School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Sting

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Sting's real name is Gordon Sumner, and he was born on 2 October 1951 in Wallsend, by the shipyards of north-east England. He learned to play bass by playing records at a faster speed, so that he could hear the bass lines better. After training as a teacher he stood in front of a class for two years and played jazz in the evenings. He got his nickname in a jazz band, because in his black-and-yellow striped jumper he looked like a wasp.

Music and breakthrough

In 1977 he formed The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, in which he sang, played bass and wrote most of the songs. The band began with a punk-like sound, but found its own voice in a mix of reggae and bare, tight rock. Roxanne and Every Breath You Take became their best-known songs, and Synchronicity (1983) was their last album. In 1985 Sting started his solo career with The Dream of the Blue Turtles, recorded with jazz musicians such as the saxophonist Branford Marsalis. It included If You Love Somebody Set Them Free and Russians. Later came, among others, ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), with Englishman in New York, and Ten Summoner's Tales (1993), with Fields of Gold.

Influence

As a solo artist Sting mixes rock with jazz, reggae, classical music and world music. In 1985 he appeared at Live Aid and sang along on Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. With The Police he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Russians (1985). Notice the melody, which Sting borrowed from the Lieutenant Kijé suite by the Russian composer Prokofiev, and how the sombre, restrained sound suits the fear of nuclear war.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists