Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Although he is primarily a singer, he can also be accompanied on guitar, piano and drums. Cullum was born Romford, East London. Cullum was born in Hullavington (Wiltshire) and attended the independent, fee-paying Grittleton House School. He also attended the sixth form at Sheldon School. After graduating with First Class Honours from Reading University, he continued to study English Literature and minored Film Studies. His mother, Yvonne is an Anglo-Burmese secretary whose family settled in Wales following the independence of Burma. John Cullum was a finance professional. His paternal grandfather was an officer in the British Army, and his paternal grandmother, a Jewish refugee from Prussia, sang in Berlin nightclubs. Cullum wed British model Sophie Dahl in a country hotel in New Forest National Park, England, on 9 January 2010. Cullum’s first album, Jamie Cullum–Heard It All, was released in 1999. 500 copies were produced. Original copies of the album have been sold on eBay for up to PS600 due to their rarity. Cullum was invited to be on Geoff Gascoyne’s album Songs of the Summer after the success of Heard It All Before. Cullum graduated from Reading University and released Pointless Nostalgic which was a hit. It attracted the attention of Melvyn Bragg[2] as well as Michael Parkinson[3]. Cullum’s first TV appearance was on Parkinson in April 2003. He signed a PS1m contract[3] with Universal to purchase three albums. Universal beat Sony in a bidding battle. Twentysomething, Cullum’s third album was released in October 2003 and went platinum. It became the #1-selling studio album in the United Kingdom by a jazz musician. Cullum was the UK’s most successful jazz artist in 2003. Cullum is a jazz musician but he can also perform in other styles. He is considered a “crossover” artist whose musical roots are firmly grounded in jazz. Cullum is influenced by many musicians and enjoys a wide range of music, from Miles Davis[4] and Tom Waits, among others. Cullum was a member of several bands in his youth, including playing the guitar in rock bands like Raw Sausage or The Mystery Machine. Cullum cites Ben Cullum as his greatest musical influence. The two still collaborate heavily. Cullum is not only well-known for his ability on the piano but also for his charisma and unique entertainment style. Jamie Cullum’s concerts feature the “stompbox”, a small wooden block that is used to create an effect pedal for guitars. The stompbox can be used to amplify a musician’s tapping feet. This was discovered by Jamie in Australia. He uses it to boost upbeat, fast-paced songs like Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes or “Gold Digger” by Kanye West. He can also be found looping. Cullum uses this extensively in his versions of Seven Nation Army, Teardrop by Massive Attack. Cullum can also be found beatboxing at most gigs. Cullum has also performed with the White Stripes, Kanye West and Radiohead. Cullum has performed with Kylie Minogue and Sugababes as well as Will.i.am, Burt Bacharach, and Will.i.am. Cullum doesn’t stick to a set schedule and his gigs average just over two hours. These gigs are mostly improvised and rooted in jazz, but not exclusively jazz music. Cullum has performed at many major music festivals, including Glastonbury Festival in 2004
