The Police | Artist
The Police were a British rock band formed 1977 in London by Sting (vocals, bass), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums). Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae and jazz, becoming globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and launching the solo career of Gordon Sumner CBE aka Sting. The band started when American drummer Stewart Copeland met ambitious singer-bassist Sting in November 1976. Copeland drummed for UK prog band Curved Air and former school teacher Sting was playing in a jazz-rock band named Last Exit. The duo formed the Police as trio with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani and began playing the London pub circuit. Their first single "Fall Out" was recorded with a budget of £150 and released in May 1977. Sting and Copeland met guitarist Andy Summers, who had played with artists such as Eric Burdon and Kevin Ayers, and recruited him to replace Padovani. The Police's power-trio lineup now including Summers performed for the first time on 18 Aug 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham. This line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. From 1977 to 1986 when they disbanded, the Police released five consistently good studio albums and became one of the most successful bands in the world. Standout albums include Outlandos d'Amour (1978), Reggatta de Blanc (1979), Zenyattà Mondatta (1980), Synchronicity (1983), and Around the World - Live (2022). The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling and highest-earning artists of all time. Their punky-pop sound, songs mainly written by Sting, seamlessly blended elements of new-wave, reggae and jazz, mainly thanks to the versatility of guitarist Andy Summers and Copeland's rhythmic technique. After the band's break-up Sting went on to fame and fortune as both a solo musician and film actor. Stewart Copeland continued with a successful solo career, and composed and performed many soundtracks for big-budget films. Likewise, Andy Summers carried on with a successful solo career. Stewart Copeland's brother Miles Axe Copeland III was a music executive and the manager of the Police. He later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producing R.E.M., the Bangles, Berlin, the Cramps, Dead Kennedys, the Alarm, the Go-Go's, and others. In 2003, The Police 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 band were included among both Rolling Stone's and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
Artist Website: thepolice.com
Featured Albums: The Police
Related Artists: Sting, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers
