Paul Weller

Paul Weller (born John William Weller May 25, 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England, UK) is a British singer / songwriter who has been one of the biggest influences on British popular music for more than a quarter of a century, fronting two highly successful bands, The Jam and The Style Council. In the UK, he is recognised as something of a national institution, yet because much of his songwriting is rooted in British culture, he has remained essentially a national rather than an international star.

Legacy

Proving that interest still remained in his seminal days of the 1970s and 80s, no less than three of his songs - two Style Council numbers and a Jam song - turned up on the soundtrack of 2001's hit British movie Billy Elliott, bringing him a whole new generation of fans to discover his music.

Related Topics:
1970s - 80s - 2001 - Billy Elliott

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Evidence of his continued popularity was provided by a poll run by British national radio station Virgin Radio in December 2002 to find the Top 100 British Artists of all time. More than 25,000 listeners voted, and in the final results revealed on 31st December, The Style Council came in at No. 97, Weller as a solo artist at No. 21 and The Jam at No. 5 - ahead of such acts as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Clash and Weller's own heroes such as The Who and The Kinks.

Related Topics:
Virgin Radio - Rolling Stones - Led Zeppelin - The Clash - The Who - The Kinks

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On September 14th, 2004, Paul Weller released an album of covers entitled "Studio 150." It debuted at No. 2 on the UK charts.

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