Cullum was born in Rochford, Essex, but was brought up in Hullavington, north of Chippenham, Wiltshire. He attended Grittleton House School until the age of 15, followed by Sheldon School in Chippenham. He rejected a place to study English Literature at the University of Oxford in favour of reading English Literature and Film Studies at the University of Reading, from which he graduated with First Class Honours.\n', '

His Jewish father, whose mother had managed to flee Nazi Germany, was born in Jerusalem. His mother, whose father was Indian and mother Burmese, was born in Burma; when the Japanese invaded, the family left Burma and moved to Wales, with his mother aged five.\n', '

Cullum produced his first album, Heard It All Before, with only £480. It was released in 1999 with only 500 copies made. Due to their rarity, original copies have sold for as much as £600 on eBay. The success of the album led to an invitation to appear on Geoff Gascoyne\'s album Songs of the Summer.\n', '

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