HOME      EXCLUSIVES    FEATURES    MOVIES    REVIEWS    CONTESTS    TALK TO US    SUBSCRIBE  Look: Boy next door. The John Mayer of jazz. Sound: Enigmatic and energetic singer in a smoky jazz bar. A voice that explodes over octaves. This is the real thing. All About: STARTING YOUNG Jamie Cullum grew up listening to music just like all children do. But unlike most kids, Jamie took this a step further – he began experimenting with not only the music of his youth (from grunge to heavy metal) but also the tunes sung by cool people in suits from his parent’s record collection. It wasn’t until Jamie seemed to be moving swiftly towards an academic career, that he became frustrated with the inability to concentrate on music. He decided to take a year off to continue teaching himself music. PLAYING FOR PUBS A long stint of travelling, performing in pubs and an extended stay in Paris formed a big part in his musical exploration. At only 19 Jamie decided it was time to produce his own CD. The resulting CD became something of a local phenomenon. Returning to England in September, and using funds raised from his last CD Jamie decided to record another album with his new trio. THE BALL STARTS ROLLING It was around this time that Jamie received an email from Candid artist Clare Teal who had bought a copy of Jamie’s first CD and liking what she heard arranged a meeting in her home town of Bath. Clare’s persistence soon paid off and with word out on such a new, original talent Radio 2 and BBC London soon got involved regularly playing tracks from the unreleased album and featuring interviews based on their own belief that here was a star in the making. Then the big labels started to take an interest and Jamie was finally signed for a record breaking one million pounds. PLAYING FOR THE QUEEN At the same time as this historic deal was made Prince Charles, having seen the show invited Jamie to play at The Queen's birthday party at St. James's Palace. Top Track: Twentysomething – an original written along with his brother Ben about the quirks that come with being, well, a 20-something! You can read the complete special feature in the June 2004 issue of The Record Music Magazine available at your local newsagent. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Record has been around since 1998. Do you have every issue of your favourite magazine? to order back issues Would you like to have your favourite music magazine delivered directly to your doorstep? Website: Thrillpill Design © THE RECORD MUSIC MAGAZINE. All Rights Reserved.