Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello (born Declan McManus on August 25, 1964, London) is a popular singer, musician and songwriter.
Having first started to write songs as part of London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s, he became primarily associated punk rock, which never really suited him, before establishing himself as a unique and original voice in the 1980s.
From a musical family (his father sang with Joe Loss), he moved with his mother to Liverpool in 1971. It was there that he formed his first band, Flip City, very much in the pub rock vein. They lasted until 1975, by which time McManus was living in London with a wife and child. After a number of dead-end jobs, during which time he continued to write songs, he began looking for a solo recording contract, which involved an incident when he was arrested busking outside a conference of record executives. On the basis of a demo tape, he was signed to Stiff Records, who teamed him with a country/soft rock band named "Clover".
Elvis Costello first rose to fame with his band "Elvis Costello and the Attractions" on the Stiff Records label during the 1970s punk music boom. His stage name was taken from Elvis Presley and his mother's maiden name (Costello). At the time of his popular emergence, he bore a striking resemblance to Buddy Holly.
Now a solo performer, he performs with a more lyrical style than the choppy, punchy fairground-music style associated with the Attractions.