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Elvis Costello began writing songs at the age of 13. 2017 marked the 40th anniversary of the release his first record album, “My Aim Is True”. He is perhaps best known for the songs, “Alison”, “Pump It Up”, “Everyday I Write The Book” and his rendition of the Nick Lowe song, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding”. His record catalogue of more than 30 albums includes the contrasting pop and rock & roll “This Year’s Model”, ”Armed Forces”, “Imperial Bedroom”, “Blood and Chocolate” and “King Of America” along with an album of country covers, “Almost Blue” and two collections of orchestrally accompanied piano ballads, “Painted From Memory” - with Burt Bacharach and “North”.
He has performed worldwide with his bands, The Attractions, His Confederates — which featured two members of Elvis Presley’s “T.C.B” band — and his current group, The Imposters, with Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher, as well as solo concerts, most recently his acclaimed solo show, “Detour”.
Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. That same year, Costello was awarded ASCAP’s prestigious Founder’s Award. In 2004, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song - “The Scarlet Tide,” co-written with T Bone Burnett and sung by Alison Krauss in the motion picture “Cold Mountain” In 2016, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in the company of Chip Taylor and Tom Petty.
Costello’s first full-length orchestral work, “Il Sogno” was commissioned in 2000 by the Italian dance company, Aterballetto, for their adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the score subsequently recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and released by Deutsche Grammophon, staying at the top of Billboard’s Contemporary Classical Charts for 14 weeks of 2004. This release led in turn to a series of orchestral concert performances with a number of the world’s great symphonic orchestras, opening with a suite from “Il Sogno” conducted by Alan Broadbent and closing with a selection of Costello songs arranged for voice, the piano of Steve Nieve and orchestra. He closed out 2007 by appearing solo as the middle act on “The Bob Dylan Show” for 28 dates.
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