Sting

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For other uses, see Sting (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox band Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, CBE (born 2 October, 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Gateshead. Prior to a distinguished solo career, he was the lead singer, principal composer, and bassist of the 1970s/1980s rock band The Police.

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Biography

Sumner was born in Wallsend, near Newcastle upon Tyne, in northeast England to Audrey Cowell (a Protestant) and her husband, Ernest Sumner (a Catholic via his own mother, Agnes White, whose father was an Irish stevedore). Ernest was a milkman, and raised his children as Roman Catholics.

From an early age, Gordon Sumner knew that he wanted to be a musician. He attended the Roman Catholic St. Cuthbert's Grammar School, in Newcastle upon Tyne, and then the University of Warwick, but did not graduate.

From 1971 until 1974, he attended Northern Counties Teacher Training College. He is the oldest of four children and has a brother, Philip, and two sisters, Angela and Anita.

Before playing music professionally, Sumner worked as a ditch digger and as a music teacher at a Catholic girls' school.

His first music gigs were wherever he could get a job. He played with local jazz bands such as the Phoenix Jazzmen and Last Exit.

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Origin of nickname

He has stated that he gained his nickname while with the Jazzmen. He once performed wearing a black and yellow jersey with hooped stripes that fellow band member Gordon Solomon had noted made him look like a bumblebee, thus he became "Sting." He uses Sting almost exclusively, except on official documents.

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The Police

In 1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Henry Padovani (who was very soon replaced by Andy Summers) formed the new wave band The Police in London. The group had several chart-topping albums and won six Grammy Awards in the early 1980s.

Although they jumped on the punk bandwagon early in their career, they soon abandoned that sound in favor of reggae-tinged rock and minimalist pop. Their last album, Synchronicity, which included their most successful song, Every Breath You Take, was released in 1983.

The Police performed together at some of the shows on the 1986 Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope Tour alongside U2 and other artists. Their performances were just for the benefit shows and were not part of an intended permanent reunion.

To help promote a greatest hits album that year they also made a re-recording of a new arrangement of all of their hits. Most were awful and only one deemed worthy to put on the album. The track was Don't Stand So Close to Me '86]]" included on the album.

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Solo Career

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Early Solo Work

In September 1981, Sting made his first-ever solo live performance 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.

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 included Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Phil Collins and Bob Geldof 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 major critical attention for Sting. Sting'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 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-twenty hit.

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1980s Solo Career

1985's The Dream of the Blue Turtles, featuring a star-studded cast of jazz musicians, was Sting's first solo album. It included the hit single "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free", which included a fan favorite 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.

Also in 1985, he sang the introduction and chorus to "Money for Nothing", a groundbreaking song by Dire Straits. He would perform this song with Dire Straits at the Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium.

Sting released ...Nothing Like the Sun(1987), including the hit songs "We'll Be Together" and "Be Still My Beating Heart", dedicated to his recently-deceased mother. It eventually went Double Platinum and was recognized as one of the most important rock & roll albums of the 1980s.

Soon thereafter, in February of 1988, he released Nada Como el Sol — a selection of five songs from Nothing Like the Sun sung (by Sting himself) in Spanish and Portuguese.

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1990s Solo Career

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.

In May 1993, he released a re-mix of the classic Police song from the Ghost In The Machine album, "Demolition Man" for the Demolition Man film, starring Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, and Benjamin Bratt.

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. Finally 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, but 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).

During this period, he 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 a drastic many overhauls and plot changes, many of which were documented by Sting's Wife, Trudie Styler. She captured the moment Sting 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.

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

(Sting also was featured on Toby Keith's country cover-version of "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying", on Keith's 1997 Dream Walkin' album.) In 1998, he appeared in the Guy Ritchie film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.

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2000s Solo Career

Sting made a (partial) comeback with the September 1999 album Brand New Day, including the Top-40 hits "Brand New Day" and "Desert Rose" (Top 10). 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 Cheb Mami. For his performance, the Arab-American Institute Foundation gave him the Kahlil Gibran Spirit of Humanity Award.

In February 2001, he added another Grammy to his collection. His song "After The Rain Has Fallen" made it into the Top 40. On September 11, he recorded a new live album in Italy, but the Internet simulcast was canceled after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Later, Sting performed "Fragile" for the fund-raiser America: A Tribute to Heroes. His live album, All This Time, recorded on a moonlit night in Tuscany, was released in November but did not generate healthy sales. All This Time featured jazzy re-workings of Sting favorites such as "Roxanne" and "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free".

2002 was a year of awards for Sting. He won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for his second Academy Award for his song "Until ..." from the film Kate & Leopold. In June, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Late in the year, it was announced that The Police would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003. In the summer, Sumner was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Sting kicked off 2003 with a performance during the Super Bowl's half-time show. During that performance Sting performed a duet with Gwen Stefani of "Message in a Bottle". 2003 also saw the release of Sacred Love, an original studio album with racier beats and experiments collaborating with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar maestro Anoushka Shankar.

His autobiography Broken Music was published in October. Sting embarked on a Sacred Love tour in 2004 with performances by Annie Lennox. Also in 2004, his song "You Will Be My Ain True Love" for the Cold Mountain soundtrack was an Oscar nominee, and was performed at the awards by Alison Krauss, with Sting accompanying on a hurdy-gurdy.

Continuing with his involvement in Live Aid, on July 2, 2005 he performed "Message In A Bottle", "Driven To Tears" and "Every Breath You Take" at Live 8.

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Charity Work

Throughout the 1980s, Sting strongly supported environmentalism and humanitarian movements, such as Amnesty International. With long-time girlfriend Trudie Styler and Raoni Metuktire, a Kayapó Indian leader in Brazil, he founded the Rainforest Foundation to help save the rainforests. His support for these causes continues to this day.

His most high-profile contribution to the human-rights cause came in 1988, when he joined a team of major musicians and rising stars—-including Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen—-assembled under the banner of Amnesty International for the six-week world Human Rights Now! Tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Personal life

Sting married actress Frances Tomelty, a Roman Catholic from Northern Ireland, on 1 May, 1976. The couple had two children, Joseph (born 1976), and Fuchsia Catherine (born 1982), before they divorced in 1984.

In 1982--shortly 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 Trudie have four children: Bridget Michael (a.k.a. "Mickey," born 1984), Jake (born 1985), Eliot Pauline (nicknamed "Coco," born 1990), and Giacomo Luke (born 1995). Sting's lookalike son Joseph is following in his father's musical footsteps and is a member of the band Fiction Plane (see [1]).

Both of Sting's parents died from cancer in the 1980s; however he did not attend either funeral, later stating that he didn't want to attract media attention.

Although Sting owns six homes worldwide (including houses in London, a 60-acre estate called "Lake House" located in Salisbury England, New York City, and Malibu, California), he currently calls Tuscany, Italy his home.

Professional Wrestler Steve Borden owns the trademark on the name "Sting". Steve Borden receives a small percentage of the money Gordon Sumner earns whilst performing under the stage name "Sting"

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Indian culture

It is unclear whether he was serious or not when he referred to himself as manic-depressive. He has written a song entitled "Lithium Sunset" which appears to refer to lithium carbonate, a treatment for the disorder.

According to some reports, he did this because he wanted to help people who really have this disease.

In an interview given by Sting, he also referred to what he believed was the natural occurrence of lithium in the brain when one views a sunset, but this may have been a confusion with endorphins.

Although Sting was long reputed to be a devotee of tantric sex, he has more recently claimed that it was an interview prank, or a dinner-party joke that took on a life of its own.

To keep physically fit, for years Sting ran five miles a day, and did aerobics. However, around 1990 he met Danny Paradise who introduced him to yoga. Soon after, Sting began a regular yoga practice. His practice consists primarily of a Ashtanga Vinyasa series, though he has experimented with other forms.

In early 2005, Sting proclaimed that he admires Hinduism, wants to spend a lot more time in India and that he loves Indian culture. His words in an interview were:

In a sense I am more of a Hindu ... I like the Hindu religion more than anything else at the moment I have become addicted to India ... I would want to spend the rest of my life discovering your beautiful country (see [2]).
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Trivia

  • In his Live-8 performance he changed the lyrics to his song 'Every Breath You Take' from "I'll be watching you” to "we'll be watching you" — meant for the men of the G-8.
  • Sting also was the inspiration for the comic book character John Constantine (from Hellblazer). When Constantine first appears, he's rowing a boat called "The Honorable Gordon Sumner"--Sting's real name. Writer Alan Moore said he created Constantine because the artist wanted to draw Sting.
  • The prologue to the Dire Straits' recording "Money for Nothing" that features Sting singing the words "I want my MTV"--and later in the song, along with the backing chorus--was at the invitation of Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. Sting came up with the musical motif to use for the words--and it was (probably consciously) musically identical to the melody line in his own Police song "Don't Stand So Close To Me" from the album Zenyatta Mondatta.

Even though the prologue only occupies a few seconds at the start of the recording--Sting's music publisher Virgin Music insisted that Sting be credited (and paid) as though he had written half of the entire song.

Sting and Knopfler remained friends despite this difference between their two music publishers and the fact that half of the writer's share of Knopfler's biggest hit goes to Sting for a contribution of just six musical notes out of the entire song.

  • Sting also made a cameo appearance in the movie, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (see [3]).
  • The song "Russians" from The Dream of the Blue Turtles utilized a theme by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. Sting's fondness for Prokofiev manifested itself subsequently when he served as narrator for Peter and the Wolf: A Prokofiev Fantasy (see [4])--one of the many versions of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf that have been recorded by celebrities.
  • He appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons, taking part in the charity song for a boy who supposedly fell down a well, "We're Sending Our Love Down The Well".
  • Sting's song "Desert Rose" was used in many Jaguar commercials because he was driven around in a Jaguar S-Type in the song's music video. The song is still widely associated with Jaguar.
  • A Colombian tree frog was named for him in appreciation of his environmental activities: (see[5]) Hyla stingi (see [6]).
  • Was at one time close to becoming ([7]) Gil Farrington in a motion picture of the same name, until Sir Ridley Scott terminated the project.
  • Sting famously claimed to have had tantric sex with his wife for 24 hours.
  • Sting's song "Desert Rose" is also used as XM Satellite Radio's technical difficulties music.
  • Sting has his own signature Fender Precision Bass, but over the years, has played a variety of basses, including a fretless Fender Precision Bass, a 1960s Fender Jazz Bass, a fretless Ibanez Musician Bass, a Spector NS-1, and several others.
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Discography

(Albums released as a solo artist)

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Singles

From Ten Summoner's Tales

  • 1992 "It's Probably Me" (with Eric Clapton) #30 UK
  • 1993 "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" #14 UK, #17 U.S.
  • 1993 "Seven Days" #25 UK
  • 1993 "Fields of Gold" #16 UK, #23 U.S.

Non-album single; soundtrack from the film of the same name

  • 1993 "Demolition Man" #21 UK

From The Three Musketeers soundtrack

  • 1994 "All for Love" (with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart) #2 UK, #1 U.S.

From Ten Summoner's Tales

  • 1994 "Nothing 'Bout Me" #32 UK

From Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994

  • 1994 "When We Dance" #9 UK, #38 U.S.
  • 1995 "This Cowboy Song" (feat. Pato Banton) #15 UK

From Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls soundtrack

  • 1996 "Spirits in the Material World" (Pato Banton feat. Sting) #36 UK

From Mercury Falling

  • 1996 "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" #15 UK, #86 U.S.
  • 1996 "You Still Touch Me" #27 UK, #60 U.S.
  • 1996 "I Was Brought to My Senses" #31 UK
  • 1996 "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" #94 U.S.

From The Very Best of Sting & The Police

  • 1997 "Roxanne '97" (remix) (with The Police) #17 UK, #59 U.S.

From Brand New Day

  • 1999 "Brand New Day" #13 UK, #100 U.S.
  • 2000 "Desert Rose" (feat. Cheb Mami) #15 UK, #17 U.S.
  • 2000 "After the Rain Has Fallen" #31 UK

From Slicker Than Your Average (Craig David album)

  • 2003 "Rise & Fall" (Craig David feat. Sting) #2 UK

From Sacred Love

  • 2003 "Send Your Love" #30 UK
  • 2003 "Whenever I Say Your Name (Duet with Mary J. Blige)" #60 UK
  • 2004 "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)" #60 UK

From the Racing Stripes soundtrack

  • 2005 "Taking the Inside Rail" #? U.S., #? UK
Year Title Chart positions Album
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. Modern Rock UK Singles Chart
1982 "Spread a Little Happiness" - - #16 Brimstone and Treacle [Soundtrack]
1985 "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" #3 - #26 The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1985 "Russians" #16 - #12 The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1985 "Fortress Around Your Heart" #8 - - The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1985 "Love Is the Seventh Wave" #17 - - The Dream of the Blue Turtles
1987 "We'll Be Together" #7 - - Nothing Like the Sun
1988 "Be Still My Beating Heart" #15 - - Nothing Like the Sun
1988 "Englishman in New York" #84 - #15 Nothing Like the Sun
1991 "All This Time" #5 #1 (2 weeks) #22 The Soul Cages
1991 "The Soul Cages" - #9 - The Soul Cages
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Acting career

Image:Feyd Rautha.jpg

Sting occasionally has ventured into acting. He made his film debut with 1979's Quadrophenia.

Notable roles include:

Sting also has made appearances on television (including guest spots on The Simpsons and Ally McBeal) and the stage. Most of his later film and television credits are for his music.

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See also

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External links

da:Sting de:Sting es:Sting fa:استینگ fr:Sting it:Sting he:סטינג nl:Sting no:Sting hu:Sting ja:スティング (ミュージシャン) pl:Sting pt:Sting simple:Gordon Sumner sk:Gordon Matthew Sumner fi:Sting sv:Sting

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