Graham Coxon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham Coxon
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Coxon at Wembley Stadium in 2023
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| Birth name | Graham Leslie Coxon |
| Born | 12 March 1969 Rinteln, West Germany |
| Origin | Colchester, Essex, England |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He became well-known as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As Blur's lead guitarist and a backing vocalist, Coxon played on all of their studio albums. He briefly left the band during the recording of their 2003 album, Think Tank.
Graham Coxon also has a successful solo career, which he started in 1998. He often plays all the instruments on his solo albums. Besides music, Coxon is also a talented visual artist. He designed the album covers for all his solo records and for Blur's 13 (1999).
Music critics have praised Coxon's unique guitar playing style. Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis called him "one of the most talented guitarists of his generation." In a 2010 BBC poll, Coxon was voted the 15th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Graham Coxon was born on 12 March 1969 in Rinteln, West Germany. His father, Bob Coxon, was a clarinet player and band leader in the British Army. As a child, Graham first lived in Spondon, Derby, England. During this time, he became a fan of the Derby County football team.
Later, his family moved to Colchester, Essex, England. This is where he grew up and met Damon Albarn, another future member of Blur. They met at The Stanway School when they were both 11 years old. At first, Coxon played the saxophone on Albarn's early songs. He later played guitar in several small bands in Colchester. He even appeared on the popular BBC children's show Blue Peter twice.
Music Career Highlights
Blur's Journey
Graham Coxon studied fine art at Goldsmiths College, London. There, he met bassist Alex James. He was around other artists who would become famous, like Damien Hirst. Coxon's musical interests were greatly shaped by Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett.
He left college because his band, then called Seymour, was becoming very successful. The band later changed its name to Blur. Coxon played all the guitars and backing vocals for Blur. His unique musical style influenced the band's sound, especially their less commercial songs in the late 1990s. He sang lead vocals on songs like "Red Necks" and "You're So Great." He also sang on "Coffee & TV" and parts of "Tender" and "Lonesome Street".
During the mid-1990s, when the media called it the 'Battle of Britpop', Coxon felt uncomfortable with the music industry. He sometimes acted awkwardly, like refusing to appear in the video for "Country House" unless he could dress as a milkman.
In 2002, Coxon left Blur for a period. He later explained that his life became calmer, and his priorities changed. He contributed one last song to Blur, "Battery in Your Leg," on their 2003 album Think Tank.
On 9 December 2008, Blur announced that the whole band would reunite for a show in Hyde Park in July 2009. They played more shows, including at Glastonbury. On 17 April 2010, they released their first new single since 2003, "Fool's Day".
On 19 February 2015, Blur announced their eighth studio album, The Magic Whip. This was Blur's first album in 12 years and their first with the original lineup in 16 years.
After eight years, the band released their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren. They went on a world tour, playing at festivals like Coachella and two sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium. In July 2024, a documentary about their reunion and tour, blur: To The End, was released.
Solo Music Career
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Graham Coxon released three solo albums while still a member of Blur. His first, The Sky Is Too High, came out in 1998 on his own Transcopic label. He followed this with The Golden D in 2000 and Crow Sit on Blood Tree in 2001.
After leaving Blur in 2002, he released The Kiss of Morning. In 2004, Coxon released his fifth solo album, Happiness in Magazines. This album was very successful, and he won the NME Award for Best Solo Artist in 2005.
In March 2006, he released his sixth solo album, Love Travels at Illegal Speeds. He also helped record a song to support the England national football team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The song, "Hurry Up Harry" by Sham 69, was re-recorded as "Hurry Up England" and reached No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
In October 2006, Coxon released a live album, Burnt to Bitz: At the Astoria. In July 2007, he released a single with Paul Weller called "This Old Town".
Coxon's seventh studio album, The Spinning Top, came out on 11 May 2009. This album was mostly acoustic and told the story of a man's life from birth to death. His eighth solo album, A+E, was released in April 2012.
Coxon wrote the music for the 2017 TV series The End of the ... World. This was his first time creating an original score for a show. The soundtrack was released in January 2018. He also helped compose music for the 2019 film Fighting with My Family.
In February 2020, Coxon released an album for the fictional band Bloodwitch. This music was part of the soundtrack for the Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This.
In 2021, Coxon released Superstate, a graphic novel with a matching studio album. It tells a story set in a future world. He illustrated the cover art himself, as he often does for his solo works.
In 2023, the folk rock band The Waeve, made up of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, released their first album. They also went on a tour across England. Their second album, City Lights, was released in September 2024.
Other Musical Contributions
Coxon's independent record label, Transcopic, was managed with his friend Jamie Davis. Coxon also designed all of his own album art. He worked with Nick Craske to create digital art for The Spinning Top and filmed two music videos.
He has also remixed songs for other artists, including Idlewild. In 2006, Coxon created a musical soundscape for an art exhibition in London.
In 2009, Coxon worked on Pete Doherty's solo album, Grace/Wastelands. Coxon played on almost all the songs on the album.
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Coxon also produced albums for bands like Mower and Assembly Line People Programme through his Transcopic label.
In 2013, Coxon was part of a project where artists re-recorded the classic Beatles album Please Please Me. He recorded the song "Baby It's You" live for a special BBC Radio 2 event.
In February 2019, Coxon helped write songs for the Duran Duran album Future Past. This album reached No. 3 on the UK Album Charts. Coxon performed with Duran Duran at the 2021 Billboard Awards Show.
Instruments and Gear
Graham Coxon often uses Fender Telecaster guitars. He especially likes a '52 reissue model and a customized 1968 model. Fender even reissued the 1968 model as a Graham Coxon signature guitar. Since the Blur reunion in 2009, he has mostly used a vintage Telecaster Deluxe.
During the Leisure album era, Coxon also used Gibson Les Pauls and a Fender Jaguar. For some later songs, like "No Distance Left to Run," he used a Gibson ES-335. He has also used a changed Fender Musicmaster guitar, which can be seen in the "Coffee & TV" and "Beetlebum" music videos. For his solo work, he uses various guitars, including Gibson SGs and a Burns London Sonic. He has also been seen playing a Telecaster Custom.
Recently, Graham received a custom-made guitar from Gray Guitars. It is a Telecaster-style guitar with a semi-acoustic body.
Coxon uses many effects pedals to create his sound. These include distortion, delay, and flange. He uses a custom-made pedalboard that has featured pedals like the Akai Headrush E2, Boss BF-2 Flanger, and ProCo RAT.
For his amplifiers, he uses two Marshall 1959 SLP heads with Marshall 4x12 cabinets.
Other Artistic Work
Graham Coxon is a visual artist and designs all of his own album covers. He has also designed covers for other artists. In July 2006, he wrote a foreword for a new edition of Hermann Hesse's novel Narcissus and Goldmund. His artwork was also featured on the cover of English folk singer Kate Rusby's album The Girl Who Couldn't Fly.
In October 2022, his book Verse, Chorus, Monster! was published by Faber and Faber. This book is his memoir, which tells his life story.
Personal Life
Graham Coxon is now in a relationship with Rose Elinor Dougall, his bandmate in The Waeve. They have a daughter together.
Solo Discography
- Solo studio albums
- The Sky Is Too High (1998)
- The Golden D (2000)
- Crow Sit on Blood Tree (2001)
- The Kiss of Morning (2002)
- Happiness in Magazines (2004)
- Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006)
- The Spinning Top (2009)
- A+E (2012)
- The End of the ... World (Original Songs And Score) (2018)
- The End of the ... World 2 (Original Songs And Score) (2019)
- I Am Not Okay with This (as Bloodwitch) (Original Songs And Score) (2020)
- Superstate (2021, in association with Z2 Comics)
See also
In Spanish: Graham Coxon para niños
