Damon Albarn

As the frontman of the legendary English rock group Blur, chief songwriter of the award-winning faux band Gorillaz, respected solo artist, and prolific soundtrack contributor to numerous blockbuster films, there's no limit to the amount of success Damon Albarn had through his various musical ventures. A native of London, Albarn burst onto the scene in the early 1990s as the frontman of Blur, a well-respected British rock band that rivaled Oasis in terms of its soaring popularity. Blur released several well-received albums throughout the decade, but by the latter part of the '90s, tensions within the band forced Albarn to pursue other projects, including his self-described "virtual band," Gorillaz, as well as work on the soundtracks of dozens of films, most notably Danny Boyle's hallucinogenic "Trainspotting" (1996), Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales" (2006), and the action remake "Dredd" (2012). Blur's monumental success both in Britain and abroad may be what Albarn is most remembered for, but Damon Albarn was one of the most versatile and multi-talented British musicians of his generation.