Elvis Costello

**Declan Patrick MacManus**, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as **Elvis Costello**, is an English singer-songwriter. He has won multiple awards in his career, including Grammy Awards in 1999 and 2020, and has twice been nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Costello number 80 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Costello began his career as part of London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s and later became associated with the first wave of the British punk and new wave movement that emerged in the mid-to-late 1970s. His critically acclaimed debut album My Aim Is True was released in 1977. Shortly after recording it, he formed the Attractions as his backing band. His second album This Year's Model was released in 1978, and was ranked number 11 by Rolling Stone on its list of the best albums from 1967 to 1987. His third album Armed Forces was released in 1979, and features his highest-charting single, "Oliver's Army" (number 2 in the UK). His first three albums all appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Costello and the Attractions toured and recorded together for the better part of a decade, though differences between them caused a split by 1986. Much of Costello's work since has been as a solo artist, though reunions with members of the Attractions have been credited to the group over the years. Costello's lyrics employ a wide vocabulary and frequent wordplay. His music has drawn on many diverse genres; one critic described him as a "pop encyclopaedia", able to "reinvent the past in his own image".

Costello has co-written several original songs for motion pictures, including "God Give Me Strength" from Grace of My Heart (1996, with Burt Bacharach) and "The Scarlet Tide" from Cold Mountain (2003, with T-Bone Burnett). For the latter, Elvis was nominated (along with Burnett) for the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.

## Links to Kershaw

Kershaw revealed on his 04 November 1986 (John Peel) show, which he sat in for John Peel, that he discovered Elvis Costello on Anne Nightingale's show. As a fan of the artist, Kershaw mentioned on the No Off Switch blogsite published in January 2013 that he helped the singer to do his only UK gig at Leeds University when the singer was promoting his Almost Blue album:

> *"In 1981, Elvis Costello stunned many of his followers, and confronted head-on the prejudices of rock music fans, by releasing Almost Blue, an album of pure country, recorded in Nashville with The Attractions and produced by Billy Sherrill. It was announced, before the album’s release, that he wouldn’t be doing a UK tour to promote it, possibly fearing the LP would not be well received. At Leeds University, where I was booking the bands and organising all the concerts, we were having none of that. Elvis was one of our favourites, and a regular performer in the legendary Refectory. The Costello organisation also trusted us. I phoned Elvis’s manager, Jake Riviera, to try to secure a one-off gig. No chance, said Jake. Over a number of calls, my cash offers kept rising. And on 23 June 1981, Elvis played his only UK concert, around the release of Almost Blue, in the Refec. It also happened to be the day of one of the final exams for the promoter’s Politics degree."* [1]
>
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Elvis Costello also sat in for Andy Kershaw's programme in 1989 where he played his favourite songs.

## Sessions

1. Recorded for John Peel's show on 1977-07-25. First Broadcast on Peel's show on 1st August 1977. Repeated: 04 November 1986 (John Peel)

* Mystery Dance / Red Shoes / Blame It On Cain / Less Than Zero

## Other Shows Played

   1985
* 31 October 1985: Watch Your Step

1986
* 20 October 1986 (John Peel): I Want You (7") Imp
* 05 November 1986 (John Peel): I Hope You're Happy Now (7" - I Want You) Imp

1987
* 01 January 1987: American Without Tears (LP - King Of America) F-Beat
* 19 November 1987: American Without Tears No 2

1989
* 04 June 1989: Elvis sat in for Kershaw's show

1991
* 21 April 1991: Couldn't Call It Unexpected No.4 (7" - So Like Candy) Warner Bros.

1993
* 06 November 1993: Blame It On Cain (CD - My Aim Is True) Demon
* 13 November 1993: Poison Moon (CD - My Aim Is True) Demon
* 20 November 1993: Jump Up (4xCD Boxset - 2½ Years) Demon

1994
* 01 January 1994: Cheap Reward (CD - My Aim Is True) Rykodisc
* 26 February 1994: Sulky Girl (CD single) Warner Bros.
* 30 April 1994: Basement Kiss (CD Single - 13 Steps Lead Down) Warner Bros.
* 01 October 1994: Psycho (CD - Almost Blue) Demon
* 01 October 1994: Your Angel Steps Out Of Heaven (CD - Almost Blue) Demon
* 29 October 1994: He's Got You (CD - Almost Blue) Demon

1995
* 21 May 1995: Pouring Water On A Drowning Man (CD - Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety) Warner Bros.
* 21 May 1995: Must You Throw Dirt In My Face (CD - Elvis Costello's Kojak Variety) Warner Bros.

1996
* 28 April 1996: Brilliant Disguise (CD Single - It's Time) Warner Bros.
* 19 May 1996: Little Atoms (CD - All This Useless Beauty) Warner Bros.
* 19 May 1996: All This Useless Beauty (CD - All This Useless Beauty) Warner Bros.
* 09 June 1996: Little Atoms
* 07 July 1996: God Only Knows
* 07 July 1996: Indoor Fireworks
* 07 July 1996: Bowed Down

1998
* 02 March 1998 (& George Jones): Stranger In The House (LP - My Very Special Guests) Epic

1999
* 11 February 1999: Psycho

2001
* 14 December 2001: Green Shirt (LP - Armed Forces) Radar

2004
* 24 October 2004: Monkey To Man (CD - The Delivery Man) Lost Highway
* 07 November 2004: The Scarlet Tide (CD - The Delivery Man) Lost Highway
* 21 November 2004 (& Emmylou Harris): Heart-Shaped Bruise (CD - The Delivery Man) Lost Highway

2005
* 15 May 2005: The Monkey (CD - The Delivery Man) Lost Highway
* 22 May 2005: 'Dark End Of The Street (CD-The Delivery Man (Deluxe Edition))' (Lost Highway)

2006
* 19 November 2006: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding (album - Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers) Imp

2023
* Andy Kershaw Podcast Episode 23: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding (album - Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers) Imp

## External Links

* Wikipedia
* Discogs
* Official Website