TULSA, Okla. – Elvis hasn't left the building. In fact, he hasn't arrived yet. Tickets are available now for rock icon and new wave wonder Costello's March 6 solo show at Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom.
A mold-breaking musician, Elvis Costello burst onto the scene in the late ‘70s, pairing his literate lyrics with a raw punk energy. Difficult to pigeonhole, his music has continued to evolve over the years, with collaborations with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Allen Toussaint.
Most recently, Costello provided narration for a performance by the San Francisco Symphony of
classical composer Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale. While he won't be backed by an orchestra for his Tulsa performance, Costello will treat the audience to some of his biggest hits.
Costello was born in England as Declan Patrick MacManus. After his parents divorced, he spent time with his mother in Liverpool, where progressive rock and heavy metal ruled the airways. Costello tuned his young ears to a different beat; his early influences included Van Morrison, The Band and Gram Parsons, the latter two leading him to the music of Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. Later moving to London to live with his musician father, Costello discovered "pub rock," a mix of blues, folk and country and a precursor to the punk to come.
Borrowing the stage name "Costello" from his paternal great-grandmother, he added the "Elvis" in 1977 when he signed his first contract with Stiff Records. Skinny and sneering, with his Buddy Holly glasses, Costello began penning the hits that are still popular today; songs like "Alison," "Pump it Up" and "Veronica."
Now 60, Costello has explored a wide range of genres during his much-celebrated career, winning a Grammy Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along the way. Costello is no stranger to Tulsa, having performed to an adoring Cain's crowd in the past. Don't miss this chance to catch the original Napoleon Dynamite on his return trip to T-town.
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