Paul Weller is something of a British rock 'n' roll legend, and the current solo artist is the former frontman of the Jam and the Style Council.

The Jam was the most popular punk band in the U.K. in the genre's heyday and has gone on to influence bands like the Smiths in the ‘80s and Oasis in the ‘90s. As the Jam winded down, Weller became heavily influenced by the soulful sounds of Motown and formed the pop outfit the Style Council in 1983. Weller's musical taste continued to evolve, but when he became obsessed with house music his fans lost interest. Weller fell out of favor in the U.K. by 1990 but eventually returned to soul when he branched out solo, releasing progressive music with traces of soul and hippy tendencies. England once again lauded Weller for his three successful solo records and proved his ability to remain an enduring rock figure in a fickle industry. In 1995 Weller released his most successful album since his punk reign with the Jam, Stanley Road, which spawned the Top Ten single "The Changigman." After years trying to match his U.K. success in the U.S., Weller cancelled the North American leg of his tour that same year and decided to concentrate on his well-established U.K. fame.

In the mid-'90s Weller was hailed as the father of the current pop movement in the U.K., and artists like Noel Gallagher of Oasis agreed. 1996 saw a resurgence of Britpop that was surely rooted in Weller's sound, with bands such as Colour Scene, Cast and Kula Shaker achieving mass popularity. Weller issued Heavy Soul in 1997, followed by a greatest hits release and Heliocentric in 2000. Although Weller claimed Heliocentric would be his last album, he released the live effort Days of Speed in 2001, Illumination in 2002 and more albums into the present.