Born and raised in London, D.P. MacManus later came to be known as “Elvis Costello.” He has been performing in public for over 50 years, solo, with the pianist Steve Nieve and with the bands Rusty, The Attractions, His Confederates, The Rude Five, The Sugarcanes and, his current ensemble, The Imposters. Costello is a writer and part-time musician who made a number of records in the 20th century, some of which are still remembered today, the most notable for many being the first five releases which were all produced by his friend, Nick Lowe.
He has written several songs for motion pictures including The Scarlet Tide – his Academy Award-nominated collaboration with T Bone Burnett for Cold Mountain and You Shouldn’t Look at me That Way, as well as a number of yet-to-be-produced stage musical scores.
Making his debut in 1977 with the release My Aim is True, Costello’s recording catalogue now runs to more than 35 titles, including Get Happy, Imperial Bedroom, King of America, All This Useless Beauty, North, National Ransom and Wise up Ghost with The Roots.
Elvis is the composer and lyricist of over 600 published titles, including 15 songs co-written with Paul McCartney and renowned collaborations with Allan Toussaint, the Brodsky Quartet and T Bone Burnett. Costello’s most enduring songwriting collaboration has been with Burt Bacharach beginning with the song “God Give Me Strength” in 1995 and continuing to the present day. Their co-written, award-winning album “Painted from Memory” led to the composition of a significant number of songs for musical theatre.
Costello is a two-time GRAMMY® Award winner, two Dutch Edison awards and a 1989 VMA Award for “Veronica” for Best Male Video. He is a member of both The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2020 Costello was awarded an O.B.E. for his services to music.