Jam I am.

Rick Buckler is the first member of The Jam to write his biography. That’s Entertainment: My Life in The Jam will no doubt be eagerly received by fans of the band. And there are a lot of them. Jam Fans. Sam I am.

One of the best Brit bands that never translated across the Atlantic, the Jam were huge in the UK. Why they never struck a chord here is up for discussion. Maybe it’s due to Paul Weller’s unapologetic Brit drawl, or that the subject matter of a lot of their songs focused on disgruntled English life of the late 70s (see The Eton Rifles). Let’s just blame the crappy FM radio of yesterday.

In the UK they had 18 straight top 40 singles and wrestled away the title of the ultimate Mod band from The Who—you can file that under debatable. Lead singer and songwriter, Weller is still a big deal, now an elder statesman of the British music scene. Weller has a new album coming out on May 18. But back to The Jam.

Throughout their career the band maintained their configuration as a three piece. Flanking Weller was Bruce Foxton on bass with Rick Buckler on the drums. Buckler’s book is a year-by-year account of being in one of Britain’s biggest bands during the late 70s. Buckler also tells of dealing with life after being in one of Britain’s biggest bands. The Jam dissolved in ’82.

That’s Entertainment: My Life in The Jam drops May 11. You can find it on amazon.co.uk. No word on a North American release yet. Write your congressman. Demand more Jam.