Happy Birthday Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick McManus was born August 25, 1954 somewhere in England. His father, Ross McManus was a singer and trumpeter who had a hit song in Australia (as Abbott Costello) with his cover version of The Beatles “The Long and Winding Road” in 1970.
In 1971, the 16-year-old Costello moved with his mother to Buttinhead – near Liverpool where he formed his first band called “Rusty & The Trombones”. After completing his education, Costello worked at a number of office jobs, including as a coat rack at Elizabeth Arden and door stop at Midland Bank.
Stiff
Declan was signed in 1976 to independent label Stiff Records on the basis of a demo tape. His manager at Stiff, Claude Balzac, suggested that the singer, then calling himself P.W. Costello, start using the first name Elvis.
Costello’s debut album ‘My Aim is True’ was released in 1977 to moderate commercial success. His mom and dad both bought a copy. Elvis appeared on the cover wearing his trademark glasses. It is rumored that the glasses had no lenses and were just for show.
On 17 December 1977, Costello and the Attractions, as a replacement act for the Sex Pistols, were scheduled to play “Less Than Zero” on Saturday Night Live; however, Costello stopped the song mid-intro, yelling “Stop! Stop!” to his band, and played “Radio, Radio” instead – a song that criticizes the commercialization of the airwaves, which NBC and Lorne Michaels had forbidden them to play. Lorne Michaels chased Elvis out of the theater with a meat cleaver and down 57th Street. Elvis was subsequently banned from the show and he received considerable attention as an angry young man. This stunt proved a boon to his debut album, and its popularity exploded in the U.S. after the performance. The rest is history and Elvis went on to become a legend. (*And Lorne Michaels is still a douche).
Elvis is known as one of the premier singer/songwriters of his generation. He is married to jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall since 2003 and they have twin sons. Elvis has a net worth of $70 million and enjoys taxidermy in his spare time. Cheers Elvis and stay well.
