Paul Weller (born John William Weller 25 May 1958), is an English singer-songwriter.

Starting with the very successful punk-rock band The Jam (1976-1982), Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council (1983-1989). In 1991 he re-established himself as a successful solo artist,and continues to remain a respected singer, lyricist and guitarist, a fact reaffirmed by his recent awarding of the 2009 BRIT award for 'Best Male Solo Artist'. He has remained essentially a national rather than an international star, which may be unsurprising considering much of his songwriting is rooted in British culture. He is also the principal figure of the 1970s Mod revival and is often referred to as the Modfather.

Although The Jam emerged at the same time as punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash, The Jam better fit the mould of the so-called 'new wave' bands who came later. Also, being from just outside of London rather than in it, they were never really part of the tightly-knit punk clique.

Nonetheless, The Clash emerged as one of the leading early advocates of the band, and were sufficiently impressed by The Jam to take them along as the support act on their White Riot tour of 1977. The Jam went on to be far more successful in the singles charts than The Clash in the UK.

The Jam's first single "In the City" took them into the UK Top 40 for the first time in May 1977. Although every subsequent single had a placing within the Top 40, it would not be until the band released "The Eton Rifles", with Weller's politically-charged lyrics that they broke into the Top 10, hitting the No. 3 spot in November 1979.

At the beginning of 1983, Weller collaborated with keyboard player Mick Talbot to form a new group called The Style Council. Weller brought in Steve White, who was 17 at the time, to play drums, as well as vocalist Dee C. Lee who 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 Style Council song, "Paris Match".

Though Weller noted that many of the early audiences they were playing to consisted of bemused Jam fans, as the band's popularity grew they began to attract a new fanbase, including females, which was at stark contrast to the general audience of Jam gigs. Many of the early singles performed well in the charts, and Weller experienced his first success in North America with both "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're The Best Thing" entering the US Billboard Hot 100. In Australia they were far more successful than The Jam having a number one in 1984 with "Shout To The Top" and many other top 40 singles.

In 1989, Weller found himself for the first time since he was 17 without a band and without a recording deal. After taking time off throughout 1990 to reconsider his musical direction, he returned to the road in 1991, touring as 'The Paul Weller Movement' with long-term drummer and friend Steve White. After a slow start playing intimate venues 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 once more. 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. As well as rediscovering his passion for guitar, tracks such as "Here's a New Thing" and "That Spiritual Feeling" were marketed among the emerging Acid Jazz scene.

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 album stalled at number 2 in the official UK charts, mainly because a limited edition was deemed to have too many 'freebies' included to be chart-eligible. The issue was that the images featured in the booklet of the main release were separate in the limited version. This would also include a small but often unrecognised use of Gil Scott-Heron's "Lady Day & John Coltrane" on the track "Science". The first single, "Peacock Suit", which continued in this hard-rock vein, was the most successful released from the album, reaching #5 in the UK Singles Chart.

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