Sting
Singer, bassist and songwriter Sting celebrates his birthday today! Here are 52 facts about the man who brought together punk, rock, reggae and jazz, wrote some of the most recognizable songs by "The Police" and continued exploring new directions throughout his solo career:
(Photo: Martin Kierszenbaum / Sting.com)
1. He was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, in northeastern England.
2. He is the eldest of four children. His father worked as a milkman and his mother was a hairdresser. The shipyards on the River Tyne, near his childhood home, later became a recurring image in his work.
3. At ten, he began playing an old Spanish guitar left at the family home by a friend of his father's. He later switched to bass, which became his signature instrument.
4. Before finding fame, he worked as a bus conductor and in a tax office, among other jobs. After training as a teacher, he taught for about two years at St Paul's School in Cramlington.
5. Alongside teaching, he played clubs with local jazz ensembles, including "Newcastle Big Band", "Phoenix Jazzmen" and "Earthrise". Jazz was part of his musical vocabulary long before he encountered punk and reggae.
6. The nickname Sting originated during his time with "Phoenix Jazzmen": bandleader Gordon Solomon saw him wearing a black and yellow striped sweater that made him look like a stinging insect. The nickname stuck, although he never legally changed his name.
7. In the mid-1970s, he was the singer and bassist in the jazz fusion group "Last Exit", alongside keyboardist Gerry Richardson. It was there that he began developing his songwriting.
8. In 1977, he moved to London and formed "The Police" with Stewart Copeland and guitarist Henry Padovani. He became the band's lead singer, bassist and principal songwriter.
9. That same year, he also played in "Strontium 90", a short-lived group led by Mike Howlett, alongside Copeland and Andy Summers. Summers later joined "The Police"; after a brief period as a quartet, Padovani left and the familiar lineup took shape.
10. In the late 1970s, the members of "The Police" dyed their hair blond for a Wrigley's chewing gum commercial. The advertisement never aired, but the blond look remained and became part of the band's image.
11. In 1978, "The Police" released their debut album, "Outlandos d'Amour", which reached number six in the UK. Sting's contributions included "Roxanne", "Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely".
12. He wrote "Roxanne" after seeing women in a red-light district in Paris. The song was not an immediate hit, but its 1979 reissue helped the band break through.
13. In 1979, "The Police" released their second album, "Reggatta de Blanc", their first UK number one. Sting's songs "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" also topped the UK singles chart.
14. That same year, he appeared in "Quadrophenia", based on the rock opera by "The Who", playing the Mod leader known as Ace Face. The role helped introduce him as an actor.
15. In 1980, "The Police" released their third album, "Zenyatta Mondatta", which reached number one in the UK. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
16. In 1981, "The Police" released their fourth album, "Ghost in the Machine", another UK number one. Sting played saxophone as well as bass and sang on the record, broadening the group's sound.
17. As early as 1982, before his first solo album, he released "Spread a Little Happiness" from "Brimstone and Treacle", a film in which he played a leading role. The single reached number 16 in the UK.
18. In 1983, "The Police" released "Synchronicity", their fifth and final studio album. It topped the charts in both the UK and the US and included "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger".
19. Although widely used as a love song, "Every Breath You Take" is about control, surveillance and obsession. Sting's composition won Song of the Year at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
20. In 1984, he played Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's film "Dune". The tour by "The Police" ended that same year, and the band members turned to separate projects.
21. In 1985, he released his first solo album, "The Dream of the Blue Turtles", which reached number three in the UK. He recruited Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim and Darryl Jones, combining pop songwriting with the freedom of jazz musicians.
22. He described "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" as a response to the themes of control in "Every Breath You Take". "Russians", from the same debut album, combined a melody based on a theme by Sergei Prokofiev with a message against the nuclear threat.
23. In 1985, he contributed to "Money for Nothing" by "Dire Straits", singing the signature "I Want My MTV" refrain. He also received a co-writing credit with Mark Knopfler.
24. In July 1985, he performed at "Live Aid" at Wembley Stadium, including appearances alongside Phil Collins and "Dire Straits". Michael Apted's documentary "Bring on the Night", released that year, chronicled the formation of his solo band.
25. In 1987, he released his second solo album, "...Nothing Like the Sun", which topped the UK chart and won British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. Its title came from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130.
26. "Englishman in New York" was written about author and artist Quentin Crisp, who became his friend in New York. The same album featured "They Dance Alone", about women who lost their loved ones under Pinochet's regime in Chile.
27. In 1988, he joined Amnesty International's "Human Rights Now!" tour alongside Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour.
28. In 1989, he and his partner Trudie Styler established the Rainforest Foundation to protect rainforests and the rights of the Indigenous communities living in them.
29. In 1991, he released his third solo album, "The Soul Cages", which reached number one in the UK. Born out of grief over his father's death, the album returned to the landscapes and shipyards of his childhood; its title track won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.
30. During the period of "The Soul Cages", his third solo album, he assembled a band with Dominic Miller on guitar, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and David Sancious on keyboards. Miller became one of his most enduring and important musical partners.
31. In 1992, he married Trudie Styler. Sting has six children: two from his first marriage to actress Frances Tomelty and four with Styler. Several have pursued music and acting themselves.
32. In 1993, he released his fourth solo album, "Ten Summoner's Tales", which reached number two in the UK. Recorded at his home, Lake House, it included "Fields of Gold", "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" and "Seven Days".
33. "Shape of My Heart" was co-written with Dominic Miller and appeared on his fourth solo album, "Ten Summoner's Tales". It later featured in the film "Léon", and its guitar part found a new life through samples in other artists' songs.
34. In late 1993, he teamed up with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart for "All for Love", from the film "The Three Musketeers". The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
35. In 1996, he released his fifth solo album, "Mercury Falling", which reached number four in the UK. It blended country, gospel and bossa nova and included "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" and "I Hung My Head".
36. In 1999, he released his sixth solo album, "Brand New Day", which reached number five in the UK and won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. He sang "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami, while Stevie Wonder played harmonica on the title track. The use of "Desert Rose" in Jaguar advertisements in 2000 helped it become a hit in the US as well.
37. In 2000, he faced world chess champion Garry Kasparov in an exhibition match. Kasparov played Sting and several of his musicians simultaneously and defeated them all.
38. In 2001, Fender introduced his signature bass model, the Sting Precision Bass. Early Precision-style basses have been among the instruments most closely associated with him throughout his career.
39. On September 11, 2001, he recorded a concert at his estate in Italy on the day of the attacks in the US. After discussing it with his musicians, he decided to go ahead with the performance, which opened with "Fragile" and was released as the live album "...All This Time", reaching number three in the UK.
40. In 2003, he released his seventh solo album, "Sacred Love", which reached number three in the UK. "Whenever I Say Your Name", his duet with Mary J. Blige, won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
41. That same year, he entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of "The Police" and published his autobiography, "Broken Music", about his childhood and journey to success.
42. In 2006, he released his eighth solo album, "Songs from the Labyrinth", which reached number 24 in the UK. Working with lutenist Edin Karamazov, Sting revisited Renaissance works by John Dowland; the album topped Billboard's year-end Classical Albums chart in both 2006 and 2007.
43. In February 2007, he reunited with Copeland and Summers for a performance at the Grammy Awards. "The Police" then embarked on a worldwide reunion tour that lasted until August 2008, without releasing a new studio album.
44. In 2009, he released his ninth solo album, "If on a Winter's Night...", which reached number 15 in the UK. It featured folk songs, carols and winter-related compositions in acoustic and chamber arrangements.
45. In 2010, he released his tenth solo album, "Symphonicities", which reached number 30 in the UK. He re-recorded songs from his solo career and "The Police" with orchestral arrangements and toured with the "Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra".
46. In 2013, he released his 11th solo album, "The Last Ship", which reached number 14 in the UK. Its songs are connected to the musical he wrote, inspired by the shipbuilding community where he grew up. The production opened on Broadway in 2014, and he received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score.
47. In 2016, he released his 12th solo album, "57th & 9th", which reached number 15 in the UK and marked a return to rock and pop. Its title refers to the New York intersection he crossed on his way to the studio. That year, he also toured with Peter Gabriel.
48. In 2018, he and Shaggy released "44/876", his 13th studio album outside "The Police". It reached number nine in the UK and won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Its title combines the telephone dialing codes of the UK and Jamaica.
49. In 2019, he released "My Songs", his 14th studio album, featuring new recordings of familiar songs. It reached number 27 in the UK. In 2021, he released the collaborative compilation "Duets", which reached number 17 in the UK.
50. In November 2021, he released his 15th studio album, "The Bridge", which reached number 27 in the UK. Written during the pandemic, it included "If It's Love" and "Rushing Water". In 2023, he was awarded Fellowship of The Ivors Academy for his contribution to songwriting.
51. In 2024, he launched the "STING 3.0" tour with Dominic Miller on guitar and Chris Maas on drums. The stripped-down lineup was documented on the live album "STING 3.0 LIVE" in 2025. In 2026, he continued touring and returned to the stage with the musical "The Last Ship", including a London production in September and October.
52. As of his 75th birthday, Sting has won 17 Grammy Awards across his solo career and his work with "The Police", and received four Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. According to his official biography, his combined album sales with the band and as a solo artist total approximately 100 million.
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