The Style Council were an English band formed in 1983 by Paul Weller, the former singer, songwriter, and guitarist with the punk rock/new wave/mod revival band The Jam, and keyboardist Mick Talbot, previously a member of Dexys Midnight Runners, The Bureau and The Merton Parkas.The band enabled Weller to take a more soulful direction with his music. The permanent line-up grew to include drummer Steve White and Weller's then girlfriend, vocalist Dee C. Lee.Other artists such as Tracie Young, Tracey Thorn (Everything but the Girl), and drummer/percussionist Steve Sidelnyk (Madonna, SEAL, Richard Ashcroft ) also performed and collaborated with the group.As with Weller's previous band, most of the London-based group's hits were in their homeland, where they scored seven Top 10 hits.The band also had hit singles and albums in Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s.