Jamie Cullum was born in Essex, but grew up in Hullavington from the age of 4 when his father began working in Swindon.

He has fond memories of growing up in the countryside; the sense of community where everyone knows each other. Living in a rural location gave him freedom and opportunity to concentrate on his music, which both Jamie and his brother loved to do, and Jamie’s piano playing was pretty much self-taught. He noted in an article with Wiltshire Life in 2014 that “I remember having to walk home from Chippenham to my house a few times at midnight; it’s a distance of 12 miles! That was normal to us, it’s a country thing…!” As a teenager he ended up with a regular piano slot at the Fox and Hounds at Colerne. It meant learning a couple of new songs each week which spurred him on to go gigging regularly.

In 2003 Jamie shot to fame by signing what was a record-breaking deal with one of the world’s biggest media companies, Universal, after playing the piano in bars and making an album Heard It All Before.

His approach to jazz is eclectic, sighting Ella Fitzgerald, Errol Garner, Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder as influences. His album Twentysomething became multi-platinum and he now has a Grammy, two Golden Globes, three Brits and Sony Radio awards amongst others, not to mention two GQ Man of the Years.

His ability as a songwriter, musician and performer and second to none, but Jamie has also begun honing his love of photography by taking all of the images for Interlude’s artwork, and has created and published a magazine entitled The 88.

The Local Studies Library at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre has in its collection the albums Twentysomething, Jamie’s second studio album, and Pointless Nostalgic, his second album which was also his first major release.