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Known for their wildly popular rock albums, thoughtful lyrics and social activism, Coldplay is a four-member UK band consisting of lead singer Chris Martin, lead guitarist Jon Buckland, bass guitarist Guy Berryman, and drummer Will Champion.

Lead singer Chris Martin, husband to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, was born in Devon, England, on March 2, 1977, the eldest of five children. Raised in Devon, Martin attended University College London where he met future Coldplay guitarist Jon Buckland.

With the two other band members, the group came together in the mid-90's as a local college band known as "Starfish." By the end of the decade, they were headlining under their present name, (which they adopted from another local group who had abandoned it as "too depressing.")

Soon, recording sessions with indy labels and local gigs were followed by a contract with Parlophone records.

Coldplay's debut album, Parachutes, produced one of their first Top 40 hits, Shivers, which gained air time and additional exposure when MTV added it to their video lineup in 2000. Their breakthrough hit, Yellow made it to No. 4 on the charts the same year.

A second album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head was released in 2001 and spun off additional hits such as The Scientist, In My Place, Clocks and Politik, the last written shortly after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The following year, Coldplay took the world stage with a five-continent tour, increasing their fan base exponentially. By 2003, the band was honored with two Grammy Awards and the next year awarded Record of the Year for Clocks.

Next came the highly anticipated X&Y album released in June 2005 which immediately debuted at No.1 on charts around the world. More buzz was created when avid fans searched the Internet to discover the cryptic meaning behind X&Y cover art in Baudot color code (reportedly spelling X&Y Speed of Sound).

Their album Viva La Vida released in June 2008 saw its title track zoom on the charts thanks to an exclusive promotion on iTunes followed by a Viva La Vida world tour.

In 2011, Mylo Xyloto was their fifth studio album to drop, preceded by the release of its lead single, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall", in June. Watch for their North American Mylo Xyloto tour kicking off in Canada in April 2012.

Offstage, Chris Martin married actress Gwyneth Paltrow with whom he has a daughter, Apple, born in May 2004. Paltrow and Martin celebrated the birth of their second child, Moses born in April 2006.

Coldplay tour dates 2012

Tue, Apr 17th, 2012 7:00 PM Rexall Place (Edmonton, AB)
Wed, Apr 18th, 2012 7:00 PM Scotiabank Saddledome (Calgary, AB)
Fri, Apr 20th, 2012 7:00 PM Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
Sat, Apr 21st, 2012 7:00 PM Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
Wed, Apr 25th, 2012 7:00 PM Key Arena (Seattle, WA)
Fri, Apr 27th, 2012 7:00 PM HP Pavilion (San Jose, CA)
Sat, Apr 28th, 2012 7:00 PM HP Pavilion (San Jose, CA)
Tue, May 1st, 2012 8:00 PM Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)
Wed, May 2nd, 2012 8:00 PM Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)
Fri, May 4th, 2012 7:00 PM Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, CA)
Fri, Jun 22nd, 2012 7:00 PM American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
Sat, Jun 23rd, 2012 7:00 PM American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
Mon, Jun 25th, 2012 7:30 PM Toyota Center (Houston, TX)
Tue, Jun 26th, 2012 7:00 PM Toyota Center (Houston, TX)
Thu, Jun 28th, 2012 7:00 PM Tampa Bay Times Forum (Tampa, FL)
Fri, Jun 29th, 2012 7:00 PM American Airlines Arena (Miami, FL)
Mon, Jul. 2nd, 2012 7:00 PM Philips Arena (Atlanta, GA)
Tue, Jul. 3rd, 2012 7:00 PM Time Warner Cable Arena (Charlotte, NC)
Thu, Jul. 5th, 2012 7:00 PM Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Fri, Jul. 6th, 2012 7:00 PM Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Sun, Jul. 8th, 2012 7:00 PM Verizon Center (Washington, DC)
Mon, Jul. 9th, 2012 7:00 PM Verizon Center (Washington, DC)
Thu, Jul. 26th, 2012 7:00 PM Bell Centre (Montreal, QC)
Fri, Jul. 27th, 2012 7:00 PM Bell Centre (Montreal, QC)
Sun, Jul. 29th, 2012 7:30 PM TD Garden (Boston, MA)
Mon, Jul. 30th, 2012 7:00 PM TD Garden (Boston, MA)
Wed, Aug. 1st, 2012 7:00 PM Palace Of Auburn Hills (Auburn Hills, MI)
Fri, Aug. 3rd, 2012 7:00 PM Izod Center (East Rutherford, NJ)
Sat, Aug. 4th, 2012 7:00 PM Izod Center (East Rutherford, NJ)
Tue, Aug. 7th, 2012 7:00 PM United Center (Chicago, IL)
Wed, Aug. 8th, 2012 7:00 PM United Center (Chicago, IL)
Fri, Aug. 10th, 2012 7:00 PM Xcel Energy Center (Saint Paul, MN)
Sat, Aug. 11th, 2012 7:00 PM Xcel Energy Center (Saint Paul, MN)

More about Coldplay around the Web:

COLDPLAY : OFFICIAL SITE - Maybe too cool (and slow-to-load), but including all the latest news, tour dates and info, Web site member registration details, picture galleries and a very active message board.

COLDPLAYING.COM - Impressive fan site paying homage to the group with complete tour dates, news, band member profiles, reviews, pictures, downloads, links to streaming video interviews and performances, X&Y lyrics, band history, messageboards, related links.

the state of coldplay - Frequently updated with one-stop browsing for every known link to Coldplay news, tour dates, interviews, reviews, pictures, audio and video files, lots more.

Bernie's Coldplay Site - Featuring the band's complete lyrics plus breaking news, tour dates, fun facts, forum, and extensive picture galleries of band members Chris Martin, Jon Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman.

Coldplay - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia with a detailed history of the band narrating their early struggles with behind-the-scenes gossip and rumors, along with pictures, discography, related resources.