b. 19 September 1963, Intake, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. The guiding force behind 90s Britpop stars Pulp and one of the most idiosyncratic characters to emerge from the UK music scene in the late twentieth century. Cocker formed Pulp in the late 70s while still at school, but had to wait nearly 15 years before he enjoyed the chart success of which he had long dreamt. The albums Different Class (1995) and This Is Hardcore (1998) revealed Cocker as one of the most gifted lyricists of his generation, while a stream of superb proto-glam pop tunes helped push the band to the top of the UK charts.
Pulp was put on hiatus following the release of a 2001 greatest hits album that was roundly ignored by a record buying public that had snapped up the band's albums in the mid-90s. Cocker, who had been a prominent fixture in the UK media during this period, retreated from view as he decamped to Paris, France, with his wife and young son. His low-key return in 2003 saw him adopting the pseudonym Darren Spooner in the electro pop duo Relaxed Muscle. Cocker's identity was only revealed after a number of live gigs, and he saw the project through to the end with the release of an enjoyable album (A Heavy Night With ").
Cocker remained busy on the sidelines during the mid-00s, contributing vocals and co-writing on albums by Richard X, Marianne Faithfull, Nancy Sinatra, the Lovers and Charlotte Gainsbourg. He also featured on the soundtrack to Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire and made a cameo appearance in the movie. He launched his solo career at the end of 2006 with Jarvis. This relentlessly downbeat album confused a lot of critics and fans, with the sparky indie pop of Pulp lost in a morass of sub-glam dirges and bitter non-sequiturs.
