Paul Weller was born on 25 May 1958 in Sheerwater, near Woking, Surrey, England, to John and Ann Weller.
He was initially known as John William Weller but later acquired the name Paul.
His father worked as a taxi driver and his mother was a part-time cleaner. In 1963 Weller started his education at Maybury County First School.
His love of music started with The Beatles, then The Who and the Small Faces.
By the time Weller was eleven and moving upto secondary school at Sheerwater County Secondary, music was the biggest part of his life and he began playing the guitar.
In 1972 Weller formed his first group, the Jam, playing bass guitar with his best friends Steve Brookes (lead guitar) and Dave Waller (rhythm guitar).
Weller's father, 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 Brooks.
In 1976 Brookes left the band and Weller and Foxton decided they would swap guitar roles, with Weller now the lead singer.
In 1982 Beat Surrender was released, but it was The Jam's last single, Paul disbanded the group in December of that year.
Paul then formed The Style Council with Mick Talbot.
After they split up in 1989, Paul went on to pursue a solo career.
The new age Jam Are Mark, Paul, Kev and Tom.
