Coldplay
Formed in 1997, Coldplay – comprised of Guy Berryman (bass), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Will Champion (drums), and Chris Martin (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
released two EPs, The Safety and Brothers and Sisters, before signing with Parlophone in 1999. Three additional EPs (The Blue Room, Shiver and Yellow) followed before their landmark debut album, Parachutes, which was released in 2000. With the exquisite opening bars of "Yellow," Coldplay claimed a legion of fans worldwide and, with each successive album, the band has broken new ground both artistically and commercially. A Rush of Blood to the Head followed in 2002, debuting at #1 in 12 countries.
Coldplay completed a lengthy, sold-out world tour in 2003 and released Live 2003, a DVD/CD set capturing their performance earlier that year at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. X&Y, their third studio album, debuted at #1 in 32 countries and elicited stellar reviews. "Coldplay have made their masterpiece," said Blender while Rolling Stone named them the "biggest rock band of the year." Coldplay has sold over 32 million albums worldwide thus far and won four Grammy awards, six Brit awards, three Q awards and two NME awards as well as the top Ivor Novello award, numerous VMA and MTV Europe awards and a World Music award. Plans are currently being made for a June 2008 release of Viva La Vida, the band's fourth studio album.