Unit name	54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
Dates	March 13, 1863 to August 4, 1865
Allegiance	United States (Union)
Branch	Union Army
Type	Infantry
Size	1,100
Nickname	54th Massachusetts Regiment
Battles	American Civil War Battle of Grimball's Landing Second Battle of Fort Wagner
Battle honours
Commander1	Robert Gould Shaw
Commander1 label	Colonel
Commander2	Edward Needles Hallowell
Commander2 label	Colonel
Notable commanders
Identification symbol 3 label	}}

The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was one of the first official black units in the United States during the Civil War. 1st South Carolina Volunteers (Union) recruited from freed slaves, was the first Union Army regiment organized with African American soldiers in the Civil War, though many had fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812 on both sides.

History

The regiment was authorized in March 1863 by the Governor of Massachusetts, John A. Andrew. Commanded by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, it sprang to life after the passage of the Emancipation Proclamation. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton decided white officers would be in charge of all "colored" units. Colonel Shaw was hand picked by Governor John Andrew. Governor Andrew also selected Norwood Penrose "Pen" Hallowell as the unit's second in command, a rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Like many officers of regiments of African-American troops, both Shaw and Hallowell were promoted several grades, both being captains at the time. The rest of the officers were evaluated by Shaw and Hallowell. Many of these officers were of abolitionist families and several were chosen by Governor Andrew himself. Lt. Col. Norwood Hallowell was joined by his younger brother Edward Needles Hallowell who was eventually appointed major in the regiment and would later command it after Shaw's death. 24 of the 29 officers were veterans, but only six had been previously commissioned.

The soldiers were recruited by white abolitionists (including Shaw's parents). These recruiters included Lieutenant J. Appleton, also the first man commissioned in the regiment, whose recruiting efforts included posting a notice in the ''Boston Journal'' and holding a recruiting rally held in Joy Street Church and in which speakers Edward L. Pierce and Wendell Phillips encouraged free blacks to enlist for the regiment. This recruitment group was later known as "The Black Committee".

The 54th trained at Camp Meigs in Readville near Boston. While there they received considerable moral support from abolitionists in Massachusetts including Ralph Waldo Emerson. Material support included warm clothing items, battle flags and $500 contributed for the equipping and training of a regimental band. As it became evident that many more recruits were coming forward than were needed the medical exam for the 54th was described as "rigid and thorough" by the Massachusetts Surgeon-General. This resulted in what he described as the most "robust, strong and healthy set of men" ever mustered into service in the United States. Despite this, as was common in the Civil War, a few men died of disease prior to the 54th's departure from Camp Meigs.

By most accounts the 54th left Boston with very high morale. This was despite the fact that Jefferson Davis' proclamation of December 23, 1862 effectively put both African-American enlisted men and white officers under a death sentence. The proclamation was affirmed by the Confederate Congress in January 1863 and turned both enlisted soldiers and their white officers over to the states from which the enlisted soldiers had been slaves. As most Southern states had enacted draconian measures for "servile insurrection" after Nat Turner's Rebellion the likely sentence was a capital one.

Although the 54th left Boston hoping to fight for the Union on May 28, 1863, it started off performing only manual labor. The regiment gained notoriety in a raid on the town of Darien, Georgia, after being ordered to loot and burn the town by Col. James Montgomery. However, the 54th's participation in this raid was minimal and reluctant and Colonel Shaw initially objected to what he called a "satanic action".

The regiment's first battlefield action took place in a skirmish with Confederate troops on James Island, South Carolina, on July 16. The regiment stopped a Confederate assault, losing 42 men in the process, most notably Kyree Fuller.

The regiment gained recognition on July 18, 1863, when it spearheaded an assault on Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina. At this battle, Colonel Shaw was killed, along with 29 of his men. 24 more later died of wounds, 15 were captured, 52 were missing in action and never accounted for, and 149 were wounded. The total regimental casualties of 272 would be the highest total for the 54th in a single engagement during the war. Although Union forces were not able to take and hold the fort (despite taking a portion of the walls in the initial assault), the 54th was widely acclaimed for its valor during the battle, and the event helped encourage the further enlistment and mobilization of African-American troops, a key development that President Abraham Lincoln once noted as helping to secure the final victory. Decades later, Sergeant William Harvey Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor for grabbing the U.S. flag as the flag bearer fell, carrying the flag to the enemy ramparts and back, and saying "Boys, the old flag never touched the ground!" While other African-Americans had since been granted the award by the time it was presented to Carney, Carney's is the earliest action for which the Medal of Honor was awarded to an African-American.

Ironically, during the week leading up to the 54th's heroic sacrifice near Charleston, simmering racial strife climaxed in the New York Draft Riots. African-Americans on the city's waterfront and Lower East Side were beaten, tortured, and lynched by white mobs angered over conscription for the Union war effort. These mobs directed their animosity toward blacks because they felt the Civil War was caused by them. However, the bravery of the 54th would help to assuage anger of this kind.

Under the command of now-Colonel Edward Hallowell, the 54th fought a rear-guard action covering the Union retreat at the Battle of Olustee. As part of an all-black brigade under Col. Alfred S. Hartwell, they unsuccessfully attacked entrenched Confederate militia at the November 1864 Battle of Honey Hill. In mid-April 1865, they fought at the Battle of Boykin's Mill, a small affair in South Carolina that proved to be one of the last engagements of the war.

Pay controversy

The enlisted men of the 54th were recruited on the promise of pay and allowances equal to their white counterparts. This was supposed to amount to subsistence and $13 a month. Instead African-American soldiers were paid $10 a month with $3 withheld for clothing, equaling $7 in the end of the month. (White troops had nothing withheld from their monthly pay for clothing.) Colonel Shaw and many others immediately began protesting the measure. Although the state of Massachusetts offered to make up the difference in pay, on principle, a regiment-wide boycott of the pay tables on paydays became the norm.

After Shaw's death at Fort Wagner, Colonel E. N. Hallowell took up the fight to get back full pay for the troops. His second in command, Lt. Col. Hooper, took command of the regiment on June 18, 1864 after Hallowell was granted permission to proceed North to press the claims of the regiment for equal pay in person. After nearly a month Colonel Hallowell returned on July 16. Finally the U.S. Congress took action and on September 28, 1864, the men of the 54th were paid from enlistment, most after 18 months of service.

The Congressional bill authorized equal and full pay to those enlisted troops who were free men as of April 1864. Of course not all the troops qualified. Colonel Hallowell, a Quaker, rationalized that because he did not believe in slavery he could therefore have all the troops swear that they were free men. Before being given their back pay the entire regiment was administered what became known as "the Quaker oath." Colonel Hallowell skillfully crafted the oath to say: “You do solemnly swear that on or before the 19th day of April 1864, no man had the right to demand unrequited labor of you so help you lord.” Hallowell wrote a typo in his hand-written transcript of the oath and actually said "1861" while administering the oath.

Refusing their reduced pay became a point of honor for the men of the 54th. In fact, at the Battle of Olustee, when ordered forward to protect the retreat of the Union forces, the men moved forward shouting, "Massachusetts and Seven Dollars a Month!" Unknown to them, Congress had just voted to pay colored troops the same as white troops.

Legacy

The regiment was disbanded after the Civil War, but retains a strong legacy. A monument, constructed 1884–1898 by Augustus Saint-Gaudens on the Boston Common, is part of the Boston Black Heritage Trail. A famous composition by Charles Ives, "Col. Shaw and his Colored Regiment", the opening movement of ''Three Places in New England'', is based both on the monument and the regiment.

Colonel Shaw and his men also feature prominently in Robert Lowell's Civil War Centennial poem "For the Union Dead" (1964); Lowell invokes the realism of the Saint-Gaudens monument:

:Two months after marching through Boston, :half the regiment was dead; :at the dedication, :William James could almost hear the bronze Negroes breathe.

Later he unflinchingly looks at Shaw's and his men's death:

: Shaw's father wanted no monument : except the ditch, : where his son's body was thrown : and lost with his "niggers."

A Union officer had asked the Confederates at Battery Wagner for the return of Shaw's body but was allegedly informed by the Confederate commander, Brigadier General Johnson Hagood, "We buried him with his niggers." Shaw's father wrote in response that he was proud that Robert, a fierce fighter for equality, had been buried in that manner. "We hold that a soldier's most appropriate burial-place is on the field where he has fallen". As a recognition and honor, at the end of the Civil War, the 1st South Carolina Volunteers, and the 33rd Colored Regiment were mustered out at the Battery Wagner site of the mass burial of the 54th Massachusetts.

More recently, the story of the unit was depicted in the 1989 Academy Award winning film ''Glory'' starring Matthew Broderick as Shaw, Denzel Washington as Private Tripp, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, Jihmi Kennedy and Andre Braugher. The film re-established the now-popular image of the combat role African-Americans played in the Civil War, and the unit, often represented in historical battle reenactments, now has the nickname ''The Glory Regiment''.

Years after the film was made, it came to light that the word Glory was used by one of the men of the regiment. First Sergeant Robert John Simmons, of B Company, was a twenty-six year old Bermudian clerk, probably from St. George's, believed to have joined the 54th on 12 March 1863 (Many black and white Bermudians fought for the Union, mostly in the U.S. Navy.)

Simmons was introduced to Frances George Shaw, father of Col. Shaw, by William Wells Brown, who described him as "a young man of more than ordinary abilities who had learned the science of war in the British Army". In his book, ''The Negro in the American Rebellion'', Brown said that "Frances George Shaw remarked at the time that Simmons would make a 'valuable soldier'. Colonel Shaw also had a high opinion of him." Sgt. Simmons was mentioned in an 1863 article of the ''Weekly Columbus Enquirer'', which described him as "a brave man and of good education. He was wounded and captured. Taken to Charleston, his bearing impressed even his captors. After suffering amputation of the arm, he died there." The newspaper also described him as saying that he fought "for glory": ''One of the negroes is a remarkably sprightly fellow from Bermuda where he was educated as a soldier. His position is that of an Orderly Sergeant, but he has lost an arm, and probably one leg will go.''

''A third of the 'glory' for which he says he came to fight, being thus amputated, he will in the future be a wiser man. The others are a mongrel set of trash and very fair representatives of the common type of free Northern negro."'' Simmons, who would be specially mentioned by Shaw's successor, Col. Hallowell, and who had been awarded a private medal, died in August 1863, following the attack on Fort Wagner.

2008 reactivation

The unit was reactivated on November 21, 2008 to serve as the Massachusetts National Guard ceremonial unit to render military honors at funerals and state functions. The new unit is now known as the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment.

Footnotes

Further reading

External links

54th Massachusetts at the Battle of Olustee

Photograph of Sgt. Major Lewis Douglass

Photograph of Charles Douglass

Category:African American units of the American Civil War Category:Massachusetts Civil War regiments Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Category:Military units and formations established in 1863

fr:54e régiment d'infanterie du Massachusetts ko:매사추세츠 54 연대 pl:54 Ochotniczy Pułk Piechoty Massachusetts ru:54-й Массачусетский пехотный добровольческий полк sv:54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry

Name	Tori Amos
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Myra Ellen Amos
Born	August 22, 1963, Newton, North Carolina, United States
Instrument	Piano, harpsichord, clavichord, Hammond organ, harmonium, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Kurzweil, clavinet, vocals
Genre	Piano rock, art pop, alternative rock, electronica
Occupation	Musician, vocalist, songwriter, record producer
Years active	1986–present
Label	Atlantic (1986–2001) Epic (2002–2007)Universal Republic (2008–2011) Deutsche Grammophon (2011–present)
Website	toriamos.com everythingtori.com
Notable instruments	Bösendorfer piano }}

Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument. Some of her charting singles include "Crucify", "Silent All These Years", "God", "Cornflake Girl", "Caught a Lite Sneeze", "Professional Widow", "Spark", "1000 Oceans", and "A Sorta Fairytale", her most commercially successful single in the U.S. to date.

As of 2005, Amos had sold 12 million albums worldwide. She has been nominated for 8 Grammy Awards. Amos was also named one of ''People Magazine'''s 50 Most Beautiful People in 1996.

Early life

Amos was born in Newton, North Carolina. When she was two, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she began to play the piano. By age five, she had begun composing instrumental pieces on piano and, while living in Rockville, Maryland, she won a full scholarship to the Preparatory Division of the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Her scholarship was discontinued at age 11 and she was asked to leave. Amos has asserted that she lost the scholarship because of her interest in rock and popular music, coupled with her dislike for reading from sheet music. At age 21, Amos moved to Los Angeles to pursue her music career after several years performing on the piano bar circuit of the D.C. area.

Atlantic years (1986–2001)

Y Kant Tori Read

In 1986, Amos formed a music group, Y Kant Tori Read, the name of which was a reference to her days at the Peabody Conservatory, where she was able to play songs on her piano by ear, but was never successful at sight reading. In addition to Amos, the group was composed of Steve Caton (who would later play guitars on all her subsequent albums until 1999), drummer Matt Sorum, bass player Brad Cobb and, for a short time, keyboardist Jim Tauber. Following several phases of writing and recording, during which Amos has since asserted that the band lost their musical edge and direction due to interference from record executives, in July 1988, the Y Kant Tori Read's self-titled debut album was released. Although its producer, Joe Chiccarelli, has stated that Amos was very happy with the album at the time, it is now out of print and Amos has expressed no interest in reissuing it. Following the album's commercial failure and the group's subsequent disbanding, Amos began working with other artists (including Stan Ridgway, Sandra Bernhard, and Al Stewart) as a backup vocalist. She also recorded a song called "Distant Storm" for the film ''China O'Brien''; in the credits, the song is attributed to a band called Tess Makes Good. It was the only song recorded by the band, and its only commercial release was in the film.

Solo career

Despite the disappointing reaction to ''Y Kant Tori Read'', Amos still had to comply with her six-record contract with Atlantic Records, who in 1989 wanted a new record by March 1990. The initial recordings were declined by the label, which Amos felt was because the album had not been properly presented. The album was reworked and expanded under the guidance of Doug Morris and the musical talents of Steve Caton, Eric Rosse, Will MacGregor, Carlo Nuccio, and Dan Nebenzal, resulting in ''Little Earthquakes'', an album recounting her religious upbringing, sexual awakening, struggle to establish her identity, and sexual assault. This album became her commercial and artistic breakthrough.

Amos traveled to New Mexico with personal and professional partner Eric Rosse in 1993 to write and largely record her second solo record, ''Under the Pink''. The album was received with mostly favorable reviews and sold enough copies to chart at #12 on the ''Billboard 200'', a significantly higher position than the preceding album's position at #54 on the same chart.

Her third solo album, ''Boys for Pele'', was released in January 1996. The album was recorded in an Irish church, in Delgany, County Wicklow, with Amos taking advantage of the church recording setting to create an album ripe with baroque influences, lending it a darker sound and style. She added harpsichord, harmonium, and clavichord to her keyboard repertoire, and also included such anomalies as a gospel choir, bagpipes, church bells, and drum programming. The album garnered mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising its intensity and uniqueness while others bemoaned its comparative impenetrability. Despite the album's erratic lyrical content and instrumentation, the latter of which kept it away from mainstream audiences, ''Boys for Pele'' is Amos's most successful simultaneous transatlantic release, reaching #2 on both the ''Billboard 200'' and the ''UK Top 40'' upon its release at the height of her fame.

Fueled by the desire to have her own recording studio to distance herself from record company executives, Amos had the barn of her home in Cornwall converted into a state-of-the-art recording studio, Martian Engineering Studios.

''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' and ''To Venus and Back'', released in May 1998 and September 1999, respectively, differ greatly from previous albums as Amos's trademark acoustic piano-based sound is largely replaced with arrangements that include elements of electronica, dance music, vocal washes and sonic landscapes. The underlying themes of both albums deal with womanhood, and Amos's own miscarriages and marriage. Reviews for ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' were mostly favorable and praised Amos's continued artistic originality. While not her highest chart debut, debut sales for ''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' are Amos's best to date, selling 153,000 copies in its first week. ''To Venus and Back'', a two-disc release of original studio material and live material recorded from the previous world tour, received mostly positive reviews and included the first major-label single available for sale as a digital download.

Motherhood inspired Amos to produce a cover album, recording songs written by men about women and reversing the gender roles to show a woman's perspective. That idea grew into ''Strange Little Girls'', released in September 2001, one year after giving birth to her daughter. The album is Amos's first concept album, with artwork featuring Amos photographed in character of the women portrayed in each song. Amos would later reveal that a stimulus for the album was to end her contract with Atlantic without giving them new original songs; Amos felt that since 1998, the label had not been properly promoting her and had trapped her in a contract by refusing to sell her to another label.

Epic Records years (2002–07)

With her Atlantic contract fulfilled after a 15-year stint, Amos signed to Epic in late 2001. In October 2002, Amos released ''Scarlet's Walk'', another concept album. Described as a "sonic novel", the album explores Amos's alter ego, Scarlet, intertwined with her cross-country concert tour following 9/11. Through the songs, Amos explores such topics as the history of America, American people, Native American history, pornography, masochism, homophobia and misogyny. The album had a strong debut, demonstrating that Amos' fan base remained intact through the label change. However, ''Scarlet's Walk'' is Amos' last album to date to reach certified gold status.

Not long after Amos was ensconced with her new label, she received unsettling news when Polly Anthony resigned as president of Epic Records in 2003. Anthony had been one of the primary reasons Amos signed with the label and as a result of her resignation, Amos formed the Bridge Entertainment Group. Further trouble for Amos occurred the following year when her label, Epic/Sony Music Entertainment, merged with BMG Entertainment as a result of the industry's decline. Amos would later hint in interviews that during the creation of her next album, those in charge at the label following the aforementioned merger were interested "only in making money", the effects of which on the album have not been disclosed.

Amos released two more albums with the label, ''The Beekeeper'' (2005) and ''American Doll Posse'' (2007). Both albums received mixed reviews, some of which stated that the albums suffered from being too long. ''The Beekeeper'' was conceptually influenced by the ancient art of beekeeping, which she considered a source of female inspiration and empowerment. Through extensive study, Amos also wove in the stories of the Gnostic gospels and the removal of women from a position of power within the Christian church to create an album based largely on religion and politics. The album debuted at #5 on the ''Billboard 200'', placing her in an elite group of women who have secured five or more US Top 10 album debuts. ''American Doll Posse'', another concept album, was fashioned around a group of girls (the "posse") who are used as a theme of alter-egos of Amos's. Musically and stylistically, the album saw Amos return to a more confrontational nature. Like its predecessor, ''American Doll Posse'' debuted at #5 on the ''Billboard 200''.

During her tenure with Epic Records, Amos also released a retrospective collection titled ''Tales of a Librarian'' (2003) through her former label, Atlantic Records; a two-disc DVD set ''Fade to Red'' (2006) containing most of Amos's solo music videos, released through the Warner Bros. reissue imprint Rhino; a five disc box set titled ''A Piano: The Collection'' (2006), celebrating Amos's 15 year solo career through remastered album tracks, remixes, alternate mixes, demos, and a string of unreleased songs from album recording sessions, also released through Rhino; and numerous official bootlegs from two world tours, ''The Original Bootlegs'' (2005) and ''Legs & Boots'' (2007) through Epic Records.

Universal Music years (2008–present)

Universal Republic (2008–2011)

In May 2008, Amos announced that, due to creative and financial disagreements with Epic Records, she had negotiated an end to her contract with the record label, and would be operating independently of major record labels on future work. In September of the same year, Amos released a live album and DVD, ''Live at Montreux 1991/1992'', through Eagle Rock Entertainment, of two performances she gave at the Montreux Jazz Festival very early on in her career while promoting her debut solo-album, ''Little Earthquakes''. By December, after a chance encounter with chairman and CEO of ''Universal Music Group'', Doug Morris, Amos signed a "joint venture" deal Universal Republic Records.

''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'', Amos's tenth solo studio-album and her first album released through Universal Republic, was released in May 2009 to mostly positive reviews. The album debuted in the top 10 of the ''Billboard 200'', making it the Amos' seventh album to do so. ''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'', admitted Amos, was a "personal album", not a conceptual one. Continuing her distribution deal with Universal Republic, Amos released ''Midwinter Graces'', her first seasonal album, in November of the same year. The album features reworked versions of traditional carols, as well as original songs written by Amos.

During her contract with the label, Amos recorded vocals for two songs for David Byrne's collaboration album with Fatboy Slim, entitled ''Here Lies Love'', which was released in April 2010. In July of the same year, the DVD ''Tori Amos- Live from the Artists Den'' was released exclusively through Barnes & Noble.

After a brief tour from June to September 2010, Amos released the highly exclusive live album ''From Russia With Love'' in December the same year, recorded live in Moscow on 3 September 2010. The limited edition set included a signature edition Lomography Diana F+ camera, along with 2 lenses, a roll of film and 1 of 5 photographs taken of Tori during her time in Moscow. The set was released exclusively through toriamos.com and only 2000 were produced. It is currently unknown as to whether the album will receive a mass release.

Deutsche Grammophon (2011–Present)

In September 2011, Amos released her first classical music album, ''Night of Hunters'', featuring variations on a theme to pay tribute to such renowned composers as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Granados, Satie and Schubert, through the Deutsche Grammophon label, a division of Universal Music Group. She is currently writing the music for Samuel Adamson's musical adaptation of the George MacDonald story ''The Light Princess'' for the Royal National Theatre, which was originally expected to debut in spring 2012 but has now been deferred. Amos has, however, confirmed the release of an album in 2012 marking the 20th anniversary of her debut album ''Little Earthquakes''. The album will consist of songs from her back catalogue rearranged and performed by the Metropole Orchestra.

In print

Released in conjunction with ''The Beekeeper'', Amos co-authored an autobiography with rock music journalist Ann Powers entitled ''Piece by Piece'' (2005). The book's subject is Amos's interest in mythology and religion, exploring her songwriting process, rise to fame, and her relationship with Atlantic Records.

Image Comics released ''Comic Book Tattoo'' (2008), a collection of comic stories, each based on or inspired by songs recorded by Amos. Editor Rantz Hoseley worked with Amos to gather 80 different artists for the book, including Pia Guerra, David Mack, and Leah Moore.

Additionally, Amos and her music have been the subject of numerous official and unofficial books, as well as academic critique, including ''Tori Amos: Lyrics'' (2001) and an earlier biography, ''Tori Amos: All These Years'' (1996).

In 2011 Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, a sociology graduate student at Western Michigan University, received her PhD for a dissertation entitled “All I Am: Defining Music as an Emotional Catalyst through a Sociological Study of Emotions, Gender and Culture". Trier-Bieniek focused on Amos' female fans and the emotional support they receive from listening to Amos' music. Now a professor at Valencia College, Trier-Bieniek continues to publish academic work born from this study.

Personal life

Family

Amos is the third child of Rev. Dr. Edison and Mary Ellen Amos. She was born at the Old Catawba Hospital in Newton, North Carolina, during a trip from their Georgetown home in Washington, D.C. Her maternal grandparents were of mixed European and Eastern Cherokee ancestry; of particular importance to her as a child was her grandfather, Calvin Clinton Copeland, who was a great source of inspiration and guidance to her as a young child, offering a more pantheistic spiritual alternative to her father and paternal grandmother's traditional Christianity.

Early in her professional career, Amos befriended author Neil Gaiman, who became a fan after she referenced him in the song "Tear in Your Hand" and also in print interviews. Although created before the two met, the character Delirium from Gaiman's ''The Sandman'' series (or even her sister Death) is inspired by Amos; Gaiman has stated that "they steal shamelessly from each other". She wrote the foreword to his collection ''Death: The High Cost of Living''; he in turn wrote the introduction to ''Comic Book Tattoo''. Gaiman is godfather to her daughter and a poem written for her birth, ''Blueberry Girl'', was published as a children's book of the same name in 2009.

Amos married English sound engineer Mark Hawley on February 22, 1998. Their only child, a daughter named Natashya "Tash" Lórien Hawley, was born in 2000. They divide their time between Sewall's Point in Florida, Kinsale (County Cork) in Ireland, and Cornwall in England.

Activism

In June 1994, Amos co-founded RAINN, The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, a toll-free help line in the US connecting callers with their local rape crisis center. Amos, herself a survivor of sexual assault, was seen as unlocking the silence of her assault through her music; thus "Unlock the Silence" went on to become a year-long campaign for RAINN when Amos became a national spokesperson for the organization. By the summer of 2006, RAINN had received its one millionth caller and the organization's success has led to it ranking in "America's 100 Best Charities" by ''Worth'', and one of the "Top 10 Best Charities" by ''Marie Claire''.

Discography

Up to 2011, Amos has released 12 studio albums during her solo career. Apart from the first two albums, the other 10 are self-produced.

''Little Earthquakes'' (1992)

''Under the Pink'' (1994)

''Boys for Pele'' (1996)

''From the Choirgirl Hotel'' (1998)

''To Venus and Back'' (1999)

''Strange Little Girls'' (2001)

''Scarlet's Walk'' (2002)

''The Beekeeper'' (2005)

''American Doll Posse'' (2007)

''Abnormally Attracted to Sin'' (2009)

''Midwinter Graces'' (2009)

''Night of Hunters'' (2011)

Additionally, Amos has released over 30 singles, over 60 B-sides, and has contributed original material to nine film soundtracks, including ''Higher Learning'' (1995), ''Great Expectations'' (1998) and ''Mission: Impossible II'' (2000) among others.

Tours

Amos, who has been performing in bars and clubs from as early as 1976 and under her professional name as early as 1991 has performed more than 1,000 shows since her first world tour in 1992. In 2003, Amos was voted fifth best touring act by the readers of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Her concerts are notable for their changing set lists from night to night.

; ''Little Earthquakes Tour'' : Amos's first world tour began on January 29, 1992 in London and ended on November 30, 1992 in Auckland. She performed solo with a Yamaha CP-70 unless the venue was able to provide a piano. The tour included 142 concerts around the globe. ; ''Under the Pink Tour'' : Amos's second world tour began on February 24, 1994 in Newcastle upon Tyne and ended on December 13, 1994 in Perth, Western Australia. Amos performed solo each night on her iconic Bösendorfer piano, and on a prepared piano during "Bells for Her". The tour included 181 concerts. ; ''Dew Drop Inn Tour'' : The third world tour began on February 23, 1996 in Ipswich, England, and ended on November 11, 1996 in Boulder. Amos performed each night on piano, harpsichord, and harmonium, with Steve Caton on guitar on some songs. The tour included 187 concerts. ; ''Plugged '98 Tour'' : Amos's first band tour. Amos, on piano and Kurzweil keyboard, was joined by Steve Caton on guitar, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Jon Evans on bass. The tour began on April 18, 1998 in Fort Lauderdale and ended on December 3, 1998 in East Lansing, Michigan, including 137 concerts. ; ''Five and a Half Weeks Tour'' / ''To Dallas and Back'' : Amos's fifth tour was North America–only. The first part of the tour was co-headlining with Alanis Morissette and featured the same band and equipment line-up as in 1998. Amos and the band continued for eight shows before Amos embarked on a series of solo shows. The tour began on August 18, 1999 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and ended on December 9, 1999 in Denver, including 46 concerts. ; ''Strange Little Tour'' : This tour was Amos's first since becoming a mother in 2000 and her first tour fully solo since 1994 (Steve Caton was present on some songs in 1996). It saw Amos perform on piano, Rhodes piano, and Wurlitzer electric piano, and though the tour was in support of her covers album, the set lists were not strictly covers-oriented. Having brought her one-year-old daughter on the road with her, this tour was also one of Amos's shortest ventures, lasting just three months. It began on August 30, 2001 in London and ended on December 17, 2001 in Milan, including 55 concerts. ; ''On Scarlet's Walk'' / ''Lottapianos Tour'' : Amos's seventh tour saw her reunited with Matt Chamberlain and Jon Evans, but not Steve Caton. The first part of the tour, which featured Amos on piano, Rhodes, and Wurlitzer, was six months long and Amos went out again in the summer of 2003 for a tour with Ben Folds opening. The tour began on November 7, 2002 in Tampa and ended on September 4, 2003 in West Palm Beach, featuring 124 concerts. The final show of the tour was filmed and released as part of a DVD/CD set titled ''Welcome to Sunny Florida'' (the set also included a studio EP titled ''Scarlet's Hidden Treasures'', an extension of the ''Scarlet's Walk'' album). ; ''Original Sinsuality Tour'' / ''Summer of Sin'' : This tour began on April 1, 2005 in Clearwater, Florida, with Amos on piano, two Hammond B-3 organs, and Rhodes. The tour also encompassed Australia for the first time since 1994. Amos announced at a concert on this tour that she would never stop touring but would scale down the tours. Amos returned to the road in August and September for the ''Summer of Sin'' North America leg, ending on September 17, 2005 in Los Angeles. The tour featured "Tori's Piano Bar", where fans could nominate cover songs on Amos's website which she would then choose from to play in a special section of each show. One of the songs chosen was the Kylie Minogue hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which Amos dedicated to her the day after Minogue's breast cancer was announced to the public. Other songs performed by Amos include The Doors' "People are Strange", Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus", Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game", Madonna's "Live to Tell" and "Like a Prayer", Björk's "Hyperballad", Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" (which she debuted in Austin, Texas, just after the events of Hurricane Katrina), Kate Bush's "And Dream of Sheep" and Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over", dedicating it to drummer Paul Hester who had died a week before. The entire concert tour featured 82 concerts, and six full-length concerts were released as ''The Original Bootlegs''. ; ''American Doll Posse World Tour'' : This was Amos's first tour with a full band since her 1999 ''Five and a Half Weeks Tour'', accompanied by long-time band mates Jon Evans and Matt Chamberlain, with guitarist Dan Phelps rounding out Amos's new band. Amos's equipment included her piano, a Hammond B-3 organ, and two Yamaha S90 ES keyboards. The tour kicked off with its European leg in Rome, Italy on May 28, 2007, which lasted through July, concluding in Israel; the Australian leg took place during September; the North American leg lasted from October to December 16, 2007, when the tour concluded in Los Angeles. Amos opened each show dressed as one of the four non-Tori personae from the album, then Amos would emerge as herself to perform for the remaining two-thirds of the show. The entire concert tour featured 93 concerts, and 27 full-length concerts of the North American tour were released as official bootlegs in the ''Legs and Boots'' series. ; ''Sinful Attraction Tour'' : For her tenth tour, Amos returned to the trio format of her 2002 and 2003 tours with bassist Jon Evans and drummer Matt Chamberlain while expanding her lineup of keyboards by adding three M-Audio MIDI controllers to her ensemble of her piano, a Hammond B-3 organ, and a Yamaha S90 ES keyboard. The North American and European band tour began on 10 July 2009 in Seattle, Washington and ended in Warsaw on 10 October 2009. A solo leg through Australia began in Melbourne on 12 November 2009 and ended in Brisbane on 24 November 2009. The entire tour featured 63 concerts. ; ''Night of Hunters tour'' : Amos' eleventh tour is her first with a string quartet, Apollon Musagète, (Amos' equipment includes her piano and a Yamaha S90 ES keyboard) and her first time touring in South Africa. It kicked off on 28 September 2011 in Finland, Helsinki Ice Hall and will continue until 22 December 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

Award nominations

! Group !! Year !! Award !! Work !! Result
rowspan="4"		Best Female Video
Best Cinematography in a Video
Best New Artist In a Video
Breakthrough Video
	1995	Best Alternative Music Album	''Under The Pink''
1997	Best Alternative Music Album	''Boys for Pele''
	Best Alternative Music Album	''From the Choirgirl Hotel''
Female Rock Vocal Performance	"Raspberry Swirl"
	Best Alternative Music Album	''To Venus and Back''
Female Rock Vocal Performance
	Best Alternative Music Album	''Strange Little Girls''
Female Rock Vocal Performance	"Strange Little Girl"
	Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Packaging	''Scarlet's Walk'' (deluxe edition)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical	"Timo on Tori (Don't Make Me Come to Vegas)"

Note: The 2003 nomination for "Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Packaging" goes to the art directors Dave Bett and Sherri Lee and not to Tori Amos and the 2003 nomination for "Best Remixed Recording, Non Classical" goes to the remixers Mark Buttrich and Timo Maas and not to Tori Amos.

Notes and references

External links

Official website

Synthesis.net April 2007 podcast interview

Tori Amos on Synthesis.net

Tori Amos on Virb.com

Tori Amos on Advocate.com

Tori Amos on Allmusic.com

Y Kant Tori Read on Allmusic.com

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:American alternative rock musicians Category:American female singers Category:American feminists Category:American harpsichordists Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American pop pianists Category:American pop singers Category:American rock pianists Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American people of Cherokee descent Category:Atlantic Records artists Category:English-language singers Category:Epic Records artists Category:Female rock singers Category:Feminist musicians Category:Musicians from Maryland Category:Musicians from North Carolina Category:People from Baltimore, Maryland Category:People from Catawba County, North Carolina Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:Rape victim advocates Category:Island Records artists Category:Women classical composers Category:Women composers

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{{infobox nascar driver| name

Russell William Wallace Jr.| image Rusty Wallace 2007 Indy 500 Saturday.JPG | caption Rusty Wallace at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007. | birth_date August 14, 1956 | birth_place Arnold, Missouri| 25 Years 706 Races | Best_Cup_Pos 1st – 1989 | Cup_Wins 55 | Cup_Top_Tens 349 | Cup_Poles 36 | First_Cup_Race 1980 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta) | First_Cup_Win 1986 Valleydale 500 (Bristol) | Last_Cup_Win 2004 Advance Auto Parts 500 (Martinsville) | Last_Cup_Race 2005 Ford 400 (Homestead) | awards 1979 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year 1983 ASA Champion 1984 Rookie of the Year 1989 Winston Cup Champion 1989 The Winston Champion 1991 IROC champion 1998 Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers| Years_In_Cup 25| Total_Cup_Races 706| Best_Busch_Pos 32nd – 1987 (Busch) | Busch_Wins 0 | Busch_Top_Tens 18 | Busch_Poles 3 | First_Busch_Race 1985 Goody's 300 (Daytona) | Last_Busch_Race 2005 O'Reilly Challenge (Texas) | Years_In_Busch 9 | Total_Busch_Races 42| Best_Truck_Pos 9th – 1996 (Craftsman) | Truck_Wins 0 | Truck_Top_Tens 1 | Truck_Poles 0 | First_Truck_Race 1996 DeVilbiss Superfinish 200 (Nazareth) | Last_Truck_Race 1996 DeVilbiss Superfinish 200 (Nazareth) | Years_in_Truck 1| Total_Truck_Races 1| updated January 27, 2009 | }}

Russell William Wallace, Jr. (born August 14, 1956) is a broadcaster on ESPN, car owner in the Nationwide Series, and a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. He is also a co-host of ''NASCAR Angels''. Wallace had his first live broadcast of the Indy 500 on May 28, 2006. Wallace had also appeared in the 1990 film ''Days of Thunder''. His birthplace is Arnold, Missouri.

Early racing career

In the late '70s, prior to joining the NASCAR circuit, Wallace made a name for himself racing around the Midwest winning a pair of local track championships. Rusty won more than 200 short track races. In 1979 he won United States Auto Club's (USAC) Stock Car Rookie of the Year honors, behind A.J. Foyt and Bay Darnell. He finished second in USAC Stock Car in 1981 behind Joe Ruttman.

In 1983 he won the American Speed Association (ASA) championship while competing against some of NASCAR's future stars like Mark Martin, 1992 NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki and Dick Trickle.

NASCAR career

thumb|left|Wallace in the #2 (background) in 1985Wallace finished second in his first NASCAR race at Atlanta 500 in 1980, having started 7th, driving for Roger Penske in the #16. He made nine further NASCAR appearances over the next three years, although he did not score any further top 10 finishes until he went full-time in 1984. Wallace joined the Winston Cup circuit full-time in 1984, winning NASCAR Rookie of the Year honors and finishing 14th in the final points standings. He raced in the #88 Gatorade Pontiac for Cliff Stewart with the best finish of 4th in 30 races, along with two 5th places and four further top 10's. Wallace stayed with Cliff Stewart for 1985, but this time in the #2 Alugard Pontiac. In 29 races, Rusty had 2 top 5's 8 top 10's.

Blue Max Racing

For 1986 he switched teams to the #27 Alugard Pontiac for Raymond Beadle's Blue Max Racing team. Rusty's first win came on April 6, 1986, at Bristol Motor Speedway. He also won at Martinsville on September 21. He finished the year with 2 wins, 4 top 5's and 16 top 10's in 29 races. Wallace finished 6th in the points, his first top 10 in the standings.

For 1987 Wallace gained sponsorship from Kodiak, establishing the #27 Kodiak Pontiac livery his early career is most remembered for. He took victories at Watkins Glen and Riverside, as well first series pole at Michigan in June. These results were backed up with 9 top 5's and 16 top 10's in 29 races. He finished 5th in points.

Wallace developed his career further in 1988, scoring six victories including four of the final five races of the year. His wins came at Michigan, Charlotte, North Wilkesboro, Rockingham, the final race ever at Riverside, and the season finale at Atlanta. With these 6 wins as well as 19 top 5's four further top 10's, he finished second to Bill Elliott by 24 points.

In 1989, Wallace won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship,with crew chief Barry Dodson, by finishing 15th at the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, to beating out close friend and fierce rival Dale Earnhardt who won the race, by twelve points. Wallace also won The Winston in controversial fashion, by spinning out Darrell Waltrip on the last lap.

In 1990, Raymond Beadle switched sponsors, to Miller Genuine Draft. The four-year sponsorship deal was specifically tied to Rusty Wallace, meaning it went where the 1989 champ went. The 1989 championship year was reportedly marked with acrimony between Wallace and Beadle. However, Wallace was stuck with the team for 1990 due to his contract. Rusty had 18 wins for Beadle.

Penske Racing

In 1991 Wallace took the Miller sponsorship with him to Penske Racing, and he continued in the #2 Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac. He also won the 1991 IROC championship.

While 1992 only carried him one win, the win at the Miller 400 was satisfying; it was the first win for Rusty in a car which arguably was Rusty's best known chassis for his career, one affectionately known as "Midnight" after the win. "Midnight" would be raced for six seasons, carrying various race wins, before being retired in 1997.

1993 was arguably his most successful season despite two major accidents at Daytona and Talladega in which his car went airborne and flipped several times. He had already won the second race of the season Feb 28th 1993 at North Carolina Motor Speedway but also a sad one as his friend and reigning NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki was killed flying into Bristol Speedway in April 1993, because of this Rusty won the race at Bristol and in respect to Alan Kulwicki he did a "Polish victory lap"—turning his car around and driving around the track the wrong way, as made famous by Kulwicki. Every race Rusty won that year he did a "Kulwicki victory lap". He won all 3 races in April (Bristol 4/4/93, North Wilkesboro 4/18/93 and Martinsville 4/25/93). Also he won the first ever race at the New Hampshire Speedway starting 33rd on July 11. In 1993, he won 10 of the 30 races, but finished second in the final points standings, 80 points behind Earnhardt. He ended the season strong, finishing in the Top-3 in all but two of the final ten races of the season.

Penske switched to Fords in 1994.

In 1996, sponsorship changed from Miller Genuine Draft to Miller beer sponsorship.

In 1997, Miller changed the teams sponsorship to Miller Lite, replacing the black and gold with a blue and white scheme.

In 1998, Wallace won the Bud Shootout at Daytona, A non-points race for the previous years pole winners and past winners of the race. It was the first win for Ford's new Taurus, and Wallace's only victory at NASCAR's premier track (as well as his only victory in any restrictor plate race) in a Cup car

In 2003, Penske Racing switched to Dodge, and appropriately, in 2004, Wallace won his 55th, and final, race on a short track: the 2004 spring Martinsville Speedway race. It was also the last win for the track under the ownership of the H. Clay Earles Trust; the death of Mary Weatherford (matriarch of the trust) forced the Trust to sell the track a month later.

On August 30, 2004 Wallace announced that the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season would be his last as a full-time driver. Although at the time the possibility remained that he may have continued to run a limited schedule after the 2005 season—as semi-retirees Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte also have done, Wallace's current broadcasting contract forbids him from doing so. Kurt Busch would replace Wallace in the number 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2006-2010. In 2011, Brad Keselowski will drive the number 2.

In 2006, Wallace returned to his General Motors roots when he raced a Crawford-Pontiac sportscar, painted black and carrying the familiar stylised #2. The car was sponsored by Callaway Golf, in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, teamed with Danica Patrick and Allan McNish; in 2008, his NASCAR Nationwide Series cars switched from Dodge to Chevrolet.

To date, Rusty had 55 NASCAR Cup wins, which is tied for 8th on NASCAR's all-time wins list. They include victories at Charlotte as well as the series' last three road courses (Riverside, Infineon and Watkins Glen), but none at Daytona, Darlington, Indianapolis or Talladega. Wallace has the most short track wins in NASCAR history with 34, and therefore he is considered among the best short track drivers in NASCAR history. He retired after the 2005 season with a 14.4 career average finish.

NASCAR Cup Statistics

Starts 36 706

Year	|	Wins	Top Fives	Top Tens	Poles	Rank
2005	|	0	8	17	0	8th
Totals	|	55	202	349	36	-

Broadcast career

On January 25, 2006, it was announced that Rusty would cover auto racing events for ESPN and ABC. Despite Rusty's lack of open-wheel racing experience, his assignments began with the IndyCar Series and included the Indianapolis 500 (in a perhaps forgivable lapse, he described a thrilling battle on the last lap as "The most exciting Daytona 500 ever!"). He joined the NASCAR broadcasting team for both networks when they started coverage of the sport in 2007. He signed a six year deal with ESPN in 2006. Rusty also returned to commentate for the 2007 Indy 500. He also co-hosts the syndicated program, ''NASCAR Angels'' with Shannon Wiseman.

Car owner

He also owns and operates Rusty Wallace Racing, which fields the #62 Pilot Flying J Toyota Camry driven by Michael Annett and the #66 5 Hour Energy Toyota Camry driven by Wallace's son Steven Wallace.

Family

Rusty's two blood brothers, Kenny and Mike, who are from Missouri, also currently race on the NASCAR circuit. Rusty and his wife Patti have three children—Greg, Katie, and Steven—and now live on a large ranch outside Charlotte, N.C. Steven races in the Nationwide Series and he will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at the 2011 Daytona 500 making him the fourth member of his family to compete in the Daytona 500 and in NASCAR, behind the Bodines(Geoff, Brett, and Todd), Pettys(Lee, Richard, and Kyle), Earnhardts(Dale and Dale Jr.), and the Allisons(Bobby, Donnie, and Davey).

Off the track, Wallace is an avid pilot, owning several airplanes and a helicopter.

Iowa Speedway

In late 2005, Rusty Wallace broke ground on his "Signature Design Speedway" in Newton, Iowa. The Iowa Speedway had its first race on September 15, 2007 and hosted many races in 2007 including an IRL race. The track is noted for its structural similarity to Richmond International Raceway, where Wallace has won six times. The Iowa Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Nationwide Series race in 2009.

Major wrecks

Wallace is known for several major wrecks throughout his racing career. The first one happened in 1983, when Wallace was attempting the Daytona 500 through the Gatorade Twin 125's. He was tapped by Rick Wilson, got airborne, and went on a spectacular series of flips that hospitalized Wallace. The next one came at what is undoubtly the last place to ever see a flip: Bristol Motor Speedway. What started it was unclear, but Wallace climbed the wall and did a superspeedway barrell roll. ESPN commentator Dr. Jerry Punch was the first responder, and probably saved his life. In 1993, Rusty had two massive flips, the first of which was at Daytona during the Daytona 500, where he was tapped by the crashing cars of Michael Waltrip and Derrike Cope, and barrel rolled down the backstraight several feet in the air. Just 2 months later at the Winston 500 at Talladega, racing to the checkered flag, Rusty was clipped by Dale Earnhardt, and flew into the air before violently flipping past the start-finish line, resulting in a broken wrist. Earnhardt was visibly shaken by the incident and did make sure Wallace was okay by checking on him after the race had concluded.

Endorsements

2003 – Callaway Golf – Callaway Golf Signs NASCAR Driver Rusty Wallace to Multiyear Endorsement and Licensing Agreement.

2009 – U.S. Fidelis – USfidelis TV Campaign Debuts, Featuring NASCAR's Steve and Rusty Wallace. The March 2010 bankruptcy of US Fidelis lists Rusty Wallace Racing as a creditor owed $535,439.

2009 – Lista International Corporation – Legendary NASCAR Driver Rusty Wallace Endorses Lista Products in New Online Video

Trivia

Rusty & his brothers all appeared in the Electronic Arts video game "NASCAR Rumble". Mike was featured as a Craftsman Truck Series driver, driving the #2 ASE Dodge (no specific car makes for the Trucks; the real truck was a Dodge at the time), Kenny was featured in the game driving the #55 Square D Chevrolet (although the game's commerial showed him driving the #81 Square D Ford) & Rusty was featured in the game driving his #2 Ford, with the exception that the Miller Lite stickers are replaced by Penske Racing stickers similar to current Penske Championship Racing driver Brad Keselowski, whose sponsor is censored by NASCAR's ban on wireless telephone advertising. All publishers of NASCAR titles are prohibited from carrying alcohol or tobacco advertising on their cars.

He was teammates with his brother Mike, once in his career when Mike Wallace subbed for Jeremy Mayfield at Penske Racing.

The #62 South Point Chevrolet Impala SS driven by Brendan Gaughan in 2009 on the NASCAR Nationwide Series intentionally carries a black and gold paint scheme reminiscent of Wallace's legendary "Miller Genuine Draft " car.

Rusty owns several car dealerships

References

''The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide 1998–99'', by Bill Fleischman and Al Pearce (1999)

External links

Rusty Wallace's official web site

Rusty Wallace's signature designed speedway

NASCAR.com: Rusty Wallace

June 2005 interview with Rusty Wallace

Rusty Wallace info

Penske Racing

NASCAR and IROC driver's statistics at racing-reference.info

A Rusty Wallace fan site, www.rusty2wo.com

An online community and new era for Rusty Wallace fans- http://www.rustywallacefans.com

Rusty Wallace's ESPN Bio

Category:1956 births Category:American racecar drivers Category:American Speed Association drivers Category:NASCAR Cup Series champions Category:International Race of Champions drivers Category:Living people Category:Motorsport announcers Category:NASCAR drivers Category:NASCAR owners Category:NASCAR Rookies of the Year Category:People from St. Louis County, Missouri Category:Wallace racing family

de:Rusty Wallace fr:Rusty Wallace id:Rusty Wallace it:Rusty Wallace nl:Rusty Wallace no:Rusty Wallace pt:Rusty Wallace simple:Rusty Wallace sv:Rusty Wallace tl:Rusty Wallace

name	Elvis Costello
background	solo_singer
birth name	Declan Patrick MacManus
alias	D.P. CostelloThe ImposterLittle Hands of ConcreteNapoleon DynamiteD.P.A. MacManusDeclan Patrick Aloysius MacManus
born	August 25, 1954Paddington, London, England
instrument	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums
genre	Singer-songwriterPunk rockPub rockNew Wave
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
years active	1970–present
label	Stiff, Radar, F-Beat, Demon, Columbia, Warner Bros., Mercury, Island, Deutsche Grammophon, Lost Highway, Verve, HearMusic, Rykodisc, Rhino, Hip-O
associated acts	The Attractions, The Imposters, Diana Krall, Burt Bacharach, Brodsky Quartet, Nick Lowe, Madness
website	Elvis Costello.com
notable instruments	Fender JazzmasterFender Telecaster }}

Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader than that of most popular songs. His music has drawn on many diverse genres; one critic described him as a "pop encyclopedia," able to "reinvent the past in his own image".

Early life

Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus in St Mary's Hospital, London, the son of Lillian Ablett and Ross MacManus, a musician and bandleader. He is of Irish heritage. Costello lived in Twickenham, attending Hounslow Secondary Modern School, which is now St Mark's Catholic Secondary School, in neighbouring Hounslow. With a musically inclined father (who was a jazz trumpeter and sang with The Joe Loss Orchestra), Costello's first broadcast recording was alongside his dad in a television commercial for R. White's Lemonade (''I'm a Secret Lemonade Drinker''). His father wrote and sang the song; Costello provided backing vocals. The advertisement won a silver award at the 1974 International Advertising Festival.

Costello moved with his Liverpool-born mother to Birkenhead in 1971. There, he formed his first band, a folk duo called Rusty, with Allan Mayes. After completing secondary school at St. Francis Xavier's College, he moved back to London where he next formed a band called Flip City, which had a style in the pub rock vein. They were active from 1974 through to early 1976. Around this time, Costello adopted the stage name D.P. Costello. His father had performed under the name Day Costello, and Elvis has said in interviews that he took this name as a tribute to his father.

To support himself, he worked at a number of office jobs, most famously at Elizabeth Arden – immortalised in the lyrics of "I'm Not Angry" as the "vanity factory" – where he worked as a data entry clerk. He worked for a short period as a computer operator at the Midland Bank computer centre in Bootle. He continued to write songs, and began actively looking for a solo recording contract. On the basis of a demo tape, he was signed to independent label Stiff Records. His manager at Stiff, Jake Riviera, suggested a name change, combining Elvis Presley's first name and Costello, his father's stage name.

Career

1970s

Costello's first single for Stiff was "Less Than Zero," released on 25 March 1977. Two months later, his debut album, ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), was released to moderate commercial success (No. 14 in the UK and, later, Top 40 in the US) with Costello appearing on the cover in what became his trademark oversize glasses, bearing some resemblance to Buddy Holly. Stiff's records were initially distributed only in the UK, which meant that Costello's first album and singles were initially available in the US as imports only. In an attempt to change this, Costello was arrested for busking outside a London convention of CBS Records executives, protesting that no US record company had yet seen fit to release his records in the United States. Costello signed to CBS's Columbia Records label in the US a few months later.

The backing for Costello's debut album was provided by American West Coast band Clover, a country outfit living in England whose members would later go on to join Huey Lewis and the News and The Doobie Brothers. Later in 1977, Costello formed his own permanent backing band, The Attractions, consisting of Steve Nieve (born Steve Nason; piano), Bruce Thomas (bass guitar), and Pete Thomas (drums; unrelated to Bruce Thomas). Growing antipathy between Costello and Bruce Thomas contributed to the Attractions' first split in 1986, and the rift was exacerbated by what Costello felt was his unflattering portrayal in Thomas' 1990 book ''The Big Wheel''. Despite this, the original group reunited for the 1994 album ''Brutal Youth'' and toured together over the next two years, but split for good in 1996, although Nieve and Pete Thomas continued to back Costello through various touring and recording lineups and as of 2011 are still members of his current backing group The Imposters. The split between Costello and Bruce Thomas appears permanent, however; Bruce made a brief appearance with his former bandmates when the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, but when Costello was asked why Bruce did not play with them at the event, he reportedly replied, "I only work with professional musicians."

Costello released his first major hit single, "Watching the Detectives," which was recorded with Nieve and the pair of Steve Goulding (drums) and Andrew Bodnar (bass), both members of Graham Parker's backing band The Rumour (whom he had used to audition for The Attractions).

On 17 December 1977, Costello and The Attractions appeared as the musical guest act on the episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' as a last minute fill-in for the Sex Pistols. Scheduled to play "Less Than Zero," he surprised the SNL crew by abruptly stopping the song mid-intro, and launching into "Radio Radio." Following a whirlwind tour with other Stiff artists – captured on the ''Live Stiffs'' album, notable for Costello's recording of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David standard "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" – the band recorded ''This Year's Model'' (1978). Some of the more popular tracks include the British hit "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea" and "Pump It Up." His U.S. record company saw Costello as such a priority that his last name replaced the word Columbia on the label of the disc's original pressing. The Attractions' first tour of Australia in December 1978 was notable for controversial performance at Sydney's Regent Theatre when, angered by the group's failure to perform an encore after their brief 35-minute set, audience members destroyed some of the seating.

A tour of the U.S. and Canada also saw the release of the much-bootlegged Canadian promo-only ''Live at the El Mocambo'', recorded at a Toronto rock club, which finally saw an official release as part of the ''2½ Years'' box set in 1993. It was during the ensuing United States tour that Costello met and developed a relationship with former ''Playboy'' model Bebe Buell (mother of Liv Tyler and later the partner of Todd Rundgren). Their on-again-off-again courtship would last until 1984 and would allegedly become a deep well of inspiration for Costello's songwriting.

In 1979, he released his third LP ''Armed Forces'' (originally to have been titled ''Emotional Fascism'', a phrase that appeared on the LP's inner sleeve). Both the album and the single "Oliver's Army" went to #2 in the UK, and the opening track "Accidents Will Happen" gained wide television exposure thanks to its innovative animated music video, directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton. Costello also found time in 1979 to produce the debut album for 2 Tone ska revival band, The Specials.

Costello's standing in the U.S. was bruised for a time when in March 1979, during a drunken argument with Stephen Stills and Bonnie Bramlett in a Columbus, Ohio Holiday Inn bar, the singer referred to James Brown as a "jive-ass nigger", then upped the ante by pronouncing Ray Charles a "blind, ignorant, nigger". Costello apologised at a New York City press conference a few days later, claiming that he had been drunk and had been attempting to be obnoxious in order to bring the conversation to a swift conclusion, not anticipating that Bramlett would bring his comments to the press. According to Costello, "it became necessary for me to outrage these people with about the most obnoxious and offensive remarks that I could muster." In his liner notes for the expanded version of ''Get Happy!!'', Costello writes that some time after the incident he had declined an offer to meet Charles out of guilt and embarrassment, though Charles himself had forgiven Costello saying "Drunken talk isn't meant to be printed in the paper." Costello worked extensively in Britain's Rock Against Racism campaign both before and after the incident. The incident inspired his ''Get Happy!!'' song "Riot Act."

Costello is also an avid country music fan and has cited George Jones as his favourite country singer. In 1977, he appeared in Jones' duet album ''My Very Special Guests'', contributing "Stranger in the House," which they later performed together on an HBO special dedicated to Jones.

1980s

The soul-infused ''Get Happy!!'' would be the first, and—along with ''King of America'' – possibly most successful, of Costello's many experiments with genres beyond those he is normally associated with. The single, "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" was an old Sam and Dave song (though Costello increased the tempo considerably). Lyrically, the songs are full of Costello's signature word play, to the point that he later felt he had become something of a self-parody and toned it down on later releases; he has mockingly described himself in interviews as "rock and roll's Scrabble champion." His only 1980 appearance in North America was at the Heatwave festival in August near Toronto.

In 1981, the band released ''Trust'' amidst growing tensions within the band, particularly between Bruce and Pete Thomas. In the U.S., the single "Watch Your Step" was released and played live on Tom Snyder's ''Tomorrow'' show, and received airplay on FM rock radio. In the UK, the single "Clubland" scraped the lower reaches of the charts; follow-up single "From a Whisper to a Scream" (a duet with Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze) became the first Costello single in over four years to completely miss the charts. Costello also co-produced Squeeze's popular 1981 album ''East Side Story'' (with Roger Bechirian) and also performed backing vocals on the group's hit single "Tempted".

Following ''Trust'', Costello released ''Almost Blue'', an album of country music cover songs written by the likes of Hank Williams ("Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do?)"), Merle Haggard ("Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down") and Gram Parsons ("How Much I Lied"). The album was a tribute to the country music he had grown up listening to, especially George Jones. It received mixed reviews. The first pressings of the record in the UK bore a sticker with the message: "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause a radical reaction in narrow minded listeners." ''Almost Blue'' did spawn a surprise UK hit single in a version of George Jones' "Good Year for the Roses" (written by Jerry Chesnut), which reached #6.

''Imperial Bedroom'' (1982) marked a much darker sound, due in part to the production of Geoff Emerick, famed for engineering several Beatles records. ''Imperial Bedroom'' remains one of his most critically acclaimed records, but again failed to produce any hit singles. Costello has said he disliked the marketing pitch for the album. The album also featured Costello's song "Almost Blue"; jazz singer and trumpeter Chet Baker would later perform and record a version of this song.

In 1983, he released ''Punch the Clock'', featuring female backing vocal duo (Afrodiziak) and a four-piece horn section (The TKO Horns), alongside The Attractions. Clive Langer (who co-produced with Alan Winstanley), provided Costello with a melody which eventually became "Shipbuilding," which featured a trumpet solo by Chet Baker. Prior to the release of Costello's own version, a version of the song was a minor UK hit for former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt.

Under the pseudonym The Imposter, Costello released "Pills and Soap," an attack on the changes in British society brought on by Thatcherism, released to coincide with the run-up to the 1983 UK general election. ''Punch the Clock'' also generated an international hit in the single "Everyday I Write the Book," aided by a music video featuring lookalikes of the Prince and Princess of Wales undergoing domestic strife in a suburban home. The song became Costello's first Top 40 hit single in the U.S. Also in the same year, Costello provided vocals on a version of the Madness song "Tomorrow's Just Another Day" released as a B-side on the single of the same name.

Tensions within the band - notably between Costello and bassist Bruce Thomas—were beginning to tell, and Costello announced his retirement and the break-up of the group shortly before they were to record ''Goodbye Cruel World'' (1984). Costello would later say of this record that they had "got it as wrong as you can in terms of the execution". The record was poorly received upon its initial release; the liner notes to the 1995 Rykodisc re-release, penned by Costello, begin with the words "Congratulations!, you've just purchased our worst album". Costello's retirement, although short-lived, was accompanied by two compilations, ''Elvis Costello: The Man'' in the UK, Europe and Australia, and ''The Best of Elvis Costello & The Attractions'' in the U.S.

In 1985, he appeared in the Live Aid benefit concert in England, singing the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" as a solo artist. (The event was overrunning and Costello was asked to "ditch the band".) Costello introduced the song as an "old northern English folk song," and the audience was invited to sing the chorus. In the same year Costello teamed up with friend T-Bone Burnett for the single "The People's Limousine" under the moniker of The Coward Brothers. That year, Costello also produced ''Rum Sodomy & the Lash'' for the Irish punk/folk band The Pogues.

By 1986, Costello was preparing to make a comeback. Working in the U.S. with Burnett, a band containing a number of Elvis Presley's sidemen (including James Burton and Jerry Scheff), and minor input from the Attractions, he produced ''King of America'', an acoustic guitar-driven album with a country sound. Around this time he legally changed his name back to Declan MacManus, adding Aloysius as an extra middle name. Costello retooled his upcoming tour to allow for multiple nights in each city, playing one night with The Confederates (James Burton et al.), one night with The Attractions, and one night solo acoustic. In May 1986, Costello performed at Self Aid, a benefit concert held in Dublin that focused on the chronic unemployment which was widespread in Ireland at that time.

Later that year, Costello returned to the studio with the Attractions and recorded ''Blood and Chocolate'', which was lauded for a post-punk fervour not heard since 1978's ''This Year's Model''. It also marked the return of producer Nick Lowe, who had produced Costello's first five albums. While ''Blood and Chocolate'' failed to chart a hit single of any significance, it did produce what has since become one of Costello's signature concert songs, "I Want You." On this album, Costello adopted the alias Napoleon Dynamite, the name he later attributed to the character of the emcee that he played during the vaudeville-style tour to support ''Blood and Chocolate''. (The pseudonym had previously been used in 1982, when the B-side single "Imperial Bedroom" was credited to Napoleon Dynamite & The Royal Guard, and was later appropriated by the 2004 film ''Napoleon Dynamite''). In 1989, Costello, with a new contract with Warner Bros., released ''Spike'', which spawned his biggest single in America, the Top 20 hit "Veronica," one of several songs Costello co-wrote with Paul McCartney in that period (see Collaborations).

1990s

In 1991, having grown a long beard, Costello released ''Mighty Like a Rose'', which featured the single "The Other Side of Summer." He also found time to co-compose and co-produce, with Richard Harvey, the title and incidental music for the mini-series ''G.B.H.'' by Alan Bleasdale. This entirely instrumental, and largely orchestral, soundtrack garnered a BAFTA, for Best Music for a TV Series for the pair.

In 1993, Costello experimented with classical music with a critically acclaimed collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet on ''The Juliet Letters''. During this period, Costello wrote a full album's worth of material for Wendy James, and these songs became the tracks on her 1993 solo album ''Now Ain't the Time for Your Tears''. Costello returned to rock and roll the following year with a project that reunited him with The Attractions, ''Brutal Youth''. In 1995, Costello released ''Kojak Variety'', an album of cover songs recorded five years earlier, and followed in 1996 with an album of songs originally written for other artists, ''All This Useless Beauty''. This was the final album of original material that he issued under his Warner Bros. contract. In the spring of 1996, Costello played a series of intimate club dates, backed only by Nieve on the piano, in support of ''All This Useless Beauty''. An ensuing summer and fall tour with the Attractions proved to be the death knell for the band. With relations between Costello and bassist Bruce Thomas at a breaking point, Costello announced that the current tour would be the Attractions' last. The quartet performed their final U.S. show in Seattle, Washington on 1 September 1996, before wrapping up their tour in Japan. To fulfill his contractual obligations to Warner Bros., Costello released a greatest hits album titled ''Extreme Honey'' (1997). It contained an original track titled "The Bridge I Burned," featuring Costello's son, Matt, on bass. In the intervening period, Costello had served as artistic chair for the 1995 Meltdown Festival, which gave him the opportunity to explore his increasingly eclectic musical interests. His involvement in the festival yielded a one-off live EP with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, which featured both cover material and a few of his own songs.

In 1998, Costello signed a multi-label contract with Polygram Records, sold by its parent company the same year to become part of the Universal Music Group. Costello released his new work on what he deemed the suitable imprimatur within the family of labels. His first new release as part of this contract involved a collaboration with Burt Bacharach. Their work had commenced earlier, in 1996, on a song called "God Give Me Strength" for the movie ''Grace of My Heart''. This led the pair to write and record the critically acclaimed album ''Painted From Memory'', released under his new contract in 1998, on the Mercury Records label, featuring songs that were largely inspired by the dissolution of his marriage to Cait O'Riordan. Costello and Bacharach performed several concerts with a full orchestral backing, and also recorded an updated version of Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" for the soundtrack to ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', with both appearing in the film to perform the song. He also wrote "I Throw My Toys Around" for ''The Rugrats Movie'' and performed it with No Doubt. The same year, he collaborated with Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains on "The Long Journey Home" on the soundtrack of the PBS/Disney mini-series of the same name. The soundtrack won a Grammy that year.

In 1999, Costello contributed a version of "She," released in 1974 by Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer, for the soundtrack of the film ''Notting Hill'', with Trevor Jones producing. For the 25th anniversary of ''Saturday Night Live'', Costello was invited to the program, where he re-enacted his abrupt song-switch: This time, however, he interrupted the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and they acted as his backing group for "Radio Radio".

2000 to present

In 2000, Costello appeared at the Town Hall Theatre, New York, in Steve Nieve's opera ''Welcome to the Voice'', alongside Ron Sexsmith and John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants.In 2001, Costello was artist in residence at UCLA and wrote the music for a new ballet. He produced and appeared on an album of pop songs for opera singer, Anne Sofie von Otter. He released the album ''When I Was Cruel'' in 2002 on Island Records, and toured with a new band, the Imposters (essentially the Attractions but with a different bass player, Davey Faragher, formerly of Cracker). He appeared as himself in the "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" episode of ''The Simpsons''. On 23 February 2003, Costello, along with Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, and Dave Grohl, performed a version of The Clash's "London Calling" at the 45th Grammy Awards ceremony, in honour of Clash frontman Joe Strummer, who had died the previous December. In March, Elvis Costello & The Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He announced his engagement in May to Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall, whom he had seen in concert and then met backstage at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. That September, he released ''North'', an album of piano-based ballads concerning the breakdown of his former marriage, and his falling in love with Krall. Also that year, Costello made an appearance in the television show ''Frasier'' as a folk singer in the Cafe Nervosa, sending Frasier and Niles on a search for a new coffee bar.

The song "Scarlet Tide" (co-written by Costello and T-Bone Burnett and used in the film ''Cold Mountain'') was nominated for a 2004 Academy Award; he performed it at the awards ceremony with Alison Krauss, who sang the song on the official soundtrack. Costello co-wrote many songs on Krall's 2004 CD, ''The Girl in the Other Room'', the first of hers to feature several original compositions. In July 2004 Costello's first full-scale orchestral work, ''Il Sogno'', was performed in New York. The work, a ballet after Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', was commissioned by Italian dance troupe Aterballeto, and received critical acclaim from the classical music critics. Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the recording was released on CD in September by Deutsche Grammophon. Costello released the album ''The Delivery Man'', recorded in Oxford, Mississippi and released on Lost Highway Records, in September of the same year, and it was hailed as one of his best albums.

A CD recording of a collaboration with Marian McPartland on her show ''Piano Jazz'' was released in 2005. It featured Costello singing six jazz standards and two of his own songs, accompanied by McPartland on piano. In November, Costello started recording a new album with Allen Toussaint and producer Joe Henry. ''The River in Reverse'' was released in the UK on the Verve label the following year in May.

A 2005 tour included a gig at Glastonbury that Costello considered to be so dreadful that he said "I don't care if I ever play England again. That gig made up my mind I wouldn't come back. I don't get along with it. We lost touch. It's 25 years since I lived there. I don't dig it, they don't dig me....British music fans don't have the same attitude to age as they do in America, where young people come to check out, say Willie Nelson. They feel some connection with him and find a role for that music in their lives."

In a studio recording of Nieve's opera ''Welcome to the Voice'' (2006, Deutsche Grammophon), Costello interpreted the character of Chief of Police, with Barbara Bonney, Robert Wyatt, Sting and Amanda Roocroft, and the album reached #2 in the ''Billboard'' classical charts. Costello later reprised the piece on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2008, with Sting, Joe Sumner of Fiction Plane (Sting's son) and Sylvia Schwartz. Also released in 2006 was a live recording of a concert with the Metropole Orkest at the North Sea Jazz Festival, entitled ''My Flame Burns Blue''. The soundtrack for ''House M.D.'' featured Costello's interpretation of "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera, with the song appearing in the second episode of Series 2.

Costello was commissioned to write a chamber opera by the Danish Royal Opera, Copenhagen, on the subject of Hans Christian Andersen's infatuation with Swedish soprano Jenny Lind. Called ''The Secret Songs'' it was unfinished. In a performance in 2007 directed by Kasper Bech Holten at the Opera's studio theatre (Takelloftet), finished songs were interspersed with pieces from Costello's 1993 collaborative classical album ''The Juliet Letters'', featuring Danish soprano Sine Bundgaard as Lind. The 2009 album ''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane'' includes material from ''Secret Songs''.

On 22 April 2008, ''Momofuku'' was released on Lost Highway Records, the same imprint that released ''The Delivery Man'', his previous studio album. The album was, at least initially, released exclusively on vinyl (with a code to download a digital copy). That summer, in support of the album, Costello toured with The Police on the final leg of their 2007/2008 Reunion Tour. Costello played a homecoming gig at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 25 June 2006. and, that month, gave his first performance in Poland, appearing with The Imposters for the closing gig of the Malta theatre festival in Poznań.

In July 2008, Costello (as Declan McManus) was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Liverpool.

From late 2008 into 2010, Costello hosted Channel 4/CTV's series ''Spectacle'' in which Costello talked and performed with stars in various fields, styled similarly to ''Inside the Actors Studio''. Between its two seasons, the show compiled 20 episodes, including one where Costello was interviewed by actress Mary-Louise Parker.

Costello was featured on Fall Out Boy's 2008 album ''Folie à Deux'', providing vocals on the track "What a Catch, Donnie", along with other artists who are friends with the band.

Costello appeared in Stephen Colbert's television special ''A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All''. In the program, he was eaten by a bear, but later saved by Santa Claus; he also sang a duet with Colbert. The special was first aired on 23 November 2008. Costello released ''Secret, Profane & Sugarcane'', a collaboration with T-Bone Burnett, on 9 June 2009. Burnett previously worked with Costello on ''King of America'' and ''Spike''. It was his first on the Starbucks Hear Music label and a return to country music in the manner of ''Good Year for the Roses''.

Costello appeared as himself in the finale of the third season of ''30 Rock'' and sang in the episode's celebrity telethon, ''Kidney Now!''. The episode references Costello's given name when Jack Donaghy accuses him of concealing his true identity: "Declan McManus, international art thief."

In May 2009, Costello made a surprise cameo appearance on-stage at the Beacon Theater in New York as part of Spinal Tap's ''Unwigged and Unplugged'' show, singing their fictional 1965 hit "Gimme Some Money" with the band backing him up.

On 15 May 2010, Costello announced he would withdraw from a concert performed in Israel in opposition to Israel's treatment of Palestinians. In a statement on his website, Costello wrote, "It has been necessary to dial out the falsehoods of propaganda, the double game and hysterical language of politics, the vanity and self-righteousness of public communiqués from cranks in order to eventually sift through my own conflicted thoughts."

Also in 2010 Elvis Costello appeared as himself in David Simon's television series, ''Treme''. Costello released the album ''National Ransom'' in autumn of 2010.

Personal life

Costello has been married three times, the first time to Mary Burgoyne in 1974, with whom he had a son.

In 1985, Costello became involved with Cait O'Riordan, former bassist for the English/Irish group The Pogues, while he was producing The Pogues' album ''Rum Sodomy and the Lash''. They married in 1986 and split up by the end of 2002.

Costello became engaged to singer Diana Krall in May 2003, and married her at the home of Elton John on December 6 that year. Krall gave birth to twin sons, Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James, on 6 December 2006 in New York City.

A vegetarian since the early 1980s, Costello says he was moved to reject meat after seeing the documentary ''The Animals Film'' (1982), which also helped inspire his song "Pills and Soap" (from ''Punch the Clock'', 1983).

Humanitarian causes

Costello sits on the Advisory Board of the Board of Directors of the Jazz Foundation of America. Costello began working with the Jazz Foundation in 2001, and has been a featured performer in their annual benefit A Great Night in Harlem since 2006. Costello has donated his time working with the Jazz Foundation of America to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina.

Collaborations

In addition to his major recorded collaborations with Bacharach, the Brodsky Quartet, and von Otter, Costello has frequently been involved in other collaborations.

In 1987, Costello began a long-running songwriting collaboration with Paul McCartney. They wrote a number of songs together, including:

"Back On My Feet", the B-side of McCartney's 1987 single "Once Upon A Long Ago", later added as a bonus track on the 1993 re-issue of McCartney's ''Flowers in the Dirt''

Costello's "Veronica" and "Pads, Paws and Claws" from ''Spike'' (1989) (Also, McCartney plays Hofner bass but does not have a writing credit for "This Town" - the opening song for the album.)

"So Like Candy" and "Playboy to a Man" from ''Mighty Like a Rose'' (1991)

McCartney's "My Brave Face", "Don't Be Careless Love", "That Day Is Done" and "You Want Her Too" from ''Flowers in the Dirt'' (1989)

"The Lovers That Never Were" and "Mistress and Maid" from ''Off the Ground'' (1993).

"Shallow Grave" from ''All This Useless Beauty'' (1996).

Costello talked about their collaboration:

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In 1987, he appeared on the HBO special ''Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night'', which featured his long-time idol Roy Orbison, and was invited back to ''Saturday Night Live'' for the first time since 1977.

In 1988, Costello co-wrote "At the Other End (of the Telescope)" with Aimee Mann; this song appears on the Til Tuesday album ''Everything's Different Now''.

In 2000, Costello wrote lyrics to "Green Song", a solo cello piece by Svante Henryson; this song appears on the Anne Sofie von Otter album ''For the Stars''.

In 2005, Costello performed with Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. They played both Costello and Green Day songs together, including "Alison", "No Action", "Basket Case" and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".

In 2007, Costello collaborated with the Argentinean/Uruguay an electro-tango band Bajofondo on the song "Fairly Right" from the album ''Mar Dulce''.

In 2008, Costello collaborated with Fall Out Boy on the track "What A Catch, Donnie" from their album ''Folie a Deux''.

In Jenny Lewis' 2008 release, ''Acid Tongue'', Costello provided vocals for the song "Carpetbaggers".

In November 2009, Costello appeared live with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden and performed the Jackie Wilson song, Higher and Higher.

In December 2009, it was announced that Costello would be portraying The Shape in the upcoming album ''Ghost Brothers of Darkland County'', a collaboration between rock singer John Mellencamp and novelist Stephen King.

In February 2010, Costello appeared in the live cinecast of Garrison Keillor's ''Prairie Home Companion'', singing some of his own songs, and participating in many of the show's other musical and acting performances.

In March 2011, played with Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir and Furthur in New York City.

In April 2011, played the song "Taken For A Fool" with The Strokes in Madison Square Garden.

On April 30, 2011, played the song "Pump it Up" with The Odds before the start of a Vancouver Canucks playoff game at Rogers Arena in Vancouver BC.

Artistic significance

Costello has worked with Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Lucinda Williams, Kid Rock, Lee Konitz, Brian Eno, and Rubén Blades.

Costello is also a music fan, and often champions the works of others in print. He has written several pieces for the magazine ''Vanity Fair'', including the summary of what a perfect weekend of music would be. He has contributed to two Grateful Dead tribute albums and covered Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter tunes such as Ship of Fools, Friend of the Devil, It Must Have Been the Roses, Ripple and Tennessee Jed in concert. His collaboration with Bacharach honoured Bacharach's place in pop music history. Costello also appeared in documentaries about singers Dusty Springfield, Brian Wilson, Wanda Jackson, and Memphis, Tennessee-based Stax Records. He has also interviewed one of his own influences, Joni Mitchell.

In 2004, ''Rolling Stone Magazine'' ranked him #80 on their list of the ''100 Greatest Artists of All Time''.

==Discography==

Costello has released over 30 studio albums on his own and with the Attractions, the Imposters, or others. He has also released five live albums: ''Live at the El Mocambo'', ''Deep Dead Blue'', ''Costello & Nieve'', ''My Flame Burns Blue'', and ''Live at Hollywood High''. There have also been numerous compilations, box sets, and reissues by labels such as Rykodisc, Demon, Rhino, and Universal Music Enterprises.

Filmography

Actor

1979 film debut as "The Earl of Manchester" in ''Americathon''

1984 as "Henry Scully" in the UK TV series, ''Scully''

1984 as "Stone Deaf A&R; Man" in "The Bullshitters", a Comic Strip film first aired on Channel 4.

1985 as inept magician "Rosco de Ville" in the Alan Bleasdale film, ''No Surrender''

1987 as "Hives the Butler" in the Alex Cox film, ''Straight to Hell'', starring Joe Strummer and Courtney Love

1994 as himself on ''The Larry Sanders Show'' in the episode "People's Choice"

1997 as a barman in ''Spice World''.

1999 as himself performing "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" with Burt Bacharach in ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me''

1999 as a younger version of himself in ''200 Cigarettes''

2001 as himself performing "Fly me to the Moon" on the series finale of ''3rd Rock From the Sun''

2002 as himself on the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" of ''The Simpsons''

2003 as Ben on ''Frasier'', one episode

2004 as himself in the UK TV ''Dead Ringers'' New Year Special, apparently and reportedly having serendipitously entered a filming venue 2004 as himself in ''Two and a Half Men'' - Season 2, Episode 1

2006 as himself in ''Delirious''

2006 as himself in ''Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby''

2008 as himself in "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!"

2009 as himself on the episode of ''30 Rock'', "Kidney Now!"

2010 as himself on ''Treme''

Soundtrack

2003 Academy Award nomination for best original song, "The Scarlet Tide", in ''Cold Mountain''

Bibliography

Costello, Elvis. ''A Singing Dictionary''. London: Plangent Visions Music; New York, N.Y.: Exclusive selling agent for the United States and Canada, Warner Bros. Publications, 1980. ISBN 0-7692-1505-X. Sheet music, chords, and lyrics for works 1977–1980.

References

External links

ElvisCostello.com

Official Elvis Costello Lost Highway Records Artist Page

The Elvis Costello Home Page Wiki

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Elvis Costello & the Attractions members Category:English buskers Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English male singers Category:English New Wave musicians Category:English rock guitarists Category:English rock keyboardists Category:English rock singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English people of Irish descent Category:English vegetarians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Lost Highway Records artists Category:Musicians from London Category:People from Paddington Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees‎ Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

br:Elvis Costello ca:Elvis Costello cs:Elvis Costello da:Elvis Costello de:Elvis Costello et:Elvis Costello es:Elvis Costello fa:الویس کاستلو fr:Elvis Costello ga:Elvis Costello gv:Elvis Costello gl:Elvis Costello id:Elvis Costello it:Elvis Costello he:אלביס קוסטלו la:Elvis Costello nl:Elvis Costello ja:エルヴィス・コステロ no:Elvis Costello pl:Elvis Costello pt:Elvis Costello ru:Элвис Костелло simple:Elvis Costello sl:Elvis Costello fi:Elvis Costello sv:Elvis Costello tr:Elvis Costello

name	David Byrne
background	solo_singer
born	May 14, 1952Dumbarton, Scotland, UK
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, flute, clavinet, slide guitar, harmonica, autoharp, harmonium, violin, accordion buildings
genre	New Wave, experimental pop, worldbeat, alternative rock
occupation	Musician, Songwriter, artist, singer, actor, director, Film producer, Record producer
years active	1974–present
label	Luaka Bop, Nonesuch Records, Thrill Jockey
associated acts	Talking Heads, Brian Eno, X-Press 2, Fatboy Slim, The BPA
website	Official Website
notable instruments	Fender MustangFender Stratocaster }}

David Byrne (born May 14, 1952) is a Scottish-born, American musician and artist most associated with his role as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, and non-fiction. He has received Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe awards and been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Biography

Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, to Tom and Emma Byrne. He was the elder of two children. Two years later, his parents moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and then to Arbutus, Maryland, when he was 8 or 9 years old. His father worked as an electronics engineer. Before high school, David Byrne already knew how to play the guitar, accordion, and violin. He was rejected from his middle school’s choir because they claimed he was "off-key and too withdrawn." From a young age, Byrne had a strong interest in music. His parents say that he would constantly play his phonograph from age three and he learned how to play the harmonica at age five. In his journals he says, "I was a peculiar young man — borderline Asperger's, I would guess." As revealed by Tina Weymouth in the commentary for the concert film Stop Making Sense, Byrne is left handed but plays guitar right handed.

He graduated from Lansdowne High School in southwest Baltimore County. Byrne started his musical career in a high school duo named Bizadi with Mark Kehoe. Their repertoire consisted mostly of songs such as "April Showers," "96 Tears," "Dancing On The Ceiling," and Frank Sinatra songs. Byrne then attended the Rhode Island School of Design and the Maryland Institute College of Art before dropping out and forming a band called "The Artistics" with fellow RISD student Chris Frantz. The band dissolved within a year, and the two moved to New York together with Frantz's girlfriend Tina Weymouth. Unable to find a bass player in New York, Frantz and Byrne persuaded Weymouth to learn to play the bass guitar. She admits that the encouragement she received from Byrne, Frantz, and famed trumpet player Don Cherry (who lived in their building), was critical as to her grasp of the instrument.

After some practice and playing together they founded the group Talking Heads which had its first gig in 1975. Multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison joined the group in 1977. During his time in the band, Byrne took on outside projects, collaborating with Brian Eno in 1981 on the album ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'', which attracted considerable critical acclaim and featured a groundbreaking use of sampling.

While working on the film ''True Stories'', Byrne met costume designer Adelle Lutz whom he married in 1987. They have a daughter, Malu Abeni Valentine Byrne, born in 1989. Byrne and Lutz divorced in 2004. Byrne began a relationship with the artist Cindy Sherman in 2007.

Although a resident of the United States since childhood, Byrne is a British citizen, and has never applied for U.S. citizenship. He lives in New York City.

Work in music and film

In 1981, Byrne partnered with choreographer Twyla Tharp, scoring music he wrote that appeared on his album, ''The Catherine Wheel'' for a ballet with the same name, prominently featuring unusual rhythms and lyrics. Productions of ''The Catherine Wheel'' appeared on Broadway that same year. ''In Spite of Wishing and Wanting'' is a soundscape David Byrne produced for the Belgian dance company Ultima Vez.

His work has been extensively used in movie soundtracks, most notably in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su on Bernardo Bertolucci's ''The Last Emperor'', which won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. In 2004, ''Lead Us Not Into Temptation (music from the film "Young Adam")'' included tracks and musical experiments from his score to ''Young Adam''. Byrne also wrote, directed, and starred in ''True Stories'', a musical collage of discordant Americana released in 1986, as well as producing most of the film's music. Byrne also directed the documentary ''Île Aiye'' and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled ''Between the Teeth''. He was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of ''Stop Making Sense'' in 1984. Byrne added "Loco de Amor" (Crazy for Love) with Celia Cruz to Jonathan Demme's 1986 film ''Something Wild''.

Byrne wrote the Dirty Dozen Brass Band-inspired score for Robert Wilson's Opera ''The Knee Plays'' from ''The Civil Wars: A Tree Is Best Measured When It Is Down''. Some of the music from Byrne's orchestral album ''The Forest'' was originally used in a Wilson-directed theatre piece with the same name. ''The Forest'' premiered at the Theater der Freien Volksbühne, Berlin in 1988. It received its New York premiere in December 1988 at BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The Forestry Maxi-single contained dance and industrial remixes of pieces from ''The Forest'' by Jack Dangers, Rudy Tambala, and Anthony Capel.

Byrne has contributed songs to five AIDS benefit compilation albums produced by the Red Hot Organization: ''Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter'', ''Red Hot + Rio'', ''Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin'', ''Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon'', and ''Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip''. Byrne appeared as a guest vocalist/guitarist for 10,000 Maniacs during their ''MTV Unplugged'' concert, though the songs in which he is featured were cut from their following album. One of them, "Let the Mystery Be", appeared as the fourth track on 10,000 Maniacs' CD single "Few and Far Between". Byrne worked with the "Queen of Tex-Mex", Tejano superstar Selena, writing, producing and singing a song ("God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"), included on Selena's last album, "Dreaming of You", before her death. Byrne was the host of ''Sessions at West 54th'' during its second of three seasons and collaborated with members of Devo and Morcheeba to record the album ''Feelings'' in 1997.

In 2008 Byrne collaborated with The Brighton Port Authority, composing the music and singing the lyrics for "Toe Jam".

In May 2011 Byrne contributed backing vocals to the Arcade Fire track "Speaking in Tongues" which will appear on the deluxe edition of their 2011 album The Suburbs

Other work

Byrne founded the world music record label Luaka Bop in 1990. It was originally created to release Latin American compilations, but it has grown to include music from Cuba, Africa, the Far East and beyond, releasing the work of artists such as Cornershop, Os Mutantes, Los De Abajo, Jim White, Zap Mama, Tom Zé, Los Amigos Invisibles and King Chango.

Byrne is also a visual artist whose work has been shown in contemporary art galleries and museums around the world since the 1990s. Represented by the Pace/MacGill Gallery in New York, he has also created public art installations, many of them anonymously. In 2010 his original art work is due to be featured in the exhibition ''The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl'' at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

Cycling

Byrne is known for his activism in support of increased cycling, and for having used a bike as his main means of transport for most of his life, especially cycling around New York. He has a regular cycling column in the ''New York Times''.

He says that he cycled when he was in high school and returned to it as an adult in the late 1970s. He likes the freedom and exhilarating feeling cycling gives him. He has written widely on cycling, including a 2009 book, ''Bicycle Diaries''. In August 2009, he auctioned his Montague folding bike in order to raise money for the London Cycling Campaign.

In 2008, Byrne designed a series of innovative bicycle parking racks in the form of image outlines corresponding to the areas in which they were located, such as a dollar sign for Wall Street and an electric guitar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Byrne worked with a manufacturer that would construct the racks in exchange for the chance to sell them later as artworks, and the racks remained on the streets for about a year.

Musical activity since 2001

In 2001 a censored version of Byrne's single “Like Humans Do” was selected by Microsoft as the sample music for Windows XP to demonstrate Windows Media Player (not included in SP2 installs). The next year, he provided vocals for a track, "Lazy" by X-Press 2, which reached number 2 in the United Kingdom and number 1 on the U.S. Dance Charts. Byrne said in an interview in BBC Four Sessions's coverage of his Union Chapel performance that “Lazy” was number 1 in Syria.

In April 2003, Byrne appeared as himself in an episode of ''The Simpsons'', "Dude, Where's My Ranch?". Later in the year, Byrne released the book ''Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information'' (ISBN 3-88243-907-6). together with a companion DVD. The work included artwork composed entirely in Microsoft PowerPoint. It includes one image that depicts, according to Byrne, "Dan Rather's profile. Expanded to the nth degree. Taken to infinity. Overlaid on the back of Patrick Stewart's head."

Byrne's solo album, ''Grown Backwards'', was released on March 16, 2004 by Nonesuch Records. This album used orchestral string arrangements, and includes two operatic arias. He also launched a North American and Australian tour with the Tosca Strings. This tour ended with Los Angeles, San Diego and New York shows in August 2005. The following year, his singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on ''The Cosmic Game'' by Thievery Corporation.

In 2005, Byrne initiated his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne. Each month, Byrne posts a playlist of music he likes, linked by themes or genres. Byrne's playlists have included African popular music; Country music classics; Vox Humana; Classical opera, and film scores from Italian movies. Byrne also posts personal comments on the music and, occasionally, on the state of the recorded music industry. In July 2007, Byrne posted the following comment: }}

Returning to this work in the theatre, in late 2005 Byrne and Fatboy Slim began work on ''Here Lies Love'', a disco opera or song cycle about the life of Imelda Marcos, the controversial former First Lady of the Philippines. Some music from this piece was debuted at Adelaide Festival of Arts in Australia in February 2006 and the following year at Carnegie Hall on February 3, 2007.

Byrne and Eno's influential 1981 album ''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'' was re-released for its 25th anniversary in early 2006, with new bonus tracks. In keeping with the spirit of the original album, two of the songs' component tracks were released under Creative Commons licenses and a remix contest site was launched. Later that same year, Byrne released ''Arboretum'', a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by McSweeney's. He also had an exhibition of his chairs — drawings, photographs, sculptures, and embroideries — at Pace/MacGill Gallery, NYC. In 2007, David Byrne provided a cover of The Fiery Furnaces' song "Ex-Guru" for a compilation to celebrate the 15th birthday of Thrill Jockey, a Chicago-based label.

In April 2008, Byrne took part in the Paul Simon retrospective concert series at BAM performing "You Can Call Me Al" and "I Know What I Know" from Simon's ''Graceland'' album. In 2008, Byrne and his production team programmed the Battery Maritime Building, a 99-year-old ferry terminal in Manhattan, to play music. Essentially Byrne took the old New York City building, hooked the entire structure - pipes, heaters, pillars and all, electronically to an old pipe organ, and made a playable musical instrument of it, for a piece called "Playing the Building". This project was also installed in 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden, and at the London Roundhouse in 2009. It bears similarities to a series of installations performed by New Zealand and Detroit based artists Alastair Galbraith and Matt De Genaro, recorded on their 1998 record ''Wire Music'' and 2006 follow-up ''Long Wires in Dark Museums, Vol. 2''. Byrne says that the point in this project was to allow people to experience art first hand, by creating the music with the organ, rather than simply looking at it. Byrne and Eno reunited for 2008's ''Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'' and Byrne assembled a band to tour the album and other collaborations between the two through late 2008. He assembled a band to tour worldwide for the album for a six-month period from late 2008 through early 2009 on the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour. The day after that album was released, ''Big Love: Hymnal'' - his soundtrack to season two of ''Big Love'' was made available. These two albums constituted the first releases on his personal independent record label Todo Mundo. In the same year, Byrne performed at the Austin City Limits festival.

He is featured on the tracks "Money" and "The People Tree", on N.A.S.A.'s 2009 album ''The Spirit of Apollo''. Also in 2009, David Byrne appeared on HIV/AIDS charity album ''Dark Was the Night'' for Red Hot Organization. He collaborated with Dirty Projectors on the song "Knotty Pine". In the same year, Byrne performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. He also was a signator of a letter protesting the decision of the Toronto International Film Festival to choose Tel Aviv as the subject of its inaugural City-to-City Spotlight strand.

In 2010, David Byrne songs were featured on the soundtrack of Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Works by David Byrne

Selected discography

''My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'' (with Brian Eno) (1981)

''Rei Momo'' (1989)

''The Forest'' (1991)

''Uh-Oh'' (1992)

''David Byrne'' (1994)

''Feelings'' (1997)

''Look into the Eyeball'' (2001)

''Grown Backwards'' (2004)

''Everything That Happens Will Happen Today'' (with Brian Eno) (2008)

Books

''True Stories'' (1986)

''Strange Ritual, Chronicle Books'' (1995)

''Your Action World'' (1999)

''The New Sins (Los Nuevos Pecados)'' (2001)

''David Byrne Asks You: What Is It?'' Smart Art Press (2002)

''Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information'' with DVD (2003)

''Arboretum'', (2006)

''Bicycle Diaries'' (2009)

Film

''Stop Making Sense'' - concert movie from Talking Heads tour (1984)

''True Stories'' (1986)

''Ile Aiye'' (''The house of life'') - Documentary (1989)

''Here Lies Love'' - with concept album in collaboration with Norman Cook (released 2010)

''Ride, Rise, Roar'' - music documentary of his concert tour with Brian Eno (released 2010)

''This Must Be the Place'' - 2011

References

Further reading

Sytze Steenstra: ''Song and Circumstance. The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to the Present''. New York and London: Continuum Books, 2010.

John Howell: ''David Byrne''. (American Originals Series) New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1992.

Ian Gittin: ''Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime: The Stories Behind Every Song''.

External links

Byrne, Baby Byrne, Guernica Magazine's Michael Archer interviews David Byrne

TED talk: ''How architecture helped music evolve''. Feb 2010

His journal

David Byrne Carl Jung Lecture

We Are The Noise Between Stations: A philosophical exploration of the work of David Byrne, at the crossroads of popular media, conceptual art, and performance theatre''. Maastricht: Mixed Media, 2003.

The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl

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