The Police (band)

***The Police*** were an English new wave band formed in London in 1977. They became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are generally regarded as one of the first new-wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. They are also considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the United States. They disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008.

The band has won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, an MTV Video Music Award, and in 2003 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Police were included among both Rolling Stone's and VH1's lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

### Band Members

For most of their history the band consisted of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland.

#### Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter)

Gordon Sumner, born October 2, 1951), better known by his stage name ***Sting*** (a nickname earned due to his habit of wearing a black and yellow striped jersey mirroring a bee), is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor. Formally a school teacher, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer, and bassist for the new wave rock band The Police from 1977 to 1986, and also launched a solo career in 1985.

He has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age and worldbeat in his music. As a solo musician and a member of The Police, he has received 16 Grammy Awards (his first in the category of best rock instrumental in 1980, for "Reggatta de Blanc"), three Brit Awards, including Best British Male in 1994, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

With The Police, Sting became one of the world's best-selling music artists. Solo and with The Police combined, he has sold over 100 million records. He has collaborated with other musicians, including "Rise & Fall" with Craig David, "All for Love", with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, "You Will Be My Ain True Love" with Alison Krauss, and introduced the North African music genre raï to Western audiences by his international hit "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami.

#### Andy Summers (guitar)

Andrew James Somers (born December 31, 1942), known professionally as ***Andy Summers***, is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band the Police. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated with other musicians, composed film scores, and exhibited his photography in galleries.

Summers' professional career began in the mid-1960s in London as guitarist for the British rhythm and blues band Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, which eventually came under the influence of the psychedelic scene and evolved into the acid rock group Dantalian's Chariot. He is one of the "two main love interests" in Jenny Fabian and Johnny Byrne's 1969 book Groupie, in which he is given the pseudonym "Davey".

After the demise of Dantalion's Chariot, Summers joined The Soft Machine for three months and toured the United States. For a brief time in 1968, he was a member of The Animals, then known as Eric Burdon and the Animals, with whom he recorded one album, Love Is. The album features a recording of Traffic's "Coloured Rain", which includes a guitar solo by Summers which runs a full 4 minutes and 15 seconds. The LP also included a reworked version of Dantalion's Chariot's sole single "Madman Running Through the Fields".

In 1977, Summers was invited by ex-Gong bassist Mike Howlett to join his band Strontium 90, but was soon coaxed away by future Police bandmates Sting and Stewart Copeland.

#### Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion)

***Stewart Copeland*** (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer, best known as the former drummer for the English rock band the Police, and for his film and video game soundtracks. Copeland has also written various pieces of music for ballet, opera and orchestra. According to MusicRadar, Copeland’s "distinctive drum sound and uniqueness of style has made him one of the most popular drummers to ever get behind a drumset".

Copeland started taking drum lessons at age 12, while living with his family in Beirut, Lebanon, and was playing drums for school dances within a year. Later he moved to England and attended Millfield from 1967 to 1969. Copeland went to college in California, attending United States International University and University of California, Berkeley. Returning to England, he worked as road manager for the progressive rock band Curved Air's 1974 reunion tour, and then as drummer for the band during 1975 and 1976.

#### Henry Padovani

***Henri Padovani*** (born October 13, 1952, Bastia, Santo-Pietro-di-Venaco, Corsica, France) commonly known as Henry Padovani, is a musician from the Mediterranean French isle of Corsica, noted for being the original guitarist with The Police. He was a member of the band from December 1976 to August 1977 and was replaced by Andy Summers, who had originally been part of the band as a second guitarist.

### 1976-79

#### November, 1976

In late November 1976, while on tour in Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England with the British progressive rock band Curved Air, Stewart Copeland met and exchanged phone numbers with an ambitious singer-bassist called Sting who was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit.

#### January 12, 1977

Sting relocates to London. On the day of his arrival, he seeks out Copeland for a jam session. Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the then-current punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band and join the burgeoning London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so the duo formed the Police as a punk power trio with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member.

#### February 12, 1977

The band records its first single, ***"Fall Out"***, written by Copeland, at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London with a budget of £150.

#### March 1, 1977

The band plays their debut concert at Alexander's in Newport, Wales, which lasts only ten minutes. After which, the group played London pubs and toured as a support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs.

#### May 1, 1977

***"Fall Out"*** is released by Illegal Records. It failed to chart but, when re-released in 1979, it made number 47 on the UK Singles Chart, two months after "Message in a Bottle" reaches number one. Listen to "Fall Out" on Deezer.

#### May 28, 1977

Former Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable to play, so Sting brought Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on May 28, 1977, and played at a London club (under the name of "The Elevators") in July. The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later in 1997 on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy.

#### July - August, 1977

Summers' musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on the Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and the Police carried on as a four-piece version but they only performed live twice: on July 25, 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on August 5, 1977 at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on August 10, 1977), Summers delivered an ultimatum and Padovani was dismissed from the band. The effect of Summers' arrival was instant with Copeland stating: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group.

#### August 18, 1977

The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time at Rebecca's club in Birmingham. A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players. The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating, "The truth is that the band merely utilised the trappings of 1970s British punk: the bleached blond short hair, Sting in his jumpsuits or army jackets, Copeland and his near maniacal drumming style. In fact, they were criticised by other punk bands for not being authentic and lacking "street cred." What the Police did perhaps take from punk was a brand of nervous, energetic disillusion with 1970s Britain." The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock.

#### February 22, 1978

The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond. The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired.

#### April, 1978: "Roxanne"

* Released April 1, 1978
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

Written by lead singer and bassist Sting, the song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute.

On re-release in 1979, the song peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.

#### August, 1978: "Don't Care" by Klark Kent (Stewart Copeland)

Stewart Copeland (using the alias 'Klark Kent') releases a solo single called "Don't Care". It peaks at No. 48 in the UK in August 1978, and leads to a TV appearance on BBC1's Top of the Pops. Copeland sang and played all instruments on the single, but for his Top of the Pops appearance he was backed by various friends wearing masks (including Sting and Summers) who mimed the instrumental accompaniment.

#### August, 1978: "Can't Stand Losing You"

* Released August 14, 1978
* UK #42
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

#### November, 1978: *Outlandos d'Amour* (1978)

* Released November 2, 1978
* UK #6, Platinum; US #2, Platinum

#### November, 1978: "So Lonely"

* Released November 3, 1978
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

#### April, 1979: "Roxanne" (re-release)

* Released April 1, 1979
* UK #12, Silver; US #32
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

Written by lead singer and bassist Sting, the song was written from the point of view of a man who falls in love with a prostitute.

#### June, 1979: "Can't Stand Losing You" (re-release)

* Released June, 1979
* UK #2, Silver
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

#### September, 1979: "Message in a Bottle"

* Released September 21, 1979
* September 29, 1979: UK #1 (three weeks), Gold
* US #74
* From Regatta de Blanc (1979)

#### October, 1979: *Reggatta de Blanc* (1979)

* Released October 2, 1979
* October 13, 1979: UK #1 (four weeks), Platinum
* US #25, Platinum

#### November, 1979: "Walking on the Moon"

* Released November 4, 1979
* UK #1, Gold
* From Regatta de Blanc (1979)

### 1980-89

#### February, 1980: "So Lonely" (re-release)

* Released February, 1980
* UK #6, Silver
* From Outlandos d'Amour (1978)

#### June, 1980: *Six Pack* (1980)

* Released June 8, 1980
* UK #17

Six Pack is a collection of seven-inch singles released by rock group The Police. The pack, which came in a PVC folder contained the first five A&M singles by the band, namely "Roxanne", "Can't Stand Losing You", "So Lonely", "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", plus a mono version of "The Bed's Too Big Without You", which was previously unreleased. This latter song was chosen for promotional purposes for TV and radio airplay, and often regarded as the group's latest single upon release of the set.

The records in the pack were all produced on blue vinyl in picture covers with specially adapted labels which featured an overhead picture of the heads of the band (originally used on the back cover of the Reggatta de Blanc LP), rather than the original "A&M" logo. Each single was also accompanied by a special picture card (3 group shots and 3 solo shots), with the lyrics of each single printed on the reverse.

Due to changes in chart rules, this set would have been classified as an album after 1983, when Gallup took over compilation of the chart and a Michael Jackson singles pack became the first set of 7-inch singles to chart as an album.

#### September, 1980: "Don't Stand So Close To Me"

* Released September 19, 1980
* September 27, 1980: UK #1 (four weeks), Gold
* US #10
* From Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

#### October, 1980: *Zenyatta Mondatta* (1980)

* Released October 3, 1980
* October 11, 1980: UK #1 (four weeks), Platinum
* US #5, 2x Platinum

#### December, 1980: "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"

* Released December 5, 1980
* UK #5; US #10
* From Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

#### September, 1981: "Invisible Sun"

* Released September, 1981
* UK #2, Silver
* From Ghost in the Machine (1981)

#### October, 1981: *Ghost in the Machine* (1981)

* Released October 2, 1981
* October 10, 1981: UK #1 (three weeks), Platinum
* US #2, 3x Platinum

#### November, 1981: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"

* Released November 2, 1981
* November 14, 1981: UK #1 (one week), Silver
* US #3
* From Ghost in the Machine (1981)

#### 1981: "Spirits in the Material World"

* Released 1981
* UK #12, Silver; US #11
* From Ghost in the Machine (1981)

#### 1982: "Spread a Little Happiness" by Sting

* Released 1982
* UK #16
* From Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack

#### May, 1982: "Secret Journey"

* Released May, 1982
* US #46
* From Ghost in the Machine (1981)

#### May, 1983: "Every Breath You Take"

* Released May 20, 1983
* June 4, 1983: UK #1 (four weeks), Silver
* US #1, Gold
* From Synchronicity (1983)

#### June, 1983: *Synchronicity* (1983)

* Released June 17, 1983
* June 25, 1983: UK #1 (two weeks), Platinum
* US #1, 8x Platinum

#### July, 1983: "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

* Released July, 1983 (UK); January, 1984 (US)
* UK # 7; US #8
* From Synchronicity (1983)

#### August, 1983: "King of Pain"

* Released August, 1983
* UK #17; US #3
* From Synchronicity (1983)

#### October, 1983: "Synchronicity II"

* Released October, 1983
* UK #12; US #16
* From Synchronicity (1983)

#### June, 1985: *The Dream of the Blue Turtles* (1985) by Sting

* Released June 1, 1985
* UK #3, 2x Platinum; US #2, 3x Platinum

#### July, 1985: "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" by Sting

* Released July 9, 1985
* UK #26; US #3
* From The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)

#### November, 1985: "Russians" by Sting

* Released November, 1985
* UK #12; US #16
* From The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)

#### July, 1986: *Bring on the Night* (1986) by Sting

* Released July 1, 1986
* UK #16, Silver

#### October, 1986: "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86"

* Released October, 1986
* UK #24; US #46
* From Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986)

#### October, 1986: *Every Breath You Take: The Singles* (1986)

* Released October 25, 1986
* November 8, 1986: UK #1 (two weeks), 4x Platinum
* US #9, 5x Platinum

#### October, 1987: *...Nothing Like the Sun* (1987) by Sting

* Released October 13, 1987
* October 24, 1987: UK #1 (one week), Platinum
* US #9, 2x Platinum

***...Nothing Like the Sun*** explores the genres of pop rock, soft rock, jazz, reggae, world, acoustic rock, dance-rock, and funk rock. It features a number of high-profile guest guitarists, including former Police member Andy Summers, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Hiram Bullock, and is generally regarded as the culmination of the smoother, more adult-oriented sound of Sting's early work.

Listen to the album on Deezer.

### 1990-99

#### 1990: "Englishman in New York" (The Ben Liebrand Mix) by Sting

* Released 1990
* UK #15
* Non-album single

#### January, 1991: "All This Time" by Sting

* Released January 8, 1991
* UK #22; US #5
* From The Soul Cages (1991)

#### January, 1991: *The Soul Cages* (1991) by Sting

* Released January 22, 1991
* February 2, 1991: UK #1 (one week), Gold
* US #2, Platinum

#### June, 1992: "It's Probably Me" by Sting with Eric Clapton

* Released June 23, 1992
* UK #30, Gold; US #20
* From Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack

#### September, 1992: *Greatest Hits* (1992)

* Released September 1992

* UK #10, Platinum

#### February, 1993: "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" by Sting

* Released February 1, 1993
* UK #14; US #17
* From Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)

#### March, 1993: *The Summoner's Tales* (1993) by Sting

* Released March 9, 1993
* UK #2, 2x Platinum; US #2, 3x Platinum

#### April, 1993: "Seven Days" by Sting

* Released April 1, 1993
* UK #25
* From Ten Summoner's Tales

#### June, 1993: Fields of Gold" by Sting

* Released June 1, 1993
* UK #16; US #23
* From Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)

#### September, 1993: *Demolition Man* (1993, soundtrack) by Sting

* Released September 21, 1993 (US); November 1, 1993 (UK)
* UK #21; US #162

#### September, 1993: *Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings* (1993)

* Released September 28, 1993
* US #79, Platinum

#### November, 1993: "All for Love" by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting

* Released November 16, 1993
* UK #2; US #1
* From The Three Musketeers soundtrack (1993)

#### February, 1994: "Nothing 'Bout Me" by Sting

* Released February 4, 1994
* UK #32; US #57
* From Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)

#### 1994: "When We Dance" by Sting

* Released 1994
* UK #9; US #38
* From Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 (1994)

#### November, 1994: *Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994* (1994) by Sting

* Released November 8, 1994
* UK #2, 3x Platinum; US #7, 2x Platinum

#### May, 1995: *Voices Inside My Head (Remixes)* (1995)

* Released May 1995
* UK #100

#### May, 1995: *Live!* (1995)

* Released May 29, 1995
* UK #25; US #86, Platinum

#### 1995: "Can't Stand Losing You (Live)"

* Released 1995
* UK #27
* From Live! (1995)

#### 1995: "This Cowboy Song" by Sting

* Released 1995
* UK #15
* From Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 (1994)

#### February, 1996: "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" by Sting

* Released February 1, 1996
* UK #15; US #86
* From Mercury Falling (1996)

#### March, 1996: *Mercury Falling* (1996) by Sting

* Released March 12, 1996
* #UK #4, Platinum; US #5, platinum

#### April, 1996: "You Still Touch Me"by Sting

* Released April 1, 1996
* UK #27; US #60
* From Mercury Falling (1996)

#### June, 1996: Live at TFI Friday EP by Sting

* Released June 14, 1996
* UK #53

#### September, 1996: "I Was Brought to My Senses" by Sting

* Released September 1, 1996
* UK #31
* From Mercury Falling (1996)

#### November, 1997: *The Very Best of Sting & The Police* (1997)

* Released November 1997
* March 2, 2002: UK #1, 4x Platinum
* US #46, Gold

#### 1997: "Roxanne (Puff Daddy Remix)" by Sting & the Police

* Released 1997
* UK #17
* From The Very Best of Sting & The Police (1997)

#### September, 1999: "Brand New Day" by Sting

* Released September 1, 1999
* UK #13; US #103
* From Brand New Day (1999)

#### September, 1999: *Brand New Day* (1999) by Sting

* Released September, 28, 1999
* UK #5, Platinum; US #9, 3x Platinum