Jools Holland was born in London in 1958, and as a young boy showed an unusual flare for the piano. By the time he was eight he had picked up the rudiments of boogie woogie and blues piano from a musical uncle. He went on to study harmony and music theory at school, and by his teens he was playing in various pubs and clubs in south London and the East End.

When he was 15 he met up with Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook and together they formed Squeeze. With hits like Cool For Cats and Up The Junction, Squeeze achieved spectacular success. In 1990, Jools sowed the seeds of the Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, when he and Gilson Lavis (Squeeze's drummer) began touring as a duo. It has evolved into a powerful and disciplined 12-piece band. As well as playing in venues from Canterbury Cathedral and Kew Gardens to the Glastonbury Festival, the Rhythm and Blues Orchestra has made numerous television appearances, including regularly featuring on Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush on Channel 4, and the riotous New Year’s Eve Hootenanny for BBC TWO.

Jools' television career began in the early Eighties when he made a documentary about his friends The Police, in Montserrat. This led to him being chosen as the presenter of the Friday night music programme, The Tube. Reflecting his love for the roots of American music, Jools made two documentary films, Walking To New Orleans and Mr Roadrunner, which explored the music personalities of New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville. In 1988, he wrote a six-part series with Rowland Rivron, called The Groovy Fellas, about a Martian visiting Earth. He then moved to New York to join saxophonist David Sanborn as a presenter on Sunday Night, a network NBC music show. Back in Britain, Jools hosted two series of Juke Box Jury for the BBC, and 1992 saw the advent of Later With Jools Holland, which BBC TWO invited him to host.

Over the years Jools has performed and recorded with some of the most talented musicians and songwriters in the world, a list which extends from Eric Clapton, Sting, Luther Vandross and B B King, to Dr John, Paul Weller and George Harrison.

Jool’s unique combination of gifted musician and articulate and intelligent interviewer saw him being invited by The Beatles to conduct the interviews for their award-winning Anthology television series.

His broad knowledge of music and musicians has also enabled him to make broadcasts for the BBC World Service, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, and Jazz FM.

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/joolsbiog.shtml