Paul Weller

Paul John Weller (born 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/new wave/mod revival band The Jam. He had further success with the blue-eyed soul music of The Style Council (1983–1989), before establishing himself as a solo artist in 1991.

For other people named Paul Weller, see Paul Weller (disambiguation).

Paul Weller
Weller at the Cactus Festival, Bruges,
Belgium, 2009
Background information
Birth nameJohn William Weller
Born (1958-05-25) 25 May 1958
Woking, Surrey, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • bass
  • Hammond organ
Years active
  • 1972 (1972)–1989
  • 1991–present
Associated acts
Websitepaulweller.com

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 British culture. He is also the principal figure of the 1970s and 1980s mod revival, and is often referred to as "The Modfather".[1][2]

The Daily Telegraph said of Weller: "Apart from David Bowie, it's hard to think of any British solo artist who's had as varied, long-lasting and determinedly forward-looking a career."[3] The BBC described Weller in 2007 as "one of the most revered music writers and performers of the past 30 years".[4] In 2012, he was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover – to celebrate the British cultural figures of his life.[5] He has received four Brit Awards, winning the award for Best British Male twice, and the 2006 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Early life (1958–1975)

Weller was born on 25 May 1958 in Woking, Surrey, England, to John and Ann Weller (née Craddock). Although born John William Weller, he became known as Paul by his parents.[6]

His father worked as a taxi driver and a builder and his mother was a part-time cleaner.[7] Weller started his education at Maybury County First School in 1963. His love of music began with The Beatles, then The Who and Small Faces. By the time Weller was eleven and moving up to Sheerwater County Secondary school, music was the biggest part of his life, and he had started playing the guitar.

Weller's musical vocation was confirmed after seeing Status Quo in concert in 1972.[8] He formed the first incarnation of The Jam in the same year, playing bass guitar with his best friends Steve Brookes (lead guitar) and Dave Waller (rhythm guitar). Weller's father, acting as their manager, began booking the band into local working men's clubs. Joined by Rick Buckler on drums, and with Bruce Foxton soon replacing Waller on rhythm guitar, the four-piece band began to forge a local reputation, playing a mixture of Beatles covers and a number of compositions written by Weller and Brookes. Brookes left the band in 1976, and Weller and Foxton decided they would swap guitar roles, with Weller now the guitarist.

The Jam (1976–1982)
Main article: The Jam

The Jam emerged at the same time as punk rock bands such as The Clash, The Damned, and the Sex Pistols. The Clash emerged as leading early advocates of the band, and were sufficiently impressed to take them along as the support on their White Riot tour of 1977.

The Jam performing in Newcastle in 1982

The Jam's first single, "In the City", took them into the UK Top 40 in May 1977. Although every subsequent single had a placing within the Top 40, it was not until the band released the political "The Eton Rifles" that it would break into the Top 10, hitting the No. 3 spot in November 1979. The increasing popularity of their blend of Weller's barbed lyrics with pop melodies eventually led to their first number one single, "Going Underground", in March 1980.

"I like them a lot," remarked Peter Gabriel, who enlisted Weller to play on his third album. "They're one of the new groups who have written the best songs. They're really very good."[9]

The Jam became the first band since the Beatles to perform both sides of the same single ("Town Called Malice" and "Precious") on one edition of Top of the Pops. They also had two singles, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?", reach No. 21 and No. 8 respectively in the UK singles chart despite not even being released as singles in the UK – they got there purely on the strength of the huge number of people buying import sales of the German and Dutch single releases. The Jam still hold the record for the best-selling import-only singles in the UK charts.

As the band's popularity increased, however, Weller became restless and wanted to explore a more soulful, melodic style of music with a broader instrumentation, and in consequence in 1982 he announced that The Jam would disband at the end of that year. The action came as a surprise to Foxton and Buckler who both felt that the band was still a creative formation with scope to develop further professionally, but Weller was determined to end the band and move on. Their final single, "Beat Surrender", became their fourth UK chart topper, going straight to No. 1 in its first week. Their farewell concerts at Wembley Arena were multiple sell-outs; their final concert took place at the Brighton Centre on 11 December 1982.[10]

The Style Council (1983–1989)
Main article: The Style Council

At the beginning of 1983, Weller teamed up with keyboard player Mick Talbot to form a new group called The Style Council. Weller brought in Steve White to play drums, as well as singer Dee C. Lee, Weller's girlfriend of 6 years. She also had previously been a backing singer with Wham!

Free of the limited musical styles he felt imposed by The Jam, under the collective of The Style Council Weller was able to experiment with a wide range of music, from pop and jazz to Soul/R&B, house and folk-styled ballads. The band was at the vanguard of a jazz/pop revival that would continue with the emergence of bands like Matt Bianco, Sade, and Everything but the Girl, whose members Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt contributed vocals and guitar to the 1984 The Style Council song "Paris Match".

Many of The Style Council's early singles performed well in the charts, and Weller would also experience his first success in North America, when "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're The Best Thing" entered the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia it was far more successful than The Jam, reaching the top of the charts in 1984 with "Shout to the Top".

Weller appeared on 1984's Band Aid record "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and was called upon to mime the absent Bono's lyrics on Top of the Pops. The Style Council was the second act to appear in the British half of Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985.

In December 1984, Weller put together his own charity ensemble called The Council Collective to make a record, "Soul Deep", to raise money for striking miners, and the family of David Wilkie. The record featured The Style Council plus a number of other performers, notably Jimmy Ruffin and Junior Giscombe. In spite of the song's political content, it still picked up BBC Radio 1 airplay and was performed on Top of the Pops, which led to the incongruous sight of lyrics such as "We can't afford to let the government win / It means death to the trade unions" being mimed amid the show's flashing lights and party atmosphere.

As the 1980s wore on, The Style Council's popularity in the UK began to slide, with the band achieving only one top ten single after 1985. The Style Council's death knell was sounded in 1989 when its record company refused to release its fifth and final studio album, the house-influenced Modernism: A New Decade. With the rejection of this effort, Weller announced that The Style Council had split, and although the final album did have a limited vinyl run, it was not until the 1998 retrospective CD box set The Complete Adventures of The Style Council that the album would be widely available.

Solo career

Early solo career (1990–1995)
Weller performing at V Festival in 2006

In 1989, Weller found himself without a band and without a recording deal for the first time since he was 17.[11] After taking time off throughout 1990, he returned to the road in 1991, touring as "The Paul Weller Movement" with long-term drummer and friend Steve White, Paul Francis (session bassist from The James Taylor Quartet).[11] After a slow start playing small clubs with a mixture of Jam/Style Council classics as well as showcasing new material such as "Into Tomorrow", by the time of the release of his 1992 LP, Paul Weller, he had begun to re-establish himself as a leading British singer-songwriter. This self-titled album saw a return to a more jazz-guitar-focused sound, featuring samples and a funk influence with shades of the Style Council sound. The album also featured a new producer, Brendan Lynch. Tracks such as "Here's a New Thing" and "That Spiritual Feeling" were marketed among the emerging acid jazz scene.

Buoyed by the positive commercial and critical success of his first solo album, Weller returned to the studio in 1993 with a renewed confidence.[11] Accompanied by Steve White, guitarist Steve Cradock and bassist Damon Minchella, the result of these sessions was the triumphant Mercury Music Prize-nominated Wild Wood, which included "Sunflower".[12]

His 1995 album Stanley Road took him back to the top of the British charts for the first time in a decade, and went on to become the best-selling album of his career. The album, named after the street in Woking where he had grown up, marked a return to the more guitar-based style of his earlier days.[11] The album's major single, "The Changingman", was also a big hit, taking Weller to No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart. Another single, the ballad "You Do Something To Me", was his second consecutive Top 10 single and reached No. 9 in the UK.

Weller found himself heavily associated with the emerging Britpop movement that gave rise to such bands as Oasis, Pulp and Blur. Noel Gallagher (of Oasis) is credited as guest guitarist[13] on the Stanley Road album track "I Walk on Gilded Splinters". Weller also returned the favour, appearing as a guest guitarist and backing vocalist on Oasis' hit song "Champagne Supernova".

The Modfather (1996–2007)

Heavy Soul, the follow-up to the million-selling Stanley Road, saw Weller twist his sound again. The album was more raw than its predecessor; Weller was now frequently playing live in the studio in as few takes as possible. The first single "Peacock Suit" reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart, and the album reached No. 2. Success in the charts also came from compilations: "Best Of" albums by The Jam and The Style Council charted, and in 1998 his own solo collection Modern Classics was a substantial success.

In 2000, while living in Send, Surrey, he released his fifth solo studio album, Heliocentric. Once again finding himself without a record contract, Weller's Days of Speed worldwide tour provided him with the opportunity to view his works as one back catalogue, giving rise to a second successful live album in 2001. Days of Speed contained live acoustic versions from the world tour of the same name, including some of his best-known songs from his solo career and the back catalogues of his The Jam and The Style Council days.

There were rumours at the time that Heliocentric would be Weller's final studio effort, but these proved unfounded when he released the No. 1 hit album Illumination in September 2002. Co-produced by Noonday Underground's Simon Dine, it was preceded by yet another top 10 hit single "It's Written in the Stars". Weller also appears on the 2002 Noonday Underground album called Surface Noise, singing on the track "I'll Walk Right On".

In 2002, Weller collaborated with Terry Callier on the single "Brother to Brother", which featured on Callier's album Speak Your Peace. In 2003, Weller teamed up with electronic rock duo Death in Vegas on a cover of Gene Clark's "So You Say You Lost Your Baby", which featured on their Scorpio Rising album.

In 2004, Weller released an album of covers entitled Studio 150. It debuted at No. 2 in the UK charts and included Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" as well as covers of songs by Gil Scott-Heron, Rose Royce and Gordon Lightfoot, amongst others.

Weller's 2005 album As Is Now featured the singles "From The Floorboards Up", "Come On/Let's Go" and "Here's The Good News". The album was well-received, though critics noted that he was not moving his music forward stylistically,[14] and it became his lowest-charting album since his 1992 debut.

In February 2006 it was announced that Weller would be the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BRIT Awards. Despite a tendency to shun such occasions, Weller accepted the award in person, and performed four songs at the ceremony, including The Jam's classic "Town Called Malice". In June 2006, another double live album titled Catch-Flame!, featuring songs from both his solo work and his career with The Jam and The Style Council, was released. In late 2006, the album Hit Parade was released, which collected all the singles released by The Jam, The Style Council and Weller during his solo career. Two versions of this album were released: a single disc with a selection from each stage of his career, and a four-disc limited edition, which included every single released and came with a 64-page booklet. Weller was offered appointment as a Commander of the Order of British Empire in the 2006 birthday honours, but rejected the offer.[15]

In 2007 Weller was guest vocalist on the album issue by the folk musical project The Imagined Village.[16]

Critical success (2008–present)

The double album 22 Dreams was released on 2 June 2008, with "Echoes Round The Sun" as the lead single. Weller had parted company with his existing band before the recording this album, replacing everyone except guitarist Steve Cradock with Andy Lewis on bass, Andy Crofts of The Moons on keys and Steve Pilgrim of The Stands on drums. This album saw Weller move in a more experimental direction, taking in a wide variety of influences including jazz, folk and tango as well as the pop-soul more associated with his Style Council days. Weller also featured on two songs from The Moons' album "Life on Earth", playing piano on "Wondering" and lead guitar on "Last Night on Earth".

Weller was the surprise recipient of the 2009 BRIT award for "Best Male Solo Artist", which resulted in controversy when it was discovered that a suspiciously high number of bets had been placed for Weller to win the award, for which James Morrison was T4's favourite. It was reported that the bookmakers had lost £100,000 in the event, and that as a result would not be taking bets for the awards in the future.[17]

Weller and band line-up in Cardiff in 2008

In 2009, Weller guested on Dot Allison's 2009 album, Room 7½, co-writing "Love's Got Me Crazy".[18] November and December also saw him on tour, playing shows across the country.[19]

On 24 February 2010, Weller received the Godlike Genius Award at the NME Awards.[20] His 2010 album, Wake Up the Nation, was released in April to critical acclaim, and was subsequently nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.[21] The album also marked his first collaboration with The Jam's bassist Bruce Foxton in 28 years.[22] In May 2010, Weller was presented with the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award, saying "I've enjoyed the last 33 years I've been writing songs and hopefully, with God's good grace, I'll do some more."[23]

On 8 November 2012, Weller announced that he would release the Dragonfly EP on 17 December 2012, a limited edition vinyl run of 3000 copies.[24]

On 22 November 2011, Weller announced his eleventh studio album Sonik Kicks, which was released on 19 March 2012.

Weller provided vocals on The Moons' 2012 single Something Soon. In December 2012, Weller headlined the Crisis charity gig at the Hammersmith Apollo, where he performed with Emeli Sande, Miles Kane and Bradley Wiggins. On 23 March 2013, Paul Weller played drums on stage with Damon Albarn, Noel Gallagher and Graham Coxon, playing the Blur track "Tender". This was played as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts curated by Noel Gallagher.

In 2014, Weller wrote "Let Me In" for Olly Murs's fourth album Never Been Better.

In May 2015, Weller revealed dates for a West Coast Tour of the US to promote the Saturn's Pattern album. The tour was scheduled to run from 9 June to 9 October.[25][26]

In January 2017 he made a cameo appearance in "The Final Problem", the final episode of series four of the BBC TV series Sherlock.[27]

In January 2019, Weller announced the 8 March 2019 audio and video release of Other Aspects, Live At The Royal Festival Hall. It's the second of two shows and was recorded in October 2018 at London's Royal Festival Hall with an orchestra.[28]

Weller's most recent solo album, entitled "On Sunset", was released 3 July 2020, and rapidly reached the #1 slot on the UK album charts.

Due to his latest success, Weller has #1 UK albums spanning 5 consecutive decades. He joins artists John Lennon and Paul McCartney in having the distinction. His #1 albums: The Gift, 1982 (The Jam). Our Favourite Shop, 1985 (The Style Council), and solo albums: Stanley Road (1995), Illumination (2002), 22 Dreams (2008), Sonik Kicks (2012), and On Sunset (2020).

Personal life

Soon after the formation of The Style Council, Weller and Dee C. Lee, The Style Council's backing singer, began a romantic relationship.[11] The couple married in 1987 and divorced in 1998. They have two children, Leah and Nathaniel (Natt), who is also a working musician and once appeared on stage with his father at Hammersmith Apollo at age 12.

Weller has another daughter, Dylan, with make-up artist, Lucy Halperin.[29]

Weller became involved with Samantha Stock whilst he was recording at the Manor studio, later having two children together.[30]

In October 2008, Stock and Weller broke up and Weller moved in with Hannah Andrews, a backing singer on his 22 Dreams album, who has also toured with his band. They married in September 2010 on the Italian island of Capri. The couple have twin boys, John Paul and Bowie, who were born on 14 January 2012.[31] The couple also have a daughter, Nova, who was born on 8 July 2017.[32]

In 2014, Weller won £10,000 in damages from Associated Newspapers after "plainly voyeuristic" photographs of his family out shopping were published on MailOnline.[33]

On 24 April 2009, John Weller, Paul Weller's father and long-time manager since the days of The Jam, died from pneumonia at the age of 77.[34]

Solo discography
Main article: Paul Weller discography
See also: The Jam discography and The Style Council discography

Studio albums

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References
  1. Sandall, Robert (2 September 2007). "The modfather returns". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. Davet, Stéphane (14 July 2010). "Paul Weller, héros distingué et toujours en colère du rock britannique" [Paul Weller, elder statesman of British rock – but still angry]. Le Monde (in French). Paris. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  3. Naughton, Pete (5 December 2015). "Paul Weller, Eventim Apollo: 'the modfather remains a dynamic force'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  4. "Desert Island Discs with Paul Weller". Desert Island Discs. 16 December 2007. BBC. Radio 4.
  5. Davies, Caroline (1 April 2012). "New faces on Sgt Pepper album cover for artist Peter Blake's 80th birthday". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  6. Perrone, Pierre (27 April 2009). "John Weller: Father of Paul Weller who managed his son for 30 years". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009.
  7. Reed, John (2002). My Ever Changing Moods: Fully Revised and Updated. Omnibus Press. p. 24. ISBN 0-7119-8866-8.
  8. Owen, Jonathan (14 October 2012). "50 years of Quo – and still no fourth chord". The Independent. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  9. Best magazine, May 1978; translated in Gabriel fanzine White Shadow (#1, pp16) by editor Fred Tomsett
  10. "The Jam: December 11th 1982 by Simon Wells - Modculture". Modculture. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  11. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 1243/4. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  12. "Paul Weller heads up Mercury Prize nominations". Manchesterwired.co.uk. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  13. "Paul Weller – Stanley Road (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  14. "Paul Weller – As Is Now Review". 16 December 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  15. "Paul Weller rejected a CBE". 16 January 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  16. "Releases". The Imagined Village. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  17. "Bookies lose £100,000 after Paul Weller BRIT Awards win 2 February 2009". NME. UK. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  18. "Dot Allison streams Pete Doherty, Paul Weller-featuring album online". 3 September 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  19. "Paul Weller Confirms UK Tour". idiomag. 10 July 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
  20. "NME Godlike Genius award for Modfather Paul Weller". The Independent. London. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  21. "Dizzee Rascal heads up Mercury prize nominations". BBC News. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  22. Michaels, Sean (20 January 2010). "Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton reunite for a Jam". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  23. "Lily Allen wins three Ivor Novello songwriting awards". BBC News. 20 May 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  24. "JPaul Weller 'Dragonfly' Special Limited Edition Vinyl EP Comes Out December 17th 2012". New York Music News. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  25. "Paul Weller 2015 West Coast Tour Schedule". 20 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  26. "Paul Weller announces West Coast tour in support of new album". 20 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  27. "Did you spot the celebrity cameo in Sherlock's finale?". Digitalspy.com. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  28. "PAUL WELLER TO RELEASE "OTHER ASPECTS, LIVE AT THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL"". Music News Net.
  29. Off the Record by David Smith, Evening Standard, 31 August 2007
  30. "Paul Weller: 'I miss the chaos and madness'". The Guardian. London. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  31. "Weller & Wife Expecting Twins". PaulWeller.com. London. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  32. "Paul Weller welcomes daughter Nova as he becomes father for eighth time". Evening Standard. London. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  33. "Paul Weller children win damages from the Mail Online". BBC News. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  34. "John Weller: Father of Paul Weller who managed his son for 30 years". The Independent. London. 27 April 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  35. "Paul Weller – Uncut on 'A Kind Revolution'". paulweller.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.

Further reading
  • Munn, Iain (2008). Mr Cool's Dream: The Complete History of the Style Council. Wholepoint Publications. ISBN 978-0-9551443-1-8.
  • Reed, John (2002). My Ever Changing Moods: Fully Revised and Updated. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-8866-8.
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