Ronald Patrick Ross McManus (20 October 1927 – 24 November 2011), known as Ross MacManus, was an English musician, singer and trumpet player of Irish descent. He performed with

Joe Loss Joshua Alexander "Joe" Loss (22 June 1909 – 6 June 1990) was a British dance band leader and musician who founded his own eponymous orchestra. Life Loss was born in Spitalfields, London, the youngest of four children. His parents, Israel an ...

and his orchestra. He was the father of

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

(born Declan MacManus).

Life and career

McManus was born on Conway Street,

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

,Thomson, Graeme. ''Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello''. Edinburgh: Canongate Ltd (2005) to Mabel and Pat McManus. He began singing at the age of nine as a chorister at St Thomas' Roman Catholic Church. He attended St Anselm's College. He later adapted his surname to MacManus. Prior to joining the

Band, he had his own band called Ross MacManus & The New Era Music from 1950 until 1955. That

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

band played at various Liverpool nightspots. He later joined Joe Loss in March 1955. He wrote and sang "Patsy Girl", a 1964 single credited to Ross McManus and the Joe Loss Blue Beats. The song was featured on the "Fathers" episode of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's radio series, '' Theme Time Radio Hour'' in 2006. In 1970, he recorded a version of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' song " The Long and Winding Road" under the pseudonym of Day Costello,Leigh, Spencer
"Ross MacManus - Elvis' Dad"
, BBC ''Radio Merseyside'' interview. which spent 17 weeks in the Australian chart, peaking at number 16. MacManus was responsible for the music and vocals from the R. White's Lemonade television advertisement theme song "Secret Lemonade Drinker", on which Costello sang backing vocals. He also wrote and sang a number of songs for British 1970's sex comedies including the '' Alan Street'' trilogy (1974), '' Secrets of a Superstud'' (1976) and ''Can I Come Too?'' (1979). He played the trumpet on two of Elvis Costello's albums: '' Out Of Our Idiot'' (1987) on the song, "A Town Called Big Nothing", credited to the MacManus Gang and originally recorded for the film '' Straight To Hell'', and '' Mighty Like A Rose'' (1991) on the song, "Invasion Hit Parade". His 1972 album of cover versions of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

songs, ''Elvis Presley's Golden Hits Sung by Big Ross & The Memphis Sound'', was reissued on CD in 2008 as ''Elvis' Dad Sings Elvis''. McManus died in November 2011, at the age of 84.

Family

MacManus married Lillian Alda Ablett in 1952; the couple later divorced. Their son Declan, better known as

, was born in 1954. With his second wife, Sara Thompson, a singer who died on 12 November 2011, he had four sons. One, Ronan, was lead singer in The BibleCode Sundays.

UK discography

Singles

* "Patsy Girl" / "I'm the Greatest" by Ross McManus and the Joe Loss Blue Beats (

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

, 1964) * "Stop Your Playing Around" / "Girlie Girlie" by Ross McManus (

, 1966) * "

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio, and first recorded and released as a single by Gaudio's Four Seasons bandmate Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and rea ...

" / " If I Were A Rich Man" by Ross McManus (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 1967) * " The Long And Winding Road" / "Free (Unlimited Horizons)" by Day Costello (Spark, 1970)

Albums

* ''Elvis Presley's Golden Hits Sung by Big Ross & The Memphis Sound'' (1972) * ''Elvis' Dad Sings Elvis'' (reissued on CD in 2008)

References

External links

*
Elvis-costello.net mini-biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:McManus, Ross 1927 births 2011 deaths Elvis Costello English jazz singers English jazz trumpeters English male trumpeters English male singers English people of Irish descent English Roman Catholics People educated at St. Anselm's College Musicians from Birkenhead English male jazz musicians