b. 12 March 1969, Rinteln, Hannover, Germany. Guitarist with Blur, one of the most successful UK acts of the 90s, Coxon's influence on the band became more apparent as they progressed from the Britpop champions of 1994's Parklife to the alternative rock experimentalists of 1999's 13. Coxon's infatuation with cult US indie bands such as Pavement and Sonic Youth had come to the fore on the latter's predecessor, 1997's Blur, which ironically provided the band with their US breakthrough thanks to the success of the single "Song 2" on college radio. The following year, Coxon launched his own Transcopic Records as an outlet for his own recordings and other left field artists (one of the label's later signings was UK maverick Billy Childish). His debut album, The Sky Is Too High, eschewed the pop leanings of his parent band in favour of lo-fi minimalism, with the material dominated by Coxon's off-key guitar work. The Golden D (the album title refers to Coxon's favourite chord) upped the tempo somewhat in its exploration of post-punk guitar rock, even including two Mission Of Burma covers ("Fame And Fortune" and "That's When I Reach For My Revolver").
The prolific Coxon released two more albums between 2001 and 2002, with both Crow Sit On Blood Tree and The Kiss Of Morning turning the volume down in a return to the lo-fi stylings of his debut. In October 2002, it was announced that the guitarist had left Blur. Coxon celebrated his freedom from the band with the recording of the fine Happiness In Magazines, largely eschewing the lo-fi ramblings of his other solo albums in favour of some glorious pop songs that Blur would have been proud of. Coxon's star continues to rise with the follow-up Love Travels At Illegal Speeds, which received major press coverage, good sales and universally excellent reviews when it was released at the start of 2006.
