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The story of the British art-punk band Blur began in 1988 in London, England. The group consisted of vocalist/keyboardist Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree. The band was originally called Seymour, inspired by J.D. Salinger’s book, Seymour: An Introduction. In 1990, after performing several shows and recording a demo, the band signed with Food Records and, under the label’s request, changed their band name to Blur.

In 1991, they released their critically acclaimed debut album, Leisure, which was heavily influenced by the sound of Pink Floyd and vocal harmonies from the Beatles Revolver album. Leisure debuted at number 2 on the UK albums chart and included the hit singles She’s So High and There’s No Other Way. Despite the positive reviews, critics felt the band was part of a dying Manchester pop scene.

In 1992, the group changed their musical style to a harsher, punkier sound with the release of Pop Scene. However, this new change was not well received and the album was both a commercial and critical failure in the UK and US.

In 1993, they released the successful album Modern Life is Rubbish, which garnered good reviews in Britain and peaked at number 15 on the UK charts. The album featured the hit singles Chemical World and For Tomorrow. Despite the band’s popularity in the UK, they still failed to make an impression in the US.

In 1994, they released the album Parklife, which charted at number one in Britain and included the new wave dance pop single, Girls and Boys. The album was certified triple platinum, earned the band four BRIT Awards including Best Group and Best Album, and cemented Blur as Britain’s new superstars.

In 1995, they released the album The Great Escape, which although it went to number one in the UK and earned positive reviews, it achieved only moderate commercial success. In addition, Blur was also competing against another popular British band, Oasis, who was able to break into the American market, something Blur had yet to accomplish.

During the next two years, Blur decided to revamp their musical style. In 1997, they released their US breakthrough album, Blur, which featured a more American indie rock sound.

This new album garnered the band positive reviews and finally earned them a US audience with sales of over one million copies, thanks to the popularity of the single Song 2.

In 1999, the band released the album 13, which documented Albarn’s feelings from his recent break-up with long-time girlfriend, Justine Frischmann of Elastica.

During the recording of the band’s seventh album, Think Tank (released in 2003), Graham Coxon left the band because he did not like the direction the band was taking. Think Tank contained a lot more electronic sounds and less guitar due to Albarn’s growing interest in hip-hop and African music. 

After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did not tour or make another album, as other members engaged in other projects. This included Albarn’s release of Demon Days in 2005, which received a Grammy for the single Feel Good Inc. and Dave Rowntree started his own animation company called Nanomation.

In 2009, Blur confirmed reports that Coxon was reuniting with the band and they were hard at work on a new album.