Has 5 children: Daughters Leah, Dylan, and Jesamine, and sons Nathaniel and Stevie. His mother named him John after contracting polio of the throat right after his birth. She was bordering on delirium and blurted out the first name she thought of. She later renamed him Paul, but his name has never been legally changed.

He started his musical career as the guitarist and lead singer of the Jam in 1976, then in 1983 formed the Style Council with Mick Talbot. The band broke up after their record label refused to release their final album, and he embarked on a solo career in 1990.

Weller achieved fame with the new wave, punk rock 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.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”.

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.” The BBC described Weller as “one of the most revered music writers and performers of the past 30 years”.

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. Paul Weller has received four Brit Awards, winning the award for Best British Male twice, and the 2006 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.