Celebrity Name:

Celebrity Real Name: Declan McManus

Date of Birth:25 August 1954

Birth Location:London

Biography:

Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is a British musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry.
(His full given name is often listed as Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus; however, Aloysius was not one of his names at birth, being added years later, around the time of the release of “King Of America”, when he toyed with the idea of changing his name back to Declan MacManus from his “stage” name, Elvis Costello.)
Costello was an early participant in London’s pub rock scene in the mid-1970s, and later became associated with the punk rock and new wave musical genres, before establishing himself as a unique and original voice in the 1980s. His output has been wildly diverse: One critic has written that “Costello, the pop encyclopedia, can reinvent the past in his own image”.
Early life
MacManus was born in St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington in London, and lived in the area until he was sixteen. With a musically inclined father (his father, Ross MacManus, sang with Joe Loss), MacManus moved with his mother to Liverpool in 1971. It was there that he formed his first band, a folk duo called Rusty. After completing secondary school in Liverpool, he moved back to London where he next formed a band called Flip City [2], which had a style very much in the pub rock vein. They were active from 1974 through early 1976. Around this time, MacManus adopted the stage name D.P. Costello.
Career
The first Costello single for Stiff was “Less Than Zero” b/w “Radio Sweetheart (single mix),” released on March 25, 1977. Two months later, Costello’s first album, My Aim Is True (1977), was a moderate commercial success (No. 14 in the UK and Top 40 in the US) with Costello appearing on the cover in his trademark oversize glasses, bearing a striking resemblance to a menacing Buddy Holly. Costello’s backing on this first album was provided by American West Coast band Clover, a roots/country outfit living in England, who would later become Huey Lewis and The News. Costello was originally marketed as a punk artist. At the time, there was no term to distinguish punk bands like The Clash and the Sex Pistols from other so-called punk bands like Elvis Costello and Blondie. Later on, as the term new wave was applied to the first post-punk bands, Costello was new wave - for a couple of albums, anyway. The same year, Costello recruited via auditions his own permanent band, The Attractions, consisting of Steve Nieve (born Steve Nason; piano), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (unrelated to Bruce Thomas; drums). He released his first major hit single, “Watching The Detectives,” which was recorded with Nieve and the pair of Steve Goulding (drums) and Andrew Bodnar (bass), both members of Graham Parker & The Rumour.
In July 2005, a CD recording of a collaboration with Marian McPartland on her show Piano Jazz was released. It featured Costello singing six jazz standards and two of his own songs, accompanied by Marian McPartland on piano. In November 2005 Costello started recording a new album with Allen Toussaint and producer Joe Henry. The River in Reverse was released in the UK on the Verve label on 29 May 2006. Also released in 2006 was a live recording of a concert with the Metropole Orkest at the North Sea Jazz Festival, entitled My Flame Burns Blue.
Personal life
Costello has been married three times:
* In 1974, MacManus married Mary Burgoyne. The couple had a son, Matthew, and split up in 1984.
* In 1986, Costello married Cait O’Riordan, then bassist for the band The Pogues. The couple split at the end of 2002.
* Costello became engaged to singer Diana Krall in May 2003. In December, Costello and Krall married at the London estate of Sir Elton John. They are expecting twins, due in December 2006.
Rhino reissues
Starting in 2001, Rhino Records began an eighteen double-disc reissue program for Costello’s back catalogue prior to his Polygram/Universal contract. Except for the compilation, each of the reissues presented the remastered original album on one disc, and a separate bonus disc of B-sides, outtakes, live tracks, alternate versions and/or demos of songs.[wikipedia]