Kevin Coyne released over 40 albums in the course of his 35-year career. He would be hailed and championed by the likes of John Peel, Richard Branson, Johnny Rotten, the Mekons, Sting, and Will Oldham. He unceremoniously rejected an offer from Elektra Records to be the dead Jim Morrison’s replacement in the Doors, quipping that he didn’t like leather pants. He wrote scores of songs about the fringes of humanity dealing with mental illness and addiction with empathy and poise that few could match in even a single song. He penned bizarre operas and theme albums about nefarious characters including the notorious mobsters, the Kray Brothers, subversive comedian Frank Randle, the evil-incarnate Moor Murderers, and the acid-damaged Syd Barrett.  

And he would remain known as someone who is famously unknown.

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