Graham Coxon

Graham Coxon，原Blur乐队吉他手，离开乐队之后，也从未终止过自己对音乐的热爱，继续进行着自己的演艺事业。今年初，他举办了离开乐队以后的第一个个人演唱会，取得了不同凡响的效果。虽然离开了Blur乐队，但是他在乐队的位置是无人能够替代的。无论是乐队成员、所有艺人、还是乐迷，都不能否认Graham Coxon是一个天才吉他手，他对音乐的理解、对吉他的喜爱，无人能及。他不是在控制手中的吉他，也不是在玩吉他，演奏好像也不足以形容他那种如鱼得水的感觉。只能用他自己的话说：“一个好的吉他手要了解自己手中的那把吉他，要根据对它的了解结合对音乐的理解，这样才能发出最美妙的声音”。他正是用自己对音乐、对吉他的这种感情，让人们享受着来自吉他的美妙乐声。
He's the guitarist of one of London's most delightful Britpop bands, and Graham Coxon is the quiet one. As the chief guitarist of Blur, his sheer and jointed guitar riffs made him a distinctive piece in leading the four-piece into alternative creative outlets, not to be overshadowed by the popular hysteria painted by the press. Noticeably, Blur went from cockney rebels to experimental intellects throughout their growing roster of material during the mid- to late '90s. Still Coxon wanted to steer into another musical invention. Expectations and personal wishes led him to throw his energy into a solo career. It was a side project of sorts, a loophole for Coxon to streamline his own ideas his own way.
Blur enjoyed mainstream success in America with "Song 2" from their 1997 self-titled release. Coxon's musical influences start to appear during this time, elements of American indie rock (Pavement, Pixies, Sonic Youth) shower through the band's work. It was shortly thereafter that Coxon founded his own label, Transcopic and released The Sky Is Too High in 1998 (the album was released on Caroline stateside). His straight-ahead lo-fi sound and post-punk yearnings were finally captured on a glowing debut, a favorite among the college charts, but still a stifling move for die-hard Blur fans. No one was sure what to make of Coxon's solo motivation. Unfortunately, a year later, it was brushed aside by the release of Blur's sixth album, 13. Coxon remained the quiet one, despite his deepest efforts to make his most artistic side more apparent. But keeping up with the speed of things, Coxon put all things Blur aside to release his second LP, The Golden D, in mid-2000.
Two years later, Coxon shocked Blur fans around the world by announcing his departure from the band. Recording for Think Tank had just gotten underway in Marrakesh, Morocco; however Coxon had already grown distant, personally and creatively, from the rest of the band. In turn, Coxon fell back on his solo career and focused on fatherhood. His fourth album, Kiss of Morning, appeared in October. Two years following, Coxon hooked up with producer Stephen Street for his biggest solo achievement yet. Happiness in Magazines was released in May 2004. Love Travels at Illegal Speeds appeared two years later.