The Police (music group)
The Police is a British rock band that formed in 1977 and is recognized for its significant influence on the punk rock and new wave music scenes. The band's lineup comprised bassist Gordon "Sting" Sumner, drummer Stewart Copeland, and guitarist Andy Summers, who joined after the original guitarist Henri Padovani. Known for their eclectic sound, The Police blended elements of punk, reggae, and pop, achieving commercial success with hits like "Roxanne," "Every Breath You Take," and "Message in a Bottle." Their debut album, *Outlandos D'Amour*, released in 1978, laid the groundwork for their rise to fame, followed by successful albums such as *Reggatta de Blanc* and *Synchronicity*.
Despite their popularity, the band members pursued solo projects, leading to their eventual disbandment in the mid-1980s. However, The Police reunited for a world tour in 2007, which was met with enthusiastic reception and significant financial success. Over the years, The Police have received numerous accolades, including Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing their legacy as one of the defining acts of their era.
On this Page
The Police (music group)
The Police formed in 1977. The band came of age among the best of the punk rock artists, and a few years later rode the crest of the new wave movement with frequent play on MTV. The group was known for experimenting and pushing the genre of punk and pop. The band lineup changed slightly during its formative years, but cemented with bassist Gordon "Sting" Sumner, drummer Stewart Copeland, and guitarist Andy Summers.
Early Years
Sting gained his nickname because of a black-and-yellow sweater, which reminded his friends around Newcastle, England, of a bee. He held down several jobs and was a schoolteacher, but in his spare time he played bass with various groups.
Copeland had an exotic upbringing. His father was a field officer for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), while his mother was an archaeologist. Copeland grew up in the Middle East, lived in California while attending college, then moved to England. He was playing with a progressive-rock band, Curved Air, when he met Sting in 1976. The two joined forces under a name Copeland chose—The Police—and added guitarist Henri Padovani. They were booked in clubs for several months. Padovani played on the band's first single on an indie label, "Fallout." Copeland's brother, Miles, was the band's manager.
Summers played with several groups in a variety of musical styles. Nearly a decade older than Copeland and Sting, Summers had been performing with progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and rhythm and blues bands. He soon replaced Padovani in the lineup of the Police.
One of the band's first gigs was in a chewing gum commercial, for which they dyed their hair white blond. The look eventually became a hallmark of the band.
The three were skilled musicians; this put them at a distinct disadvantage in the punk-rock music scene at the time. They opted for a spare sound, which set them apart from the rest. The songs they wrote also were flavored by reggae.
Sting's song "Roxanne," about a prostitute, drew the attention of A&M Records, which signed the band. The musicians opted for more royalties rather than up-front money.
Miles Copeland was determined to break the Police into the U.S. music market, and in late 1978 he sent the band on a tour of U.S. college markets and select cities. Ian Copeland, another brother, organized equipment, transportation, and other details through Frontier Booking International (FBI), his agency.
The strategy sold albums, and Miles Copeland began booking the group in countries including Argentina and India. The ultra-pale hair made the musicians seem younger and on the cutting edge of new wave hipness.
Album Successes
The first Police album, 1978's Outlandos D'Amour, or "outlaws of love," includes "Roxanne," which made it to number twelve in the United Kingdom (UK) charts and thirty-two in the United States. The first album and the 1979 release of the second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which roughly translates as "white reggae," were in the U.S. top thirty. The Police had its first number one UK hits with "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon."
After a rigorous year touring in support of Reggatta de Blanc, the band was extremely popular. Fans waited impatiently for the third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, which the band finished recording the morning it began a new world tour.
The tone of songs by the Police changed as the musicians became more worldly. Sting became introspective and philosophical as he crafted "Canary in a Coalmine" and "Driven to Tears." Yet lively, fun-loving songs also had a place in the band's discography, and "Don't Stand So Close to Me" enjoyed considerable radio play.
The Police recorded a fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, on Montserrat in the Caribbean. The new setting influenced the sound, which included keyboards and saxophones. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" became a number one hit in the UK and reached third place on the U.S. charts. "Spirits in the Material World" indicated Sting's expanded worldview, while the bloodshed in Northern Ireland inspired "Invisible Sun."
Growing Apart
The artists pursued other projects as well. Sting appeared in several films, including the science fiction movie Dune. Copeland released a solo EP under the name Klark Kent, worked with Peter Gabriel, and composed a movie soundtrack for a Francis Ford Coppola film. Summers worked on albums with Robert Fripp.
The band returned to Montserrat to record Synchronicity. The lead single from the album, "Every Breath You Take," was number one for eight weeks in the United States. The ten-million-selling album also features "King of Pain,"Synchronicity II," and "Wrapped Around Your Finger," which were top-twenty hits in the United States. Synchronicity brought the Police three Grammy Awards in 1984, and "Every Breath You Take" garnered the Grammy for song of the year.
Sting released a solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, in 1985 as the Police took what the members called a sabbatical. He went on tour with his own band to promote the work. The band tried to record a sixth studio album, but internal friction stymied the creative process.
The Police as a band came to its end, and Sting, Summers, and Copeland embarked on solo careers. Yet the Police claimed some more time on the charts. In 1986, Every Breath You Take: The Singles was number one on the UK album charts. It sold three million U.S. copies and held number seven on the U.S. charts. Other albums followed: the box set Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings in 1993, and two years later, Live!, the double-disc collection of concerts recorded in 1979 and 1983.
The Police reunited briefly, performing in 1992 at Sting's wedding to actress Trudie Styler. In 2003, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As part of the celebration, the Police performed "Message in a Bottle."
In 2007, the band launched a reunion world tour that grossed more than $350 million. The Police donated the proceeds from the band's final performance, at Madison Square Garden, to local public television stations.
Bibliography
"Biography." The Police. ThePolice.com. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. http://www.thepolice.com/biography
Graff, Gary. "Stewart Copeland Tells Police 'War Stories' in New Book." Billboard. Billboard. 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267230/stewart-copeland-tells-police-war-stories-in-new-book
"The Police Biography." Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. https://rockhall.com/inductees/the-police/bio/
"The Police Biography." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-police/biography
"Sting Biography." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Web. 6 Jan. 2016. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/sting/biography