Graham Coxon

Coxon's enthusiasm for experimental and indie sounds enabled Blur to venture beyond Brit-pop territories after its peak popularity, while simultaneously fueling his own wide-ranging solo output that encompassed folk-tinged efforts, Krautrock influences, and original scores.

Born in Germany to a clarinetist who led a British Army band, Coxon relocated frequently across England during childhood before establishing residence in Colchester, Essex, where he first encountered future Blur colleague Damon Albarn at age eleven. By 1989 Coxon, Albarn, and Alex James—whom Coxon had met at Goldsmiths College's Fine Arts program in London—launched the group Seymour, later renamed Blur on their label's recommendation. As the band's Brit-pop-driven achievements diminished in the late 1990s, Coxon's affinity for American indie outfits such as Pavement and Sonic Youth surfaced in tracks like the hit single "Song 2," which secured mainstream U.S. traction, along with the albums Blur in 1997 and 13 in 1999.

Coxon simultaneously launched his solo path with the 1998 release The Sky Is Too High on his Transcopic imprint, blending folk and garage rock elements. He continued with the abrasive The Golden D in 2000 and the reflective acoustic collection Crow Sit on Blood Tree the following year. During 2002 sessions for Blur's seventh album Think Tank, Coxon departed the group and delivered The Kiss of Morning, a comparatively melodic collection. He then rejoined longtime Blur producer Stephen Street for 2003's Happiness in Magazines and again for 2006's Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, the same year that also yielded the double live set Burnt to Bitz: At the Astoria. In 2007 Coxon teamed with Paul Weller for the single "This Old Town," which peaked at number 39 on the U.K. singles chart.

Two years afterward Coxon again enlisted Street for The Spinning Top, a predominantly acoustic album tracing one man's full life arc through its songs. Also in 2009 he contributed to Pete Doherty's Grace/Wastelands and rejoined Blur for a U.K. tour. Over the ensuing period he alternated solo and group commitments, issuing the Krautrock-inflected A+E in 2012 and assisting Street in shaping leftover Blur material that formed the basis of the band's 2015 album The Magic Whip. Coxon's 2017 schedule proved especially active: alongside Albarn he guested on Rat Boy's debut Scum, issued the charity single "Falling" benefiting the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), and composed the score for the Netflix and Channel 4 series The End of the F***king World, adapted from Charles S. Forsman's graphic novel. The atmospheric soundtrack reached listeners in early 2018.