Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

Contents:

• 1 Foreword
• Biography
• Early Life
• Origin of nickname
• The Police
• Early solo work
• 1980s
• 1990s
• 2000s
• Acting career
• Activism
• Personal life
• Discography
• 6.1 Albums
• Live albums
• Compilations
• Soundtracks and multi-artist albums
• Foreign language albums
• Singles
• 6.7 Awards
• 7 Conclusions
• 8 Bibliography

Foreword

Why have I chosen Sting? Well. the list of reasons is quite a long one. First of all Sting puts a great amount of feeling in all he does. His music, his lyrics, his moves discharge on stage tremendous power; and it's not ordinary power, it's the power of music, the power of love to manifest itself through sound. It's also his own love for music which strongly reflects in his career. How can I describe something you feel through music? It all becomes somehow part of you. You slowly start to identify people, experiences, feelings with certain songs and before you know it you start identifying yourself with some of them. That's Sting's magic: his ability to create music for desperate souls, happy souls, troubled souls and so on. Furthermore, I see in his music something magic, mysterious, mystical, which overcomes and is far beyond any conception about what music means or transmits. It's not the message that counts, the melody, the lyrics or any of its parts taken separately but the whole construction, the whole song which comes to have a meaning extremely different from the individual parts of it. If I'd have to classify in some way his music I would say Sting's music is best described as spiritual music. It may sound a bit odd but all his melodies have something that can't be defined. Many call it originality which most certainly exists because in this industry all great singers had/ have a specific sound. a sound everybody would recognize in a million; and all genders have a starting point or at least a marker such as: The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Freddy Mercury, Madonna, Ozzy Osborne etc. artists whom you know the sound of, and for usual comparison you can say "that sounds like Elvis, Madonna etc" , so we can surely say something new sounds like Sting. Its unique style is unmistakable and represents a beginning. Although everybody can approve with me from this point of view, my passion for this man's music goes far beyond appreciating originality. I can almost taste his words, his music became for me something real, perceptible, tangible along the way. For most people music is a mean to invoke old memories and feelings or to relax. For me some of Stings songs managed to awake and produce new feelings and so they gave birth to new experiences. Without his music I would have missed an important period of my adolescence. The one when spiritual growth starts and you realize that there are things beyond our comprehension. With this I think I also managed to emphasize the importance of music in my life in general for I perce 323w226d ive it as more than just plain sounds meant to distract us from our daily worries. I strongly believe that music is the single form of art that manages to express so much, to sum up so many feelings and at the same time to bring so many new things into our lives. but of course all of this depends on how music affects each one of us. 

Biography

Early life

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, (born October 2 ), universally known by his stage name Sting, is a Grammy-winning English musician from Wallsend in Newcastle upon Tyne. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bass player of the rock band The Police. As a solo musician and member of The Police, Sting has sold over 105 million records

Sumner was born in Wallsend (an area of North Tyneside in the northeast of England ) to hairdresser Audrey Cowell and her husband Ernest Sumner. Ultimately, Audrey and Ernest would present Gordon with three siblings: a brother, Philip; and two sisters, Angela and Anita. Ernest managed a dairy; young Gordon would often assist his father with the early-morning milk-delivery rounds. The Sumner siblings were raised as Roman Catholics, due to the influence of their Irish paternal grandmother.

Gordon attended St. Cuthbert's Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne. Later, he left the University of Warwick in Coventry, after only one term. During this time, Gordon would often sneak into nightclubs like the Club-A-Go-Go. Here, he would watch acts such as Jack Bruce and Jimi Hendrix...acts which would later influence Gordon's own music. After jobs as a bus conductor, a construction laborer, and a tax officer, Gordon attended Northern Counties Teachers' Training College (which later became part of Northumbria University) from 1971 to 1974. He then worked as a schoolteacher at St. Paul's First School in Cramlington for two years. His experiences there would inspire him to write two of the Police's greatest hits: "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Roxanne." Each was loosely based on one of his favorite books: "Lolita" and "Cyrano de Bergerac," respectively.

From an early age, Sumner knew that he wanted to be a musician. His first music gigs were wherever he could get a job. He performed evenings, weekends, and during vacations from college and from teaching. He played with local jazz bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen, the Newcastle Big Band, and Last Exit

1.2 Origin of his name

Sting has stated that he gained his nickname while with the Phoenix Jazzmen. He once performed wearing a black and yellow sweater with hooped stripes that bandleader Gordon Solomon had noted made him look like a bumblebee; thus Sumner became "Sting." He uses Sting almost exclusively, except on official documents. In a press conference filmed in the movie Bring on the Night, he jokingly stated when referred to by a journalist as Gordon, "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting, who is this Gordon character?"

The Police

The Police is a three-piece rock band consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Sting (Gordon Sumner), guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. The band became globally popular in the early 1980s, playing a style of rock that was influenced by jazz reggae, and punk music. Their 1983 album, Synchronicity, was number one in the UK and the US and sold over 8,000,000 copies in the US. The band broke up in the mid-1980s, but reunited in early 2007 with the announcement that they are undertaking a world tour. The tour is scheduled from the middle of that year on until mid-2008, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their hit single "Roxanne" and also, to a lesser extent, that of their formation as a group. To date The Police have sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Rolling Stone ranked The Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Formation

The Police were founded by American-born drummer Stewart Copeland in early 1977. After the demise of his progressive rock band Curved Air, Copeland was anxious to form a new three-piece group and join the burgeoning London punk scene. Singer-bassist Sting and guitarist Henry Padovani began rehearsing with Copeland in January 1977, and they recorded their first Police single, "Fall Out"/"Nothing Achieving," the following month. Acting Manager Paul Mulligan paid for the recording of the single. In March and April, the threesome toured as a support act for Cherry Vanilla as well as Wayne County & the Electric Chairs

In May, ex-Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting and former Eric Burdon and the Animals guitarist Andy Summers to form Strontium 90 with him, as a project band for a Gong reunion. The drummer Howlett had in mind for this band, Chris Cutler, was unavailable to play, so Sting brought along Stewart Copeland. Strontium 90 recorded several demo tracks at Virtual Earth Studios, and then performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on May 28 . An album with some of these studio and live tracks (with the first recorded version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") was released twenty years later in 1997 under the name Strontium 90: Police Academy. The foursome also performed at a London club as "The Elevators" in July 1977.

In July 1977, Copeland, Sting, Padovani, and Summers began performing as a four-piece version of the Police. Padovani's relatively limited ability as a guitarist meant that his tenure with the band was short. Soon after an aborted recording session with producer John Cale on August 10, Padovani left the band and Summers took over sole guitar duties. This lineup of Copeland, Sting, and Summers would endure for the rest of Police history.

Sting proved to be a capable songwriter. He had previously spent time as a secondary school English teacher, and his lyrics are noted for their literary awareness and verbal agility. Material in the later album Ghost in the Machine was inspired by the writings of Arthur Koestler, and material in Synchronicity was prominently inspired by the writings of Carl Jung. "Tea in the Sahara" on the latter album showed interest in the work of author Paul Bowles as well.

The Police, along with The Clash, are notable as one of the first mainstream white bands to adopt reggae as a predominant musical form, and to score major international hits with reggae-styled material. Although ska and reggae were already very popular in the United Kingdom, the style was little known in the United States or other countries. Prior to the emergence of the Police, only a handful of reggae songs - such as Eric Clapton's 1974 cover rendition of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" or Paul Simon's "Mother and Child Reunion" - had enjoyed any significant chart success.

The bleached blonde hair that would become a trademark of the band was a lucky accident, originating in February 1978. The band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum on the condition that they dye their hair blonde.

Recording contract

For the Police, their first album, Outlandos d'Amour was a hardship, working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. Stewart Copeland's older brother Miles Copeland III heard "Roxanne" for the first time and immediately got them a record deal with A&M Records. Originally released in 1978, the single was re-released in 1979, and it was then that the Police gained widespread recognition in the United Kingdom, as well as scoring a minor hit with the song in several other countries, notably Australia. Their success led to a gig at the famous New York club CBGB and a gruelling United States tour in which the band drove themselves and all their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van.

In October 1979, the group released their second album Reggatta de Blanc, which was a major seller in many countries and which spawned the U.K. singles "Message In A Bottle," their first #1, and "Walking on the Moon," also a chart topper. The instrumental title track would win the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In March 1980, the Police did their first world tour, and they were one of the first major rock bands to play in places like Mexico City, Mexico, Bombay India and Egypt. The Mexico City show was filmed by Canal 13. In May A&M in Great Britain released "Six Pack (The Police)," an expensive package containing the 5 previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the popular album track (from Regatta De Blanc) "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of the Outlandos d'Amour track "Truth Hits Everybody." It reached #17 in the U.K. singles chart although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album.

Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in the autumn of 1980. The album gave the group their third U.K. #1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me", and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", which charted in the United States. In subsequent interviews Sting stated that he regretted the rushed recording for the album. However, many critics would later cite it as one of their strongest efforts. The instrumental "Behind My Camel," written by Andy Summers won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance For Duo Or Group.

Stardom

By this time Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police by branching out into acting. He made a well-received debut as the 'Ace Face' in the film version of The Who's rock opera Quadrophenia, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. He also played the character Feyd Rautha in Dune and a soldier who is executed for being too brave in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with band founder Stewart Copeland began to deteriorate. The increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting and Summers' marriages failed (Sting settled down with new partner Trudie Styler, whom he later married, while Summers, after a brief relationship that fathered a son Andrew Jr., re-married his second wife Kate).

The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World". As the band were unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, "digital" likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980's Sting and Andy Summers become tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone in Galway, and Andy to Kinsale in County Cork) while Stewart, an American, remained in England.

The Police took a sabbatical in 1982, with Sting pursuing his acting career, co-starring with Denholm Elliot and Joan Plowright in the Richard Loncraine film version of Dennis Potter's play Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, "Spread A Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone and Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks). Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked.

The Police released their last album, Synchronicity, in 1983. Notable songs from that album include "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain" and the foreboding "Synchronicity II". Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley Creme. This album hit #1 in both the U.K. (where it debuted at #1) and the U.S. It stayed at #1 in the U.K. for only two weeks and in the U.S. for 17 weeks. It was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy, but lost to the inevitable winner, Michael Jackson's Thriller

The Police beat out Jackson in one category: "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy for Song Of The Year, beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal while "Synchronicity II" won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video and nabbed two Ivor Novello Awards for the categories Best Song Musically & Lyrically and Most Performed Work. In 1983, Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Rumble Fish a film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola from the S.E. Hinton novel. A song released to radio on A& M Records "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer/songwriter Stan Ridgway leader of the band Wall of Voodoo, received significant airplay upon release of the film that year.

Break-up

Although there was never an official split, each band member pursued his own solo career after the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984. In June 1986, the trio reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope Tour. In July of that year, a tense short-lived reunion in the studio produced only subdued re-recordings of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da". The former was released in October 1986 as their final single together in the form of "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" (a substantially reworked version of the 1980 original), appeared on the compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, and made the UK Top 25. By this time, it was clear that Sting had no intention of continuing with the band, having already released a successful solo debut LP in 1985, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles

In 1992, Sting wed Trudie Styler. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they ultimately performed "Roxanne" and "Message In A Bottle." Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again." Also in 1992, Andy Summers served a brief stint as Musical Director on the short-lived "Dennis Miller Show".

On March 10 , the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne," "Message In a Bottle," and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group. The last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer. Towards the end of the song, Copeland, known for tightening his drum heads until his knuckles turn white, as well as striking the drums with excessive force, was playing the drums so hard that the head of his snare drum broke. That fall Sting released his autobiography, "Broken Music".

In 2004, Henry Padovani (the band's guitarist before Andy Summers joined) released an album with the participation of Stewart Copeland and Sting in one track, reuniting the "original" Police members in a performance for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Police #70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

In 2006 Stewart Copeland made a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, based on Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late '70s and the early '80s. Andy Summers' autobiographical memoir of his career during and before his career in The Police released in October of 2006 was called One Train Later. Sting released an album of 16th century classical music written by John Dowland (1563-1626) in cooperation with lutenist Edin Karamazov called Songs From The Labyrinth in 2006.

2007 reunion

In early 2007, reports surfaced that the trio would reunite for a tour to mark their 30th anniversary, over 20 years since their 'final' split in summer 1986. The concerts would coincide with Universal Music (current owners of the A&M label) re-releasing some material from the band's back catalogue. The following statement was released on behalf of the band by a spokesperson at Interscope Geffen A&M Records and posted on Sting's official website: "As the 30th anniversary of the first Police single approaches, discussions have been underway as to how this will be commemorated. While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."

On January 22 , the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story that The Police would reunite for the Grammys, adding that the song performed would be "Roxanne". All this information appeared to be correct. Side-Line also announced in its news coverage that The Police were to embark on a massive tour bringing them to cities all over the world. Billboard magazine later confirmed the rumours, quoting Andy Summers who had discussed earlier in 2006 how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years. I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour."

The Police opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February in Los Angeles, California, announcing "We're The Police. And we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne." A&M Records, the band's record company, is promoting the current 2007-2008 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the release of their first single and not indeed that of the band's creation. ABC reported, "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of 'Roxanne,' the single that broke the Police in the United States." The single was released in April 1978.

The Police opened their Reunion Tour in Vancouver on May 28 in front of 22,000 fans at one of two nearly sold-out concerts. However, Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website, which the press picked up as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. It was only meant to be tongue-in-cheek and the band took it as light-hearted as it was intended. In October 2007 the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour so far in Dublin, Ireland, in front of 82,000 fans.

At the same time, the Police continue their reunion tour in 2008, and locations include New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Macau, Japan, Canada, USA, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, UK, Poland, Argentina and Brazil, where they played for 75,000 people. The concert was opened by Brazilian band Os Paralamas do Sucesso, whose sound is heavily inspired by the Police. The Police have also recently been announced to headline the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June , as well as headlining the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) on the 29th June.

In February 2008, The Police announced that once they are done touring they will break up again. Quote Sting: "There will be no new album, no big new tour, once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for the Police."

Discography

Studio albums

• Outlandos d'Amour - November, 1978 - UK #6; US #23 - US sales: Platinum
• Reggatta de Blanc - October, 1979 - UK #1; US #25 - US sales: Platinum
• Zenyattà Mondatta - October, 1980 - UK #1; US #5 - US sales: 2x Platinum
• Ghost in the Machine - October, 1981 - UK #1; US #2 - US sales: 3x Platinum
• Synchronicity - June, 1983 - UK #1; US #1 - US sales: 8x Platinum

Live albums

• The Police Live! - US sales: Platinum

Soundtracks and other contributions

• The Secret Policeman's Ball
• Urgh! A Music War - May, 1982
• Brimstone and Treacle July 1
• Strontium 90: Police Academy July 29

Compilation albums

• Every Breath You Take: The Singles - October, 1986 - UK #1; US #7
• Greatest Hits - September, 1992 - UK #10
• Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings September 28 - US Sales: Platinum
• Every Breath You Take: The Classics September 12 - US sales: 5x Platinum
• The Very Best of Sting & The Police - November, 1997
• The Very Best of Sting & The Police February 21
• The Police June 5

Early solo work

In September 1981, Sting made his first live s olo appearance, performing on all four nights of the fourth Amnesty International benefit The Secret Policeman's Other Ball at the invitation of producer Martin Lewis. He performed solo versions of "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle", playing the guitar.

He also led an all-star band (dubbed "The Secret Police") on his own arrangement of Bob Dylan's, "I Shall Be Released". The band and chorus included Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Phil Collins Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, all of whom (except Beck) later worked together on Live Aid

His performances were featured prominently in the album and movie of the show and drew Sting major critical attention. Sumner's participation in The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the beginning of his growing involvement in raising money and consciousness for political and social causes.

In 1982 he released a solo single, Spread a Little Happiness from the film version of the Dennis Potter television play Brimstone and Treacle. The song was a re-interpretation of a song from the 1920s musical Mr. Cinders by Vivian Ellis, and was a surprise Top 20 hit in the UK.

1980s

Sting's first solo album, 1985's The Dream of the Blue Turtles, featured a cast of accomplished jazz musicians, including Kenny Kirkland Darryl Jones Omar Hakim, and Branford Marsalis. It included the hit single "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free". The single included a fan favourite non-LP track titled "Another Day". The album also yielded the hits "Fortress Around Your Heart", "Russians", and "Love is the Seventh Wave". Within a year, it reached Triple Platinum. This album would help Sting garner a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The film and video "Bring On The Night" documented the formation of the band and its first concert in France.

Also in 1985, he sang the introduction and chorus to "Money for Nothing", a groundbreaking song by Dire Straits (because he reused his melody from The Police hit "Don't Stand So Close to Me" for his vocal parts, he was given co-writer status and receives royalties based on his somewhat minor performance. It is one of only two shared songwriting credits on any Dire Straits album). He performed this song with Dire Straits at the Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium. Sting also provided a short guest vocal performance on the Miles Davis album You're Under Arrest. He also sang backing vocals in Arcadia's single "The Promise" from their only album, "So Red The Rose". He also contributed a version of "Mack the Knife" to the Hal Willner-produced tribute album Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill

Sting released ...Nothing Like the Sun in 1987, including the hit songs " We'll Be Together", "Fragile", "Englishman in New York", and "Be Still My Beating Heart", dedicated to his recently-deceased mother. It eventually went Double Platinum. The song "The Secret Marriage" from this album was adapted from a melody by German composer Hanns Eisler, and "Englishman In New York" was about the eccentric writer Quentin Crisp. The album's title is taken from William Shakespeare's Sonnet #130

Soon thereafter, in February 1988, he released Nada Como el Sol, a selection of five songs from Sun sung (by Sting himself) in Spanish and Portuguese. Sting was also involved in two other recordings in the late 1980s, the first in 1987 with noted jazz arranger Gil Evans who placed Sting in a big band setting for a live album of Sting's songs (the CD was not released in the U.S.), and the second on Frank Zappa's 1988 "Broadway The Hard Way" album, where Sting performs an unusual arrangement of "Murder By Numbers", set to the tune "Stolen Moments" by jazz composer Oliver Nelson, and "dedicated" to fundamentalist evangelist Jimmy Swaggart

October 1988 saw the release of Igor Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale with the London Sinfonietta conducted by Kent Nagano. It featured Vanessa Redgrave, Sir Ian McKellen and Sting in the role of the soldier.

1990s

Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages was dedicated to his recently deceased father and included the Top 10 song "All this Time" and the Grammy-winning "Soul Cages". The album eventually went Platinum. The following year, he married Trudie Styler and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in music from Northumbria University. In 1993, he released the album Ten Summoner's Tales, which went Triple Platinum in just over a year. Ten Summoner's Tales was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1993 and nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1994. The title is wordplay on his surname, Sumner and Geoffrey Chaucer's classic The Canterbury Tales The single, "Fields of Gold" had moderate success on radio airways. Concurrent video albums were released to support "Soul Cages" (a live concert) and "Ten Summoner's Tales" (recorded during the recording sessions for the album).

In May 1993, Sting released a cover of his own classic Police song from the Ghost in the Machine album, "Demolition Man" for the Demolition Man film.

Sting reached a pinnacle of success in 1994. Together with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, they performed the chart-topping song "All For Love" from the film The Three Musketeers. The song stayed at the top of the U.S. charts for five weeks and went Platinum; it is to date Sting's only song from his post-Police career to top the U.S. charts. In February, he won two more Grammy Awards and was nominated for three more. The Berklee College of Music gave him his second honorary doctorate of music degree in May. In November, he released a greatest hits compilation called Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting, which eventually was certified Double Platinum.

Sting's 1996 album, Mercury Falling debuted strongly with the single Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot, but it dropped quickly on the charts. Yet, he reached the Top 40 with two singles the same year with You Still Touch Me (June) and "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" (December) (which became a country music hit the next year in a version recorded with American country singer Toby Keith). During this period, Sting was also recording music for the upcoming Disney film Kingdom of the Sun, which went on to be reworked into The Emperor's New Groove. The film went through drastic overhauls and plot changes, many of which were documented by Sting's wife, Trudie Styler. She captured the moment he was called by Disney who then informed him that his songs would not be used in the final film. The story was put into a final product: The Sweatbox, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Disney currently holds the rights to the film and will not grant its release. That same year Sting also released a little-known CD-ROM called All This Time, which was well ahead of its time in providing music, commentary and custom computer features describing Sting and his music from his perspective.

Also in 1996, Sting provided some vocals for the Tina Turner single On Silent Wings as a part of her Wildest Dreams album, this peaked at #13 in the UK. Sting has also co-operated with Greek popular singer George Dalaras, giving a common concert in Athens

"Moonlight," a rare jazz performance by Sting for the 1995 remake of Sabrina, written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman and John Williams, was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television.

2000s

The Emperor's New Groove soundtrack was released with complete songs from the previous version of the film, which included Rascal Flatts and Shawn Colvin. This is seen by many as a move on Disney's part to soothe the relationship with Sting and to keep open the door for future projects. The final single used to promote the film was "My Funny Friend and Me".

Sting's September 1999 album Brand New Day included the Top 40 hits "Brand New Day" and "Desert Rose". The album went Triple Platinum by January 2001. In 2000, he won Grammy Awards for Brand New Day and the song of the same name. At the awards ceremony, he performed "Desert Rose" with his collaborator on the album version, Cheb Mami. For his performance, the Arab-American Institute Foundation gave him the Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award. However, Sting was criticised for appearing in a Jaguar advertisement using "Desert Rose" as its backing track, particularly as he was a notable environmentalist

In February 2001 he won another Grammy. His song "After The Rain Has Fallen" made it into the Top 40. His next project was to record a live album at his Tuscan villa, which was to be released as a CD and DVD, as well as being simulcast in its entirety on the internet. The CD and DVD were to be entitled "On such a night" and was intended to feature re-workings of Sting favourites such as "Roxanne" and "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free." The concert, however, was scheduled for September 11 and due to the terrorist attacks in America that day, the project was altered in various ways. The webcast was shut down after one song (a reworked version of "Fragile"), after which Sting let it be up to the audience whether or not to continue with the show. Eventually they decided to go through with the concert, and the resultant album and DVD was released in November under a different title, "...All This Time". Both are dedicated "to all those who lost their lives on that day."

He performed a special arrangement of "Fragile" with Yo-Yo Ma and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City Utah

In 2002 Sting won a Golden Globe Award and in June, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the summer, Sting was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In 2003 he released Sacred Love, a studio album featuring collaborations with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar. He and Blige won a Grammy for their duet, "Whenever I Say Your Name." The album did not have the hit singles like his previous releases. The first single, "Send Your Love" reached only #30 and reviews were mixed. However, the album did reach platinum status by January 2004.

His autobiography Broken Music was published in October. Sting embarked on a Sacred Love tour in 2004 with performances by Annie Lennox. Sting went on the Broken Music tour, touring smaller venues, with a four piece band starting in Los Angeles on 28 March and ending this "College Tour" on 14 May 2005. Sting appears as a guest on the 2005 Monkey Business (album) CD by American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, adding vocals to the track "Union" which makes heavy use of samples from his Englishman in New York

Continuing with his involvement in Live Aid, he appeared at Live 8 in July 2005. During 2006, Sting collaborated with Roberto Livi in producing a Spanish language version of his cult classic "Fragile" entitled "Fragilidad" on the album "Rhythms Del Mundo" by Latino recording legends "The Buena Vista Sound" (previously known as the Buena Vista Social Club) available via www.apeuk.org.

In October 2006, Sting released an album, to mixed reviews, entitled Songs from the Labyrinth featuring the music of John Dowland (an Elizabethan-era composer) and accompaniment from Bosnian lute player Edin Karamazov. As a part of the promotion of this album, he appeared on the fifth episode of Studio 60 during which he performed a segment of Dowland's "Come Again" as well as his own "Fields of Gold" in the arrangement for voice and two archlutes. Reports surfaced in early 2007 that Sting would reunite with his former Police bandmates for a 30th anniversary tour. These rumours were confirmed by posts on the popular fanzine Stingus and on various other newswebsites such as De Standaard Yahoo! etc. In May 2007, Deutsche Grammophon releases the opera Welcome to the Voice composer Steve Nieve), with Sting portraying the main character, Dyonisos.

On February 11 , Sting reunited with the other members of the Police as the introductory act for the 2007 Grammy Awards, singing "Roxanne", and subsequently announced The Police Reunion Tour, the first concert of which was held in Vancouver on May 28 in front of 22,000 fans at one of two nearly sold-out concerts. The Police will be on tour for approximately a year, beginning with North America and eventually crossing over to Europe, South America, Australia & New Zealand and Japan.

In 2007 he recorded a song called "Power's Out" with Nicole Scherzinger (lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls) the song is featured on her debut album Her Name Is Nicole which she is prepared to release in the beginning of 2008. On February 1, 2008, "Power's Out" was added on Nicole's official website and now "Power's Out" will be the official second single off Her Name Is Nicole.

2. Acting career

Sting occasionally has ventured into acting. Notable film roles include:

• The Ace Face, the King of The Mods, a.k.a. The Bell Boy in the movie adaptation of The Who album Quadrophenia
• The angel Helith in the BBC TV film Artemis 81
• Martin Taylor, a drifter in Brimstone and Treacle
• Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in the movie Dune
• Mick, a black-marketeer in Plenty
• Baron Frankenstein in The Bride
• Himself in the documentary film Bring on the Night
• A "heroic officer" in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
• Finney, a nightclub owner in Stormy Monday
• Daniel, a British gentleman in Julia and Julia
• Fledge in The Grotesque (1995), in which he appears nude
• Himself on The Simpsons episode "Radio Bart" (1992)
• J.D., Eddie's father and owner of a bar, in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
• Himself on the Vicar of Dibley Comic Relief special (2007)
• Himself in Bee Movie

Sting narrated the American premiere of the musical Yanomamo (1983), by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon outlining problems that existed in the Amazon Rainforest. This was made into a film and later broadcast as Song of the Forest (currently available from WWF-UK). Other appearances on the stage and television include guest spots on Saturday Night Live and Ally McBeal. He also provided the voice of Zarm on the 1990s television show Captain Planet and the Planeteers. In 1989 he starred as Macheath (Mack the Knife) in the The Threepenny Opera, the classic 1928 German musical work by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill in New York and Washington. He most recently appeared as a musical guest on the fictional series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Sting appeared on the television sitcom Ally McBeal as himself, being sued for appearing to sing to a fan by the fan's husband. Because of Sting's schedule, this suit forced his lawyer, Larry Paul, to dedicate the day to him causing him to stay away from his girlfriend, Ally, on her birthday.

3. Activism

While with the Police, Sting wrote "Driven to Tears," an angry indictment of apathy in the face of world hunger, and it preceded his work on Sir Bob Geldof's "Feed The World" project. Sting sang on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" -- a hit single from Geldof's pop music super-group called "Band Aid" which eventually led to the Live Aid Concert in July of 1985, in which Sting also took part, performing with Branford Marsalis, Phil Collins, and with the group Dire Straits.

Throughout the 1980s, Sting strongly supported environmentalism and humanitarian movements, such as Amnesty International. In 1986 he was interviewed by the BBC about the origins of his support for Amnesty International and he stated: "I've been a member of Amnesty and a support member for five years, due to an entertainment event called The Secret Policeman's Ball and before that I did not know about Amnesty, I did not know about its work, I did not know about torture in the world."

Sting's first involvement in the human rights cause occurred in September 1981 when he was invited by producer Martin Lewis to participate in the fourth Amnesty International gala The Secret Policeman's Other Ball following the example set at the 1979 show by Pete Townshend. Sting performed two of his Police compositions as a soloist - Roxanne and Message In A Bottle - appearing on all four nights of the show at the Theatre Royal in London. Sting also led an impromptu super-group of other musicians (dubbed The Secret Police) performing at the show including Eric Clapton Jeff Beck Phil Collins Donovan Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in the show's grand finale - Sting's own reggae-tinged arrangement of Bob Dylan's I Shall Be Released. The event was the first time that Sting had worked with Geldof, Collins and Ure - an association that developed further with 1984's Band Aid and 1985's Live Aid. Sting's performance - his first live appearances as a solo performer - was prominently featured on the album of the show (being its lead tracks) and in the film. In 1986, Sting was one of the headline performers on Amnesty's Conspiracy Of Hope tour of the US. In late , Sting visited Quentin Crisp in his New York City aparmtment and learned about what it was like for Crisp to grow up gay in homophobic the 1920s - 1960s. As a result, Sting dedicated the song "Englishman In New York" to Crisp.

The summit of his many contributions to the human-rights cause came in 1988, when he joined a team of other major musicians - including Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen - assembled under the banner of Amnesty International for the six-week world tour Human Rights Now! Tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In 1988, he released the single "They Dance Alone" which chronicled the plight of the mothers, wives and daughters of the "disappeared", the innocent victims of the Pinochet regime in Chile. Unable to publicly voice their grievances to the government about their missing loved ones, for fear that they would "go missing" too, the women of Chile would pin photos of their "disappeared" relatives on their clothing, and dance in silent outrage against the government in public places.

With his wife Trudie Styler and Raoni Metuktire, a Kayapó Indian leader in Brazil, Sting founded the Rainforest Foundation to help save the rainforests. His support for these causes continues to this day, and includes an annual benefit concert held at New York's Carnegie Hall with Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor and other music superstars. A species of Colombian tree frog, Dendropsophus stingi, was named after him in recognition of his "commitment and efforts to save the rain forest" (Kaplan 1994).

In the early 1990s, Sting performed with Don Henley and Billy Joel in New York's Madison Square Garden at The Concert for Walden Woods. He also took part in the post-9-11 rock telethon to raise money for the families of the victims of terror attacks in the United States, and performed at the Live 8 concert, the follow up to 1985's Live Aid Concert.

Personal life

Sting married actress Frances Tomelty from Northern Ireland, on 1 May . Before they divorced in 1984, the couple had two children: Joseph (born 1976) and Fuchsia Katherine (a.k.a. "Kate", born 1982). Joe Sumner is a member of the band Fiction Plane. In 1980 Sting became a tax exile and moved to Galway in Ireland.

In 1982, shor tly after the birth of his second child, Sting separated from Tomelty and began living with actress (and later film producer) Trudie Styler. The couple eventually married in 1992. Sting and Styler have four children: Bridget Michaela (a.k.a. "Mickey," born 19 January 1984), Jake (born 24 May 1985), Eliot Pauline (nicknamed "Coco", born 30 July 1990), and Giacomo Luke (born 17 December 1995).

Both of Sting's parents died from cancer in 1987. He did not, however, attend either funeral stating that the media fuss would be disrespectful to his parents.

1995 found Sting preparing for a court appearance, against his former accountant who had misappropriated several million pounds of his money, much to the amusement of the press, without Sting even knowing it had vanished.

Sting owns several homes worldwide, including Elizabethan manor house Lake House and its 60-acre country estate in Wiltshire England, a country cottage in the Lake District, a New York City apartment, a beach house in Malibu, California, a 600-acre (2.4 km²) estate in Tuscany, Italy, and two properties in London: an apartment on the Mall and an 18th century terrace house in Highgate. In Highgate, Sting lives at 2 The Grove, Highgate Village, Highgate. According to an interview he did for German television broadcaster NDR in 1996, Sting chose a tree on the Lake House estate beside which he wishes to be buried someday.

To keep physically fit, for years Sting ran five miles (8 km) a day, and performed aerobics. He participated in running races at Parliament Hill and charity runs similar to the British 10K. However, around 1990 he met Danny Paradise who introduced him to yoga. Soon after, Sting began practicing yoga regularly. His practice consists primarily of an Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga series, though he has experimented with other forms. He has practiced with notable teachers: K. Patthabi Jois, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Maty Ezraty, James Brown, and Seane Corn.

5. Discography

Albums

• The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985) UK #3
• ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987) UK #1
• The Soul Cages (1991) UK #1
• Ten Summoner's Tales (1993) UK #2
• Mercury Falling (1996) UK #4
• Brand New Day (1999) UK #5
• Sacred Love (2003) UK #3
• Songs from the Labyrinth (2006) UK #24

Live albums

• Bring On the Night (1986) UK #16
• Acoustic Live in Newcastle (1991) UK Release
• ...All This Time (2001) UK #3 US #32
• The Journey and the Labyrinth (2007) UK #1

Compilations

• Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994
• The Very Best of Sting & The Police
• At the Movies (1999) Japan Release

Soundtracks and multi-artist albums

• The Secret Policeman's Other Ball - The Music
• For Our Children
• Demolition Man
• The Living Sea: Soundtrack from the IMAX Film
• Sabrina: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Dolphins: Soundtrack From The IMAX Theatre Film

Foreign language albums

Nada como el sol (1988)

Singles

Awards

SELECTED CAREER AWARDS Grammy Awards
1980 'Reggatta De Blanc,' Best Rock Instrumental Performance - The Police
1981 'Don't Stand So Close To Me,' Best Rock Vocal performance by a Duo or Group - The Police
1981 'Behind My Camel,' Best Rock Instrumental Performance - The Police
1984 'Every Breath You Take,' Song Of The Year - Sting
1984 'Every Breath You Take,' Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - The Police
1984 'Synchronicity II', Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - The Police
1984 'Brimstone and Treacle', Best Rock Instrumental Performance - Sting
1986 'Bring On The Night', Best Long Form Video - Sting
1986 'Bring on the Night', Best Male Pop Vocal Performance - Sting
1992 'The Soul Cages,' Best Rock Song - Sting
1994 'If Ever I Lose My Faith In You,' Best Male Pop Vocal Performance - Sting
1994 'Ten Summoner's Tales', Best Long Form Video Of The Year - Sting
1994 'Ten Summoner's Tales', Best Engineered Recording - Hugh Padgham
2000 'Brand New Day', Best Pop Album - Sting and Kipper
2000 'Brand New Day', Best Male Pop Vocal Performance - Sting
2001 'She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rosa)' Best Male Pop Vocal Performance - Sting
2004 'Whenever I Say Your Name', Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals - Sting & Mary J. Blige

Selected BMI Awards
1984 'Every Breath You Take,' Song Of The Year - Sting
1985 'Wrapped Around Your Finger,' 'King Of Pain' and 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,' Most Performed Songs - Sting
1986 'Fortress Around Your Heart,' Most Performed Song - Sting
1994 'Fields of Gold,' BMI Pop Music Award - Sting
1994 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,' BMI Pop Music Award - Sting
1995 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,' BMI Most Performed Song Of The Year - Sting
1995 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,' BMI Most Performed College Radio Song - Sting
1998 'I'll Be Missing You/Every Breath You Take,' BMI Most Performed Song of the Year - Sting
1998 'Every Breath You Take,' BMI Award for Five Million Radio Plays - Sting
1998 'Fields Of Gold,' BMI Award for Two Million Radio Plays - Sting
2000 'Every Breath You Take,' BMI Award for Five Million Radio Plays - Sting
2000 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You,' BMI Award for Two Million Radio Plays - Sting
2000 'Spirits In The Material World,' BMI Award for Two Million Radio Plays - Sting
2001 'Brand New Day' BMI Pop Award for 446,191 performances in 2000 - Sting
2001 'Desert Rose' BMI/Robert S. Musel Crystel Award for the highest performing song (828,092 performances) in 2000 - Sting
2002 'Emotional' (recorded by Carl Thomas using a sample of 'Shape of My Heart) Urban Award 2005 'Every Breath You Take,' BMI Award for Eight Million Radio Plays - Sting

Brit Awards
1982 Best Group - The Police
1985 Outstanding Contribution to British Music - The Police
1991 Best Male Solo Artist - Sting
2002 Outstanding Contribution to British Music - Sting

Golden Globes
2000 Nomination: 'My Funny Friend And Me' - Best Song
2001 Winner: 'Until'- Best Song from Kate & Leopold
2003 Nomination: 'You Will Be My Ain True Love' - Best Song

Oscars
2000 Nomination: 'My Funny Friend And Me' - Best Song
2001 Nomination: 'Until' - Best Song from Kate & Leopold
2003 Nomination: 'You Will Be My Ain True Love' - Best Song from Cold Mountain

Emmy's
2002 Winner: Sting in Tuscany: All This Time - Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.
2002 Winner: Sting in Tuscany: All This Time - Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Movie, Miniseries, or Special (Scott C. Wilson)

Ivor Novello's
1998 Winner: 'Most Performed Work' for 'I'll Be Missing You/Every Breath You Take'
2002 Winner: 'International Achievement Award'

7. Bibliography

• Simon & Schuster - Lyrics by - Sting, 2007
• Simon & Schuster - Autobiography: Broken Music, 2003
• James Berryman, John Blake - Biography: Sting and I, 2005
• James Berryman - Authorized biography: A Sting in the Tale, Mirage Publishing
• Christopher Sandford, Little - Biography Sting - Demolition Man, Brown and Co. 1998

If anyone described me as a genius

I would laugh. I have my moments -

I just have to join them together.

Colegiul National Cantemir Voda

Lucrare de atestat

Sting:

Rise and fall of a thousand songs

Sustinator: Elev Batran Ioana

Profesori coordonatori: Profesor Chirila Liliana

Profesor Diaconu Anca

May 2008

6. Conclusions

After disbanding the Police at the peak of their popularity in 1984, Sting quickly established himself as a viable solo artist, one obsessed with expanding the boundaries of pop music. Sting incorporated heavy elements of jazz, classical, and world beat into his music, writing lyrics that were literate and self-consciously meaningful, and he was never afraid to emphasize this fact in the press. For such unabashed ambition, he was equally loved and reviled, with supporters believing that he was at the forefront of literate, intelligent rock and his critics finding his entire body of work pompous. Either way, Sting remained one of pop's biggest superstars for the first ten years of his solo career, before his record sales began to slip. He won 3 Oscars, 3 Golden Globes, 17 Grammys and numerous other world-wide music and film awards. He had an outstanding career which can be compared only with the best that music industry has to offer.

Another thing worth being admired is his non-conformism that stood out from the begging completing his charm. His music will survive through ages to be listened by our grandchildren and maybe their grandchildren. His defying way of acting was noticed even before he started singing with The Police. Although this kind of behavior brought him mostly trouble he is now considered (also due to this aspect) an exceptional man.

Sting was also suspected of being a mason because of his exaggerated desire to keep his life in the shade and his repetitive speeches about his spirituality, meditation and faith. In my opinion, after achieving popularity and success Sting set up some new goals that didn't have anything to do with his career but with his love for nature, for his wife and for elegance of living. He started yoga, he started helping the rainforests and he started to sing for himself. Not for the mass. His music's message started to change in something more personal, more encrypted and very different from the music everybody was used to from The Police. He started making his kind of music. And that's the music that puts him above many Hollywood stars. He stopped chasing money and fame and went for more important things. That took a lot of moral strength and virtue. I can't help myself from being passionate when I talk about Sting for that's what he inspires, that's where his music reaches, and that's what his melodies are all about: Passion.

The end J