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Graham Coxon | |
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![]() Coxon at Wembley Stadium in 2023 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Graham Leslie Coxon |
Born | [1] Rinteln, West Germany | 12 March 1969
Origin | Colchester, Essex, England |
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Years active | 1988–present |
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Website | grahamcoxon |
Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who came to prominence as a founding member of the rock band Blur. As the group's lead guitarist and secondary vocalist, Coxon is featured on all of Blur's studio discography (although 2003's Think Tank only features his playing on one album track, plus two B-side tracks, due to his temporary departure from the band during recording sessions for the album). He has also led a solo career since 1998, producing and playing all instrumentation on his solo albums. As well as being a musician, Coxon is a visual artist: he designed the cover art for all his solo albums as well as Blur's 13 (1999).
Coxon plays several instruments and records his albums with little assistance from session musicians. Q magazine critic Adrian Deevoy has written: "Coxon is an astonishing musician. His restless playing style – all chord slides, rapid pulloffs, mini-arpeggios and fractured runs – seems to owe more to his saxophone training than any conventional guitar tuition."[2] An innovative lead guitarist,[3] he has been described by Oasis bandmember Noel Gallagher as "one of the most talented guitarists of his generation."[4] Coxon was voted the 15th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a 2010 BBC poll.[5]