Jarvis Cocker

Guide Note:

British musician Jarvis Cocker is the lead singer and frontman of the venerable rock outfit Pulp. His latest solo album is set for release in 2008, and Cocker has revealed the names of two tracks - "Girls Like It Too" and "The Usual."

Fast Facts:

1. Born September 19, 1963 in Sheffield, England
2. Not related to musician Joe Cocker
3. Spouse: Camille Bidault-Waddington
4. Famously took the stage at the 1996 BRIT Awards to protest an appearance by Michael Jackson

Cocker founded the band Pulp in 1978, at age 15, while still attending high school. (He had first named it "Arabacus Pulp" after a commodity he discussed in an economics class). The first line-up included Cocker and high-school friends David Lockwood, Mark Swift and Peter Dalton, though none of these members were still around when the band gained mainstream recognition in the 1990s.

The band's biggest success came in 1995, with the release of their album Different Class and its hit single, "Common People," perhaps the defining song of Cocker's career. The band, which became a leading figure in the 90s explosion of "Britpop," went on an extended hiatus after the release of the album We Love Life in 2001.

After Pulp, Cocker (using the pseudonym Darren Spooner) formed a new band, Relaxed Muscle, and also recorded collaborations with Nancy Sinatra and Marianne Faithfull. He co-wrote the songs for the Charlotte Gainsbourgh album 5:55 along with the French electronic pop duo AIR, and appears on the AIR album Pocket Symphony.

His debut album as a solo performer, Jarvis, was released in 2006. A follow-up is planned for 2008.