About Paul Weller
Paul John Weller is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the band the Jam in the late-1970s. Following the dissolution of the Jam in 1982, he changed musical style and had further success with the Style Council , before establishing himself as a solo artist with his eponymous 1992 album.
Despite widespread critical recognition as a singer, lyricist, and guitarist, Weller has remained a national—rather than international—star, and much of his songwriting is rooted in English society. Many of his songs with the Jam had lyrics about working class life. He was the principal figure of the 1970s and 1980s mod revival, often referred to as the Modfather, and an influence on Britpop bands such as Oasis. He has received four Brit Awards, including Best British Male three times, and the 2006 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Weller was born on 25 May 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England, to John and Ann Weller . Although born John William Weller, he became known as Paul by his parents.
Weller's father worked as a taxi driver and a builder and his mother was a part-time cleaner. He started his education at Maybury County First School. His love of music began with the Beatles, then the Who and Small Faces. When Weller was eleven he moved up to Sheerwater County Secondary school and had started playing the guitar.
Weller's musical vocation was confirmed after seeing Status Quo in concert in 1972. He formed the first incarnation of the Jam, playing bass guitar with his school friends Steve Brookes , Dave Waller and Neil Harris , playing sets at school and their local youth club. When Harris and then Waller left the band, two more school friends replaced them: Rick Buckler on drums and Bruce Foxton on rhythm guitar. Weller's father, acting as their manager, began booking the four-piece into local working men's clubs, and the band began to forge a local reputation, playing a mixture of covers and songs written by Weller and Brookes. After Brookes left the band in 1976, Weller and Foxton decided to swap guitar roles, with Weller now the guitarist.
Weller became interested in 1960s mod culture in late 1974, particularly after hearing "My Generation" by the Who. As a result, he began riding a Lambretta scooter, styling his hair like Steve Marriott and immersing himself in 1960s soul and R&B music. At his instigation, the Jam began wearing mohair suits onstage and he and Foxton began playing Rickenbacker guitars . He has been a committed mod ever since, declaring in a 1991 interview that, "I'll always be a mod. You can bury me a mod".
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