Elvis Costello

In the mid-’70s, singer-songwriter Elvis Costello did data entry at a makeup company, while performing in London pubs and trying to land a record deal. ∙ My Aim Is True, his 1977 album recorded with producer Nick Lowe, has been acclaimed as one of pop music’s most impressive debuts. ∙ Costello was famously banned from Saturday Night Live after performing “Radio Radio” against the wishes of producer Lorne Michaels. ∙ This Year’s Model, his first album backed by The Attractions, includes the hits “No Action,” “Pump It Up,” and “(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea.” ∙ Over the years, he and Paul McCartney have written more than 15 songs together, including Costello’s biggest US hit, 1989’s “Veronica.” ∙ T Bone Burnett and Costello were nominated for a Grammy Award and an Oscar for Cold Mountain’s “Scarlet Tide,” performed by Alison Krauss. ∙ He has scored two ballets, composed several orchestral pieces, and collaborated Allen Toussaint, The Roots, Brodsky Quartet, and Burt Bacharach. ∙ Rolling Stone ranked him No. 80 on their 100 Greatest Artists list. ∙ In 2003, Elvis Costello & The Attractions were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.