Elvis Costello

Declan Patrick MacManus, OBE, better known by his stage name Elvis Costello, is an English pop/rock musician, singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, author, television presenter, and occasional actor.

He 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 #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" (#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 encyclopedia" able to "reinvent the past in his own image."

He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award and has twice been nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist. In 2003, Costello and the Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Costello #80 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Costello has co-written several original songs for motion pictures, including "God Give Me Strength" from Grace of My Heart 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.