo and Cookie Monster, titled "Monster Went and Ate My Red 2", a play on "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes".

Studio albums

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Costello has also released studio albums with Richard Harvey, John Harle, Burt Bacharach, Anne Sofie Von Otter, Bill Frisell, Marian McPartland and Allen Toussaint. He also released five live albums: Live at the El Mocambo, Deep Dead Blue, Costello & Nieve, My Flame Burns Blue, and Live at Hollywood High. There have also been many compilations, box sets, and reissues by record labels such as Rykodisc, Demon, Rhino, and Universal Music Enterprises.

References

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  1. "Elvis Costello at NNDB". Nndb.com. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  2. Smith, Larry David (2004). Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song Tradition. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-275-97392-6.
  3. Masley, Ed (18 October 2002). "The Best of Elvis Costello". Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  4. "Elvis Costello". Encyclopædia Britannica. 25 August 1954. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  5. Elvis Costello BRITS Profile Archived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine BRIT Awards Ltd
  6. Elvis Costello and the Attractions Archived 2019-06-16 at the Wayback Machine Rockhall.com.
  7. 100 Greatest Artists: Elvis Costello Rolling Stone.
  8. Susman, Gary (10 December 2003). "Get Happy Elvis Costello marries Diana Krall. The singers wed in at Elton John's castle in England on Saturday". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  9. "Elvis Costello, Steve Earle to Guest on David Simon's "Treme"". twentyfourbit. 18 January 2010.