b. Declan McManus, 25 August 1954, Paddington, London, England, but brought up in Liverpool. The son of singer and bandleader Ross McManus first came to prominence during the UK punk era of 1977. The former computer programmer toured A&R offices giving impromptu performances. While appealing to the new wave market, the sensitive issues he wrote about, combined with the structures in which he composed them, indicated a major talent that would survive and outgrow this musical generation.
Following a brief tenure in Flip City he was signed to Dave Robinson's pioneering Stiff Records. Costello failed to chart with his early releases, which included the anti-fascist 'Less Than Zero' and the sublime ballad 'Alison'. His Nick Lowe -produced debut, My Aim Is True, featured members of the west coast cult band Clover, who in turn had Huey Lewis as their vocalist. The album introduced a new pinnacle in late 70s songwriting. Costello spat, shouted and crooned through a cornucopia of radical issues, producing a set that was instantly hailed by the critics. His first hit single, 'Watching The Detectives', contained scathing verses about wife-beating over a beautifully simple reggae beat. His new band, the Attractions, gave Costello a solid base: the combination of Bruce Thomas (b. Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England; bass), ex- Chilli Willi And The Red Hot Peppers' Pete Thomas (b. 9 August 1954, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; drums) and Steve Nieve (b. Steven Nason; keyboards), became an integral part of the Costello sound.
The Attractions provided the backing on the strong follow-up, This Year's Model,and further magnificent singles ensued prior to the release of another landmark album, Armed Forces. This vitriolic collection narrowly missed the coveted number 1 position in the UK and reached the Top 10 in the USA. Costello's standing across the Atlantic was seriously dented by his regrettably flippant dismissal of Ray Charles as 'an ignorant, blind nigger', an opinion he later recanted. 'Oliver's Army', a major hit taken from the album, was a bitter attack on the mercenary soldier, sung over a contrastingly upbeat tune.
By the end of the 70s Costello was firmly established as both performer and songwriter, with Linda Ronstadt and Dave Edmunds having success with his compositions. During 1981 he spent time in Nashville recording a country album, Almost Blue, with the producer Billy Sherrill. George Jones 's 'Good Year For The Roses' became the album's major hit, although a superb reading of Patsy Cline 's 'Sweet Dreams' was a comparative failure. The following year, with seven albums already behind him, the prolific Costello released another outstanding collection, Imperial Bedroom. Many of the songs herein were romantic excursions into mistrust and deceit, including 'Man Out Of Time' and 'I'm Your Toy'. The fast paced 'Beyond Belief' was a perfect example of vintage Costello lyricism: 'History repeats the old conceits/the glib replies the same defeats/keep your finger on important issues with crocodile tears and a pocketful of tissues'.
That year Robert Wyatt recorded arguably the best-ever interpretation of a Costello song. The superlative 'Shipbuilding' offered an imposingly subtle indictment of the Falklands War, with Wyatt's strained voice giving extra depth to Costello's seamless lyric. The next year Costello as the Imposter released 'Pills And Soap', a similar theme cleverly masking a bellicose attack on Thatcherism. Both Punch The Clock and Goodbye Cruel World maintained the high standards that Costello had already set and he also found the time to produce albums by the Specials, Squeeze, the Bluebells and the Pogues (where he met future wife, Cait O'Riordan). During 1984 he played a retarded brother on BBC television in Alan Bleasdale's Scully, which would not be the last time he would attempt a low-key acting career.
The following year he took to a different stage at Live Aid, and in front of millions sang John Lennon 's 'All You Need Is Love'. His version of the Animals' 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' was a minor hit in 1986 and during another punishing year he released two albums: the rock 'n' roll-influenced King Of America, with notable production from T-Bone Burnett and guitar contributions from the legendary James Burton and, reunited with the Attractions and producer Nick Lowe, Costello stalled with the less successful Blood And Chocolate.
Towards the end of the 80s he collaborated with Paul McCartney, co-writing a number of songs for Flowers In The Dirt, and returned after a brief hiatus (by Costello standards) with the excellent Spike in 1989. During 1990 he wrote and sang with Roger McGuinn for his 1991 comeback album Back To Rio. During that year a heavily bearded and hirsute Costello also co-wrote the soundtrack to the controversial television series GBH (written by Alan Bleasdale) and delivered another artistic success, Mighty Like A Rose. With lyrics as sharp as any of his previous work, this introspective and reflective album had Costello denying he was ever cynical - merely realistic. His perplexing collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet in 1993 was a brave yet commercially ignored outing. Brutal Youth brought him back to critical approbation.
Kojak Variety was a second album of cover versions recorded in 1991 but released four years later, with selections from major artists such as Screaming Jay Hawkins, Supremes, Bob Dylan, Willie Dixon, Ray Davies and Bacharach And David. All This Useless Beauty (with the Attractions), although containing songs offered to or recorded by other artists, was as lyrically sharp as ever. Although he no longer tops the charts he remains a critics' favourite. Costello is without doubt one of the finest songwriter/lyricists the UK has ever produced. His contribution was acknowledged in 1996 when he collected the Q Magazine songwriter award. His left-of-centre political views have not clouded his horizon and he is now able to envelope all his musical influences and to some degree, rightly indulge himself. Extreme Honey marked the end of Costello's contract with Warners. Collecting together a varied selection of the Warners material, the compilation included a new track, 'The Bridge I Burned', which demonstrated that his creative abilities were as strong as ever. Costello signed a worldwide deal with PolyGram Records in 1998.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 1998