Blur are an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1988 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure (1991) incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing. Following a stylistic change—influenced by English guitar pop groups such as The Kinks, The Who, The Beatles and XTC—Blur released Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995). As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a famous chart battle with rival band Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop".

In recording their follow-up, Blur (1997), the band underwent another reinvention, showing influence from the lo-fi style of American indie rock groups. "Song 2", one of the album's singles, brought Blur mainstream success in the US. Their next album, 13 (1999) saw the band members experimenting with electronic music, as Albarn wrote more personal lyrics. In May 2002, Coxon left Blur during the recording of their seventh album Think Tank (2003). Containing electronic sounds and more minimal guitar work, the album was marked by Albarn's growing interest in hip hop and African music. After a 2003 tour without Coxon, Blur did no studio work or touring as a band, as members engaged in other projects. In 2009 Blur reunited, with Coxon back in the fold, for a series of successful reunion concerts.

History[link]

[edit] Formation and Leisure: 1988–1991

Childhood friends Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon met Alex James when they began studying at London's Goldsmiths College in 1988. Albarn was in a group named Circus, who were joined by drummer Dave Rowntree that October.^[1][2] Circus requested the services of Coxon after the departure of their guitarist. That December Circus fired two members and James joined as the group's bassist. This new group named themselves Seymour in December 1988, inspired by J.D. Salinger's Seymour: An Introduction.^[2][3] Seymour performed live for the first time in summer 1989.^[4] In November, Food Records' A&R man Andy Ross attended a Seymour performance that convinced him to court the group for his label. Ross and Food's boss, David Balfe, didn't like the band's name, so Food drew up a list of alternative names, from which the band decided on "Blur". Food Records finally signed the newly christened Blur in March 1990.^[5]

	"There's No Other Way" noicon Sample of "There's No Other Way", illustrating the band's early Baggy influence.
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From March to July 1990, Blur toured the UK and gained more attention from various music journalists, who were mixed on their opinion of Blur.^[6] In October 1990, after their tour was over, Blur released the "She's So High" single, which reached number 48 in the UK Singles Chart.^[7] The band had trouble creating a follow-up single, but they made progress when paired with producer Stephen Street. The resulting single release, "There's No Other Way", became a hit, peaking at number eight.^[8] As a result of the single's success, Blur became pop stars and were accepted into a clique of bands who frequented The Syndrome club in London dubbed "The Scene That Celebrates Itself".^[9] NME magazine wrote in 1991, "[Blur] are [the] acceptable pretty face of a whole clump of bands that have emerged since the whole Manchester thing started to run out of steam."^[10] The band's third single, "Bang", performed relatively disappointingly, reaching only number 24.^[11] Although the resulting album Leisure (1991) peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart, it received mixed reviews,^[7] and according to journalist John Harris, "could not shake off the odour of anti-climax".^[12]

Britpop years: 1992–1995[link]

After discovering they were £60,000 in debt, Blur toured the United States in 1992 in an attempt to recoup their financial losses.^[13] The group released the single "Popscene" to coincide with the start of the tour. Featuring "a rush of punk guitars, '60s pop hooks, blaring British horns, controlled fury, and postmodern humor",^[14] "Popscene" was a turning point for the band musically.^[15] However, upon its release it only charted at number 32. "We felt 'Popscene' was a big departure; a very, very English record," Albarn told the NME in 1993, "But that annoyed a lot of people ... We put ourselves out on a limb to pursue this English ideal and no-one was interested."^[16] As a result of the single's lacklustre performance, plans to release a single named "Never Clever" were scrapped and work on Blur's second album was pushed back.^[17]

During the two-month American tour, the band became increasingly unhappy, often venting frustrations on each other, leading to several physical confrontations.^[18] The band members were homesick; Albarn said, "I just started to miss really simple things ... I missed everything about England so I started writing songs which created an English atmosphere."^[16] Upon the group's return to the United Kingdom, Blur (Albarn in particular) were upset by the success rival group Suede had achieved while they were gone.^[19] After a poor performance at a 1992 gig that featured a well-received performance by Suede on the same bill, Blur were in danger of being dropped by Food.^[20] By that time, Blur had undergone an ideological and image shift intended to celebrate their British heritage in contrast to the popularity of American grunge bands like Nirvana.^[21] Although sceptical of Albarn's new manifesto for the band, Balfe gave assent for the band's choice of Andy Partridge of the band XTC to produce their follow-up to Leisure. The sessions with Partridge proved unsatisfactory, and were abandoned after only three songs,^[22] but a chance reunion with Stephen Street resulted in him returning to produce the group.^[23]

The band completed their second album Modern Life Is Rubbish in December 1992, but Food Records said the album required more potential hit singles and asked them to return to the studio for a second time. The band complied and Albarn wrote "For Tomorrow", which became the album's lead single.^[24] "For Tomorrow" was a minor success, reaching number 28 on the charts.^[25] Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in May 1993. The announcement of the album's release included a press photo featuring the phrase "British Image 1" spraypainted behind the band (who were dressed in a mixture of mod and skinhead attire) and a mastiff-breed dog. At the time, such imagery was viewed as nationalistic and racially insensitive by the British music press; to quiet concerns, Blur subsequently released the "British Image 2" photo, which was "a camp restaging of a pre-war aristocratic tea party".^[26] Modern Life Is Rubbish peaked at number 15 on the British charts, yet it did not chart in the U.S.^[27][28]

	"Parklife" noicon Sample of "Parklife", title track from Blur's third album, which features narration by Phil Daniels, the star of the film version of The Who's Quadrophenia.
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The success of Parklife (1994) revived Blur's commercial fortunes. The album's first single, the disco-influenced "Girls & Boys", found favour on BBC Radio 1. It peaked at number five on the UK singles chart^[29] and number four on the US Modern Rock chart, where it remains the band's highest-charting single to date.^[30] Parklife entered the British charts at number one and stayed on the album charts for 90 weeks.^[31] Enthusiastically greeted by the music press—the NME called it "a Great Pop Record ... bigger, bolder, narkier and funnier [than Modern Life is Rubbish]"—Parklife is regarded as one of Britpop's defining records.^[32][33] The album generated further hit singles, including the ballad "To the End" and the mod anthem "Parklife". Blur won four awards at the 1995 BRIT Awards, including Best Band and Best Album for Parklife.^[34] Coxon later pointed to Parklife as the moment when "[Blur] went from being regarded as an alternative, left field arty band to this amazing new pop sensation".^[35]

Blur began working on their fourth album The Great Escape at the start of 1995.^[36] Building upon the band's previous two albums, Albarn's lyrics for the album consisted of several third-person narratives. James reflected, "It was all more elaborate, more orchestral, more theatrical, and the lyrics were even more twisted ... It was all dysfunctional, misfit characters fucking up."^[37] The release of the album's lead single "Country House" played a part in Blur's public rivalry with Manchester band Oasis termed "The Battle of Britpop". Partly due to increasing antagonisms between the groups, Blur and Oasis ultimately decided to release their new singles on the same day, an event the NME called "The British Heavyweight Championship".^[38] The debate over which band would top the British singles chart became a media phenomenon, and Albarn appeared on the News at Ten.^[39] At the end of the week, "Country House" ultimately outsold Oasis' "Roll With It" selling 274,000 copies to Oasis' 216,000, becoming Blur's first number one single.^[40]

The Great Escape was released in September 1995 to rapturous reviews,^[38] and spent two weeks on the UK Album Chart at number one.^[27] The NME hailed it as "spectacularly accomplished, sumptuous, heart-stopping and inspirational".^[41] However, opinion quickly changed and Blur found themselves largely out of favour with the media and critics once again.^[38] Following the worldwide success of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (which went quadruple platinum in America), the media quipped that "[Blur] wound up winning the battle but losing the war."^[42] Blur became perceived as an "inauthentic middle class pop band" in comparison to the "working class heroes" Oasis, which Albarn said made him feel "stupid and confused".^[39] Bassist Alex James later summarised, "After being the People's Hero, Damon was the People's Prick for a short period ... basically, he was a loser – very publicly."^[43]

Reinvention after Britpop: 1996–2000[link]

An early 1996 Q magazine interview revealed that relations between Blur members had become very strained; journalist Adrian Deevoy wrote that he found them "on the verge of a nervous breakup".^[43] Coxon, in particular, began to resent his band mates; James for his playboy lifestyle, and Albarn for his control over Blur's musical direction and public image.^[43] The guitarist struggled with drinking problems and, in a rejection of the group's Britpop aesthetic, made a point of listening to noisy American alternative rock bands such as Pavement.^[44] In February 1996, when Coxon and James were absent for a lip-synced Blur performance broadcast on Italian television, they were replaced by a cardboard cutout and a roadie, respectively. Blur biographer Stuart Maconie later wrote that, at the time, "Blur were sewn together very awkwardly".^[43]

Although he had previously dismissed it, Albarn grew to appreciate Coxon's tastes in lo-fi and underground music, and recognised the need to significantly change Blur's musical direction once again. "I can sit at my piano and write brilliant observational pop songs all day long but you've got to move on", he said.^[43] He subsequently approached Street, and argued for a more stripped-down sound on the band's next record. Coxon, recognising his own personal need to—as Rowntree put it—"work this band", wrote a letter to Albarn, describing his desire for their music "to scare people again". After initial sessions in London, the band left to record the rest of the album in Iceland, away from the Britpop scene.^[43]

	"Song 2" noicon Sample of "Song 2" from Blur. Inspired by lo-fi and American indie rock, "Song 2' was a hit in the US.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The result was Blur, the band's fifth studio album, released in February 1997. The band's reinvention was not received very warmly in the U.K., as many fans did not welcome their change in style. However, the band's new sound gained an audience in the U.S., where the record received strong reviews as the album and became a hit, mostly because of the popularity of "Song 2" which peaked at number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.^[45][46] Blur also reached number 61 on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA on December 12, 1997.^[28][47] Pointing out lyrics such as "Look inside America/ She's alright", and noting Albarn's "obligatory nod to Beck, [and promotion of] the new Pavement album as if paid to do so", reviewers felt the band had come to accept American values during this time—an about-face of their attitude during the Britpop years.^[48] Despite cries of "commercial suicide", the album and its first single, "Beetlebum", debuted at number one in the UK.^[49] Although the album could not match the sales of their previous albums in the UK, Blur became the band's most successful internationally.^[49] "Song 2" was licensed for use in various media—such as soundtracks, advertisements and television shows, and it became known as a "'90s modern rock classic".^[50] At the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, "Song 2" was nominated for Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video.^[51] At the 1998 Brit Awards the song was nominated for Best British Single, and Best British Video.^[52] In 1998, BBC Radio 1 listeners voted "Song 2" the 15th Best Track Ever.^[53] After the success of Blur, the band embarked on a nine-month world tour.^[43]

In February 1998, a few months after completing the tour, Blur released Bustin' + Dronin' for the Japanese market. The album is a collection of Blur songs remixed by artists such as Thurston Moore, William Orbit and Moby. Among the tracks, the band were most impressed by Orbit's effort and enlisted him to replace Street as producer for their next album,^[54] citing a need to approach the recording process from a fresh perspective.^[35] Released in March 1999, Blur's sixth studio album 13 saw them drift still further away from their Britpop-era attitude and sound. Orbit's production style allowed for more jamming, and incorporated a "variety of emotions, atmospheres, words and sounds" into the mix. 13 was creatively dominated by Coxon, who "was simply allowed to do whatever he chose, unedited", by Orbit.^[55] Albarn's lyrics—more heart-felt, personal and intimate than on previous occasions—were reflective of his break-up with Elastica frontwoman Justine Frischmann, his partner of eight years.^[55] The album received generally favourable reviews from the press. While Q called it "a dense, fascinating, idiosyncratic and accomplished art rock album",^[56] the NME felt it was inconsistent and "(at least) a quarter-of-an-hour too long".^[57] 13 peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart, staying at that position for two weeks. The album's lead single, the gospel-based "Tender", peaked at the second spot on the chart, and stayed on the chart for 10 weeks total.^[27] After "Coffee & TV", featuring Coxon on lead vocals,^[58] managed to only reach number 11 in the UK, manager Chris Morrison demanded a chart re-run because of what he deemed was a sales miscalculation.^[59]

Blur at the Roskilde Festival, 1999

In July 1999, in celebration of their tenth anniversary, Blur released a 22-CD limited edition box-set of their singles. The accompanying tour in December saw Blur play the A-sides of the 22 singles (in their chronological order of release) at every show. In October 2000, the group released the best-of album Blur: The Best of, which debuted at number three in the UK.^[60] Dismissed by the band as "the first record we have seen as product", the tracklisting and release dates of Blur: The Best of were determined on the basis of market research and focus groups conducted by Blur's record label, EMI.^[61] By this time, the group had largely disowned the upbeat pop singles from the Britpop era, and favoured the more arty, experimental work on Blur and 13. In an otherwise highly enthusiastic review of the best-of for the NME, Steve Sutherland criticised the band's "sheer disregard" for their earlier work; "Just because these songs embarrassed them once they started listening to broadsheet critics and retreated wounded from the big-sales battle with Oasis doesn't mean that we're morons to love them."^[62]

[edit] Coxon's departure, Think Tank, hiatus and reunion: 2001–present

After 13 and the subsequent tour in 1999, the band entered into a hiatus, during which bandmembers pursued other projects. Graham Coxon recorded a string of solo albums, while Damon Albarn created the animated band Gorillaz with Jamie Hewlett. Alex James worked with Fat Les and co-wrote several songs with Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Marianne Faithfull.^[63]

Early in 2002, Blur temporarily broke its hiatus to record a song that would be played for the European Space Agency's Mars Lander; however, the plan fell through when the lander was lost.^[64] Recording for Blur's next album got under way in Marrakesh, Morocco in mid-2002. After several weeks of uncertainty, Coxon confirmed that he had been asked to leave the band for reasons connected with his "attitude".^[63] Coxon stated that "there were no rows" and "[the band] just recognised the feeling that we needed some time apart".^[65] His last contribution to the band was a guitar line on the final track of Think Tank, "Battery in Your Leg" which Albarn said was the only song he ever wrote about the band.^[66] Before the album was released, Blur released a new single, "Don't Bomb When You Are the Bomb" as a very limited white label release. The song is largely electronic, and was part of the band's protest against war in the Middle East. Albarn, however, attempted to assuage fans' fears that the album would be electronic by providing reassurances that the band's new album would be "a rockin' record", and also stated that it has "a lot of finely crafted pop songs".^[67]

Think Tank, released in May 2003, was filled with atmospheric, brooding electronic sounds, featuring simpler guitar lines played by Albarn, and largely relying on other instruments to replace Coxon. Coxon's absence also meant that Think Tank was almost entirely written by Albarn. Its sound was seen as a testament to Albarn's increasing interest in African music, Middle Eastern music and electronic music, and to his complete control over the group's creative direction.^[68] Think Tank was yet another UK number one and managed Blur's highest US position of number 56.^[69] The album was also nominated for best album at the 2004 BRIT Awards.^[70] The band supported the album with a tour and three singles: "Out of Time", "Crazy Beat" and "Good Song".

In 2005, XFM news reported that the band would be recording an EP, and denied the idea of hiring a new guitarist to replace Coxon.^[71] There were also some aborted recordings done in 2005. Overall the band kept low profile and did no studio recordings or touring as a three-piece. After Coxon significantly thawed about rejoining the band,^[72] James announced^[73] in April and August 2007 that the band would reunite and would likely be recording a new album in October.^[74] However this didn't materialise and the subsequent year was spent on solo projects.

Coxon (left) and Albarn on stage at the Newcastle Academy in June 2009.

In December 2008, Albarn and Coxon stated that Blur would reunite for a concert at Hyde Park on 3 July 2009, but after tickets for the concert sold out within 2 minutes of release, Blur announced an additional performance at Hyde Park on 2 July 2009.^[75][76] A series of June preview shows were also announced, ending at Manchester Evening News arena on the 26th. All the shows were well received; The Guardian's music critic Alexis Petridis gave their performance at Goldsmiths college five stars out of five, and wrote that "Blur's music seems to have potentiated by the passing of years ... they sound both more frenetic and punky and more nuanced and exploratory than they did at the height of their fame".^[77] Blur headlined the Glastonbury Festival on 28 June, where they played for the first time since their headline slot in 1998. Reviews of the Glastonbury performance were enthusiastic, The Guardian called them "the best Glastonbury headliners in an age".^[78] The band released their second greatest hits album Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur in June 2009.

Blur also headlined at other summer festivals, including Oxegen 2009 in Ireland,^[79] and the Scottish outdoor show of T in the Park. Their T in the Park headline slot was put in jeopardy after Graham Coxon was admitted to hospital with food poisoning.^[80] Ultimately, the band did play, albeit an hour and a half after they were scheduled to appear. Immediately after the reunion shows and the subsequent months, bandmembers stated that the band had no immediate plans to continue their reunion, either entering the studio or playing more shows.^{[81][82][83][84][85]}

In January 2010, No Distance Left to Run, a documentary about the band, was released in cinemas and a month later on region free.^[86] In November 2009, Blur were the first act to be recognised with a Heritage Award by PRS for Music. A plaque was erected at East Anglian Railway Museum, the location of Blur's first gig.^[87]

In April 2010, Blur released their first single and the first studio recording with the original line-up since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event as a 7" limited to 1000 copies.^[88] This was released as a free download on their official website the next day.^[89][90]

In December 2010, No Distance Left to Run was nominated as Best Long Form Music Video for the 53rd Grammy Awards. It is the first time Blur has been nominated for a Grammy Award.^[91] In February 2011, Coxon told the NME that while "Every now and then we [Blur] like to meet up and record a few things", the group did not have plans to record an album any time soon. "I suppose it might turn into an LP in six years or something", Coxon said.^[92]

In November 2011, Blur recorded a spoken word track with poet Michael Horovitz sparked by the news that the 2011 Notting Hill Carnival would be cancelled due to the August riots in London.^[93] Albarn described the track as "a perfect plea to reinstate the carnival." He stated that the track "was relevant for about 12 hours" until it was confirmed that the carnival would not be cancelled.^[94]

In February 2012, Graham Coxon announced to the Daily Record that Blur will be recording a new album,^[95] On 19 February, Albarn and Coxon premiered a new track together live, "Under the Westway".^[96] However, in May 2012, producer William Orbit told the NME that Damon had halted recording of new material.^[97] On 21 February 2012, Blur were awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the 2012 BRIT Awards. They went on to perform 5 tracks: 'Girls & Boys', 'Song 2', 'Parklife', 'Tender' and 'This is a Low'.

On April 19, 2012, the band announced that a box-set entitled Blur 21 - containing all seven of the band's studio albums, four discs of unreleased rarities and three DVDs - would be released on 30 July, 2012.^[98]

Blur will headline at Hyde Park, with New Order and The Specials, to celebrate the closing of the 2012 Summer Olympics on 12 August 2012.^[99]

Discography[link]

• Leisure (1991)
• Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)
• Parklife (1994)
• The Great Escape (1995)
• Blur (1997)
• 13 (1999)
• Think Tank (2003)

Awards[link]

• 1994: Q Awards – Best Album (Parklife)^[100]
• 1994: Smash Hits Awards – Best Alternative Band, Best Album (Parklife)^[101]
• 1995: Brit Awards – Best Band, Best Album (Parklife), Best Single (Parklife), Best British Video (Parklife)^[102]
• 1995: NME Awards – Best Band,^[103] Best Live Act, Best Album (Parklife)^[104]
• 1995: Q Awards – Best Album (The Great Escape)^[100]
• 1996: Ivor Novello Awards – Best Songwriters (shared with Noel Gallagher)^[105]
• 1999: Q Awards – Best Act in the World Today^[106]
• 2000: NME Awards – Best Band, Best Single ("Tender")^[103]
• 2003: Q Awards – Best Album (Think Tank)^[100]
• 2003: South Bank Show Awards – Best Album (Think Tank)^[107]
• 2009: MOJO Awards – Inspiration Award^[108]
• 2009: PRS for Music Heritage Award^[109]
• 2010: NME Awards – Best Live Event (Blur at Hyde Park)^[110]
• 2012: Brit Awards – Outstanding Contribution to Music ^[111]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Harris, John. Britpop! Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. 2004. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81367-X
• Strong, Martin C. The Great Indie Discography. 2003. Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0
• Thompson, Dave. Alternative Rock. 2004. Miller-Freeman, ISBN 0-87930-607-6
• Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop. Passion Pictures. 2004.
• Maconie, Stuart. Blur: 3862 Days – The Official History. 1999 Virgin Books ISBN 0-7535-0287-9

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blur

• Official website
• Blur at the Internet Movie Database
• Blur on Facebook
• Blur on Twitter
• Blur on Myspace

The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History is a 1978 book by Michael H. Hart, reprinted in 1992 with revisions. It is a ranking of the 100 people who, according to Hart, most influenced human history.^[1]

The first person on Hart's list is the Prophet of Islam Muhammad.^[2] Hart asserted that Muhammad was "supremely successful" in both the religious and secular realms. He also believed that Muhammad's role in the development of Islam was far more influential than Jesus' collaboration in the development of Christianity. He attributes the development of Christianity to St. Paul, who played a pivotal role in its dissemination."^[3]

The 1992 revisions included the demotion of figures associated with Communism, such as Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong, and the introduction of Mikhail Gorbachev. Hart took sides in the Shakespearean authorship issue and substituted Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford for William Shakespeare. Hart also substituted Niels Bohr and Henri Becquerel with Ernest Rutherford, thus correcting an error in the first edition. Henry Ford was also promoted from the "Honorary Mentions" list, replacing Pablo Picasso. Finally, some of the rankings were re-ordered, although no one listed in the top ten changed position.

Hart wrote another book in 1999, entitled A View from the Year 3000,^[4] voiced in the perspective of a person from that future year and ranking the most influential people in history. Roughly half of those entries are fictional people from 2000–3000, but the remainder are actual people. These were taken mostly from the 1992 edition, with some re-ranking of order.

Hart's Top 10 (from the 1992 edition)[link]

Rank	Name	Time Frame	Image	Occupation	Influence
1	Muhammad	c. 570–632		Secular and religious leader	The central human figure of Islam, regarded by Muslims as a prophet of God and the last messenger. Active as a social reformer, diplomat, merchant, philosopher, orator, legislator, military leader, humanitarian, philanthropist.
2	Isaac Newton	1643–1727		Scientist	English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian. His law of universal gravitation and three laws of motion laid the groundwork for classical mechanics.
3	Jesus Christ	7–2 BC – 26–36 AD		Spiritual leader	The central figure of Christianity, revered by Christians as the Son of God and the incarnation of God.
4	Buddha	563–483 BC		Spiritual leader	Spiritual teacher and philosopher from ancient India. Founder of Buddhism and is also considered an Gautama Buddha in Hinduism.
5	Confucius	551–479 BC		Philosopher	Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Indonesian thought and life. Founded Confucianism, and influenced Neo-Confucianism and New Confucianism.
6	St. Paul	5–67 AD		Christian apostle	One of the most notable of early Christian missionaries, credited with proselytizing and spreading Christianity outside of Palestine (mainly to the Romans) and author of numerous letters of the New Testament of the Bible.
7	Cài Lún	50–121 AD		Political official in imperial China	Widely regarded as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process.
8	Johannes Gutenberg	1398–1468		Inventor	German printer who invented the mechanical printing press.
9	Christopher Columbus	1451–1506	70px	Explorer	Italian navigator, colonizer and explorer whose voyages led to general European awareness of the American continents.
10	Albert Einstein	1879–1955		Scientist	German theoretical physicist, best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass–energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2.

See also[link]

• Time 100

References[link]

1. ^ Michael H. Hart The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. first published in 1978, reprinted with minor revisions 1992. ISBN 978-0-8065-1068-2
2. ^ The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Michael H. Hart, "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History", Citadel Publishing, 2000, ISBN 978-0-8065-1350-8
4. ^ Michael H. Hart. A view from the year 3000: a ranking of the 100 most influential persons of all time; first published in 1999

External links[link]

• Religious Affiliation of History's 100 Most Influential People

The Shop Boyz are an Atlanta-based hip hop group, originating from the Kings Glen Trail in Decatur.They relocated to Des Plaines, Illinois during the early nineties. ^[1] They are most known for their single "Party Like a Rockstar" from their debut album Rockstar Mentality. The group is composed of Demetrius "Meany" Hardin, Richard "Fat" Stevens and Rasheed "Sheed" Hightower. In mid-2008, Rich "Shoo" left the group of a battle with Sheed.

Career[link]

After signing with Universal Republic Records, Shop Boyz began to record their debut album, Rockstar Mentality, which saw them create rock influenced-hip-hop. The album's lead single, "Party Like a Rockstar was released in May 2007 and acheived commercial success, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also topped US rap charts and charted in the top ten on pop and R&B charts, and went on to become the highest selling ringtone of 2007.^[2] With its success, their debut, Rockstar Mentality, was released on June 19, 2007. Although it debuted at 11 on the US Billboard 200, it received a negative reception from critics and became a commercial disappointment, selling fewer than 200,000 copies to date^[3] The album's second single, "They Like Me", had a similar fate, as it only charted below the top one hundred on US R&B charts. With the group only achieving minor success, they were eventually dropped by Universal Records.

In August 2008 Shop Boyz premiered "Up Thru There" as the lead single from their then-untitled second studio album. However, the song failed to gain a release for undisclosed reasons. Despite this, it still managed to chart within the lower region of US R&B charts. Shop Boyz went on to release the collaborative album, Community Service, Vol.2, with rapper, C-Murder, on March 23, 2010, which featured the track.^[4] The group independently released an Extended play, entitled Back 2 Finish What We Started, on April 4, 2011.^[5]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

1. ^ Shop Boyz by Mosi Reeves. Vibe. July 16, 2007.
2. ^ "Shop Boyz End Year with Best Selling Ringtone for 2007". Reuters. December 10, 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS140474+10-Dec-2007+BW20071210. 
3. ^ Sonia Murray. "List of winners at BET awards". Access Atlanta. http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/accessatlanta/MusicScene/entries/2007/10/13/list_of_winners_at_bet_awards.html. 
4. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/community-service-vol.-2/id469475905
5. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/back-2-finish-what-we-started/id430426065
6. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=305&g=Albums. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
7. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=333&g=Albums. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
8. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Rap Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=335&g=Albums. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
9. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
10. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=367&g=Singles. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
11. ^ http://api.billboard.com/apisvc/chart/v1/list?artist=shop_boyz&song=they&sdate=1990-10-10&edate=2010-12-20&api_key=bvk4re5h37dzvx87h7rf5dqz
12. ^ http://api.billboard.com/apisvc/chart/v1/list?artist=shop_boyz&song=up&sdate=1990-10-10&edate=2010-12-20&api_key=bvk4re5h37dzvx87h7rf5dqz
13. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Rap Songs". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=370&g=Singles. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
14. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Pop Songs". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=381&g=Singles. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 
15. ^ "Shop Boyz Album & Song Chart History - Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/shop-boyz/chart-history/860229?f=793&g=Singles. Retrieved January 8, 2011. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Shop Boyz on Myspace
• Even Rappers Want to Be Rock Stars, The New York Times. Published April 22, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2007.

Graham Coxon
Background information
Birth name	Graham Leslie Coxon
Born	(1969-03-12) 12 March 1969 (age 43) Rinteln, West Germany
Origin	Spondon, Derby, Colchester, England
Genres	Alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock, folk rock, indie folk, lo-fi
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, painter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass guitar, lap steel, drums, percussion, piano, saxophone
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Transcopic, Parlophone
Associated acts	Blur, Paul Weller, Pete Doherty
Website	GrahamCoxon.co.uk
Notable instruments
Fender '52 Telecaster Gibson SG Gibson Les Paul Fender Mustang Fender Telecaster Deluxe

Graham Leslie Coxon (born 12 March 1969) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded eight solo albums. His artistic and musical contribution is featured on all seven of Blur's studio albums, from 1991's Leisure to 2003's Think Tank. Although credited as a songwriter on most Blur tracks, his most significant lyrical contributions appeared on the hit singles "Tender" and "Coffee & TV"; a number of tracks in the band's catalogue were also penned mainly by Coxon. The cover of 1999's 13 was designed by Coxon.

In 2002, he left Blur following a bitter dispute with the other members, notably Damon Albarn. As a result, he played guitar and was credited as a songwriter on only the final track for the following year's Think Tank. In September 2007, Graham Coxon rejoined the band and in late 2008 Damon Albarn announced that the band would reunite 2009 for a number of shows.

Of Coxon's eight solo albums, four of them were recorded while a member of the band. Coxon is capable of playing several other instruments, besides guitar, and is famous for recording his albums single-handedly, without much help from session musicians. An innovative lead guitarist,^[1] other notable British guitarists such as Jonny Greenwood and Noel Gallagher have lauded Coxon's musicality and talent, with the latter calling him "the most gifted guitarist of his generation."^[2][3] He was voted the 15th greatest guitarist of the last 30 years in a national 2010 BBC poll.^[4]

Early life[link]

Coxon was born in Rinteln, West Germany. As a child, he moved first to Spondon, near Derby, a period during which he became a fan of Derby County. He then moved to Colchester, Essex, in South East England, where he grew up and met fellow Blur member Damon Albarn. He appeared on the popular BBC children's show Blue Peter twice.

Music career[link]

Blur (1989-2002; 2009-present)[link]

Graham Coxon studied Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College, London, for two years, where early on he met bassist Alex James. In his time there he mixed with upcoming talents such as Damien Hirst, Michael Landy, Sam Taylor-Wood, and Abigail Lane, some of the future leading lights of the Britart movement. He quit college due to the increasing success of his band at the time, Seymour, who later changed its name to Blur because the recording company, Food Records, thought Seymour was too 'student-ish'. They presented a list to the band of preferred names which included "The Shining Path" and "Blur". As well as providing all guitars, backing vocals, and occasional drums, Graham's lo-fi and alternative musical style and tastes highly influenced the band's less commercial music in the late 90's. He sings lead vocals on "Luminous", "You're So Great", and "Coffee & TV", as well as a section of the chorus of "Tender".

During the 1995 period of the media-dubbed 'Battle of Britpop', Coxon became increasingly weary and suspicious of the music industry. Some of his behaviour would appear awkward, such as refusing to appear in the video for Blur song "Country House" unless he could dress as a milkman and take no part in any action he felt uncomfortable with.

In November 2001 Coxon was admitted to the priory hospital for 28 days to be treated for alcoholism. During this time, Blur began the recording sessions that would produce the material for their next album, "Think Tank". In February 2002, Graham rejoined the band in the studio for the rest of the recording of "Think Tank" but after only 5 days was asked by then manager Chris Morrison not to go back into the studio as the other members of the band had reported that the session wasn't going too well with him present. Coxon took this as a sign and left the band. As he stated in an interview in 2006, “I had a breakthrough, I think my life just became calmer, I gave up drinking. My priorities changed as I had a young daughter. The group didn’t want me to record for the Think Tank album, so I took it as a sign to leave". His last contribution to Blur was a song called "Battery in Your Leg", the closing song on Blur's 2003 album Think Tank, before leaving the line-up. Damon Albarn later revealed that the song "Sweet Song" was written after he had been looking at a photograph of Graham.

Damon Albarn frequently stated that the door was always open for Coxon to rejoin the band. In 2004 it was rumoured that he was rejoining Blur, but both sides denied this. Coxon stated that although a reunion meeting was a good one, he would not be rejoining Blur and remained firm on his decision. It seems they patched-up some differences and continued their friendship, despite the turmoil surrounding Coxon's departure. However, at the time Coxon seemed adamant and refused to rejoin the band.

After Damon Albarn's revealing that he and Coxon have rebuilt their relationship, on 9 December 2008, Blur announced that the whole band would reunite for a show at Hyde Park on 3 July 2009.^[5] More dates were announced and the band played festival dates at Glastonbury, T in the Park and Oxegen 2009 as well as headlining shows in Manchester, Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Goldsmiths College and the East Anglian Railway Museum in Colchester. Blur also played one show in Lyon, France.

On 17 April 2010, the band released their first single since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event as a 7" limited to 1000 copies.^[6] The band released the single as a free download on their official website the next day.^[7][8] More recently Blur announced via the NME website that they would reunite every so often and record more singles, preferably on 7 inch. However Damon also stated that an album was not on its way as they were all too busy with their own individual projects.

Solo work (1998-present)[link]

Coxon had already released three solo albums while as a member of Blur before his 2002 departure. His first, released on his own Transcopic label was The Sky is Too High in 1998, a ramshackle mixture of English folk music and 1960s-style garage rock, influenced by Billy Childish. This was followed by the more extreme The Golden D in 2000 and the thoughtful Dylan-Drakesque Crow Sit on Blood Tree (2001). After going solo full time, he released The Kiss of Morning in 2002. The album proved to be his most accessible to date and was promoted with the single "Escape Song" which proved to be an interesting hybrid of Syd Barrett's "Octopus" and progressive rock trail-blazers The Nice. In 2004, Coxon released his fifth solo album Happiness in Magazines, produced by ex-Blur and The Smiths producer Stephen Street. This proved to be his most successful album to date, and he received the NME Award for 'Best Solo Artist' in 2005.

In March 2006 he released his sixth solo album, called Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, again produced by Stephen Street. It marks Coxon's first album away from his now-defunct indie label 'Transcopic'. The LP was preceded by the singles "Standing On My Own Again" on 27 February and "You & I". Coxon embarked on a tour of the UK, starting at Newcastle University. He also got involved in a single supporting the England national football team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The song was a re-working of the Sham 69 hit "Hurry Up Harry", and was released as "Sham 69 and The Special Assembly" (as well as Coxon and Sham 69, Virgin Radio DJ Christian O'Connell, who had run a competition on his show to find a band to record a song in support of the team, was involved in the recording of the song). "Hurry Up England" entered the UK Singles Chart at #10.

Coxon in 2009

In October 2006, Coxon released a double live album Burnt to Bitz: At the Astoria immediately after his sold-out London Astoria show. The album features 27 songs, with at least one song from each of his albums. In July 2007 Coxon released a single with Paul Weller, called "This Old Town". The single peaked at #39 in the UK Singles Chart.

Coxon's seventh 15-track studio album titled The Spinning Top, produced again by Stephen Street,^[9] was released on 11 May 2009. Coxon says the LP, which is primarily acoustic, follows a narrative - the story of a man from birth to death. "The album is mainly an acoustic journey although there is, of course, some explosive electric guitar action," he explained. "There are some guests too! Robyn Hitchcock supplies some counter-attack guitar, Jas Singh plays dilruba and jori with his friends Gurjit Sembhi on taus and Jaskase Singh on esraj. Danny Thompson plays the legendary Victoria, Graham Fox gives plenty of swing on the drums and sizzle cymbals and Louis Vause tinkles the ivories."^[10] Pre-release response has been very positive, with Monday Field of Frank Booth Review dubbing the album "a staggering artistic achievement, and Coxon’s best solo release to date."^[11]

His eighth solo album, A+E, was released in April 2012.

Transcopic and other contributions[link]

Graham's independent label, Transcopic, was co-managed with his friend, and then business partner, Jamie Davis. Jamie now runs Independent label Ark Recordings. Graham's artistic influence was evident across all aspects of the record label. Graham illustrated and designed all of his own album art, and collaborated with his friend Nick Craske creating abstract digital work for the release of The Spinning Top; they also filmed two music videos, 'Sorrow's Army' and 'In The Morning'. Graham also continued painting a series of personal work, most of which remained unseen until 2004, when he exhibited at the ICA in London. [1]

Coxon has also been involved in remixing other peoples tracks, including Idlewild^[12] and Lowgold^[13] both of which were released as b-sides and the latter remix was later re-released on the bands anthology release Keep Music Miserable.

In September 2006 Coxon revealed a musical soundscape, "english shoes squeek", created especially for "Verheaven" an exhibition at London's Riflemaker Gallery of the work of artist Julie Verhoeven.

Coxon appears on John McCusker's Under One Sky, providing the song "All Has Gone".

In 2009, Coxon was heavily involved in the creation of the Pete Doherty solo album Grace/Wastelands. But Doherty has entered a period of sobriety, during which he holed up with Coxon to work on his debut solo album, Grace/Wasteland, (released 24 March 2009) a diverse collection of 12 songs that bounce between reggae and Doherty's standard post-punk. Coxon played on all but one track on the album.

Coxon at the 2005 Leeds Festival

Graham Coxon has also produced albums by Mower and Assembly Line People Programme from his Transcopic label.

Musicality and instruments[link]

In his solo albums Coxon plays nearly all of the instruments. Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood praised Coxon's musicality and talent: "Anything that has more of Graham's guitar playing, I'm bound to like."^[2] Noel Gallagher of Oasis has described Coxon as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation.^[3]

During his days in Blur, Graham was mostly seen using a Fender Telecaster guitar. In earlier years (such as the Leisure era) he was better known for using a Gibson Les Paul Custom, which he would also use for later songs such as "Trimm Trabb" (although he used different guitars for songs such as "Sing" or "Oily Water" which he would originally have used a Les Paul for). He also made considerable use of effects pedals such as distortion (most notably "Song 2") and delay (a significant example being "Essex Dogs"). Graham himself has admitted that he got a bit greedy with Telecasters.^{[citation needed]} These days, Graham often uses more than one guitar whilst performing his solo work, Gibson SGs being one of them, and a Burns London Sonic.

In 2011 Fender honoured Graham with a signature guitar. The Fender Graham Coxon Telecaster was made available from August 2011 and differs from standard telecasters with its neck humbucker (a Seymour Duncan SH-1), 375k pots and tortioseshell pickguard. The guitar is made in Mexico, with a rosewood fingerboard, blonde body and vintage bridge. The headstock features a 1970s Fender Telecaster decal on the front and a Graham Coxon signature decal on the reverse.

Other artistic endeavours[link]

Apart from being a musician, Coxon is also a visual artist, and he designs all of his album sleeves. He has also designed album sleeves for other artists. In July 2006, Graham Coxon wrote and had published a foreword for a new edition of Herman Hesse's novel, Narcissus and Goldmund. His work also featured on the cover of English folk singer Kate Rusby's album 'The Girl Who Couldn't Fly'.

Personal life[link]

In 2000, his then girlfriend, Anna Norlander, gave birth to their daughter, Pepper Bäk Troy Coxon.^{[citation needed]} He is currently engaged to Essy Syed, his girlfriend of six years, both of them choosing to wear their engagement ring on their right hand. On 30 April 2012 he was staying at the Falmouth Beach Hotel in Falmouth, Cornwall when a major fire broke out.^[14][15]

Discography[link]

• 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) ^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Graham Coxon

• Official website
• Graham Coxon on Myspace
• Graham Coxon at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Flickr Photo Stream
• Official Graham Twitter Stream
• Art Website

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China