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Sting
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Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
(born 2 October 1951)
[on his being made a CBE] Being a Commander of the British Empire isn't really what it's cracked up to be, since I can't command anybody. Everyone always ignores me.
-- Sting
Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, founded the Rainforest Foundation in 1988.
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Sting Trivia
He has 6 children, two from his first wife Frances Tomelty, four from Trudie Styler.
Lived with Trudie Styler for about 10 years before marrying her.
Bass player and lead singer for influential 70s-80s new wave group The Police.
His favorite music is actually jazz.
Was a certified primary school teacher in England. He also taught English in a secondary school in Cramlington near Newcastle.
Got his nickname "Sting" from the black and gold rugby shirts he used to wear, which made him look like a hornet.
Sting appeared in Threepenny Opera in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s.
Attended Warwick University in Coventry, England but never graduated.
Son, Joseph, is a singer in a band and bears a striking resemblance to Sting. Joe's singing sounds similar to his father's as well.
Is the godfather of Madonna's new born, Rocco.
The comic book character John Constantine from DC's Hellblazer was designed to look like Sting.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Police) on 10 March 2003.
Album "Nothing Like the Sun" is dedicated to his mother, Audrey.
Children: Joseph Sumner (b. 23 November 1976) and Fuschia Sumner (b. 17 April 1982) by Frances Tomelty; Mickey Sumner (b. 19 January 1984), Jake Sumner (b. 24 May 1985), Coco Sumner (b. 30 July 1990) and Giacomo Sumner (b. 17 December 1995) by Trudie Styler.
Filmed his son Jake's birth and put in his movie, Bring on the Night (1985)
He was a member of Band Aid (1984).
Appointed CBE in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List.
Now resides in a Malibu house formerly owned by actor Larry Hagman.
Sting takes in an average of $2000.00 per day in royalties for this now 20 year old song "Every Breath You Take." The song is officially the most requested radio song of all time.
His song "Roxanne" was covered by George Michael on the album "Songs from the Last Century".
Performed for the BBC's annual Children in Need charity event. [21 November 2003]
Is a big fan of "Richard Laymer, the Copy Guy," a popular character created by Rob Schneider for "Saturday Night Live" (1975). Sting was the first SNL host/musical guest to appear in a "Copy Guy" sketch; he later wrote the cast and crew a letter from "Sting. The Stingster. Der Stinglehoffer. Sting-a-ling-a-ding-dong. Sting-o. The Stingman."
Speaks fluent Portuguese.
The Police were voted the 70th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.
The comic book character of John Constantine (Hellblazer), eventually featured in the Keanu Reeves movie, was designed to look like Sting, and, in fact, was created solely for the purpose of including a character who looks like Sting in the Swamp Thing comic. In one Swamp Thing issue, there's a boat called the USS Gordon Sumner.
Wrote "Every Breath You Take" after waking up in the middle of the night from a dream.
The Police ended their last tour in early 1984 and only regrouped to play a few benefit dates in 1986. Their last performance to date was March 10, 2003 at their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction. They have never announced an official breakup.
His song "Roxanne" is one of the top 50 bar/jukebox songs of all time, according to VH-1.
His album with The Police, "Synchronicity", was the album that finally knocked Michael Jackson's "Thriller", the best selling album of all time, out of the number one spot it held for most of 1983.
Along with Trudie Styler, he introduced Madonna to her second husband Guy Ritchie
Former son-in-law of actor-writer Joseph Tomelty
He is an avid Newcastle United supporter.
Attended St. Cuthbert's Catholic High School in Newcastle, although at the time he went it was a Catholic grammar school. Other students have included TV presenter Declan Donnelly, Pet Shop Boys lead singer Neil Tennant, British Prisoner of War and journalist John Nichol as well as renowned architect Terry Farrell who designed the MI6 building overlooking the River Thames in London.
One of his children suffers from dyspraxia - a developmental disorder of the brain in childhood affecting movement and coordination
In an interview in the late 90s, said he liked some American Country music, mentioning Hank Williams and "Gentleman" Jim Reeves as two of his favorites.
Winner of several Grammy Awards beginning with: "Reggatta De Blanc" (Best Rock Instrumental Performance / The Police) (1980); "Behind My Camel" (Best Rock Instrumental Performance / The Police) (1981); "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal / The Police) (1981); "Brimstone and Treacle" (Best Rock Instrumental Performance / solo) (1983); "Synchronicity" (Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal / The Police) (1983); "Every Breath You Take" (Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal / Song of the Year / The Police) (1983); "Bring On the Night" (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male / solo) (1987); "Soul Cages" (Best Rock Song / solo) (1991); "Ten Summoner's Tales" (Best Music Video-Long Form / solo) (1993); "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male / solo) (1993); "Brand New Day" (Best Pop Album / Best Male Pop Vocal Performance / solo) (1999); "She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rosa)" (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance / solo) (2000); "Whenever I Say Your Name" (Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals / with Mary J. Blige) (2003)
His eldest daughter is actress Fuschia Sumner.
He is a vegetarian.
The Police won the British Phonographic Industry Award for Outstanding Contribution in 1985.
His album "Nothing Like The Sun" won the British Phonographic Industry Award for British Album in 1988.
Winner of the 2002 Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement.
Winner of the 1994 Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist.
Winner of the 2002 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. Only Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Freddie Mercury have also won the award as a member of a band and as an individual.
The 2005 winning horse of the Kentucky Derby, Giacomo, is named after Sting and Trudie's son of the same name. The owner of the horse, Jerry Moss, is good friends with Sting and recorded him on A&M Records.
Reunited with his former band-mates and performed at the 2007 Grammy Awards. The next day, The Police announced a worldwide tour in 2007, the first tour since 1986.
Two of the songs he sang with The Police are also the titles of films starring Sandra Bullock: Demolition Man (1993) and Murder by Numbers (2002).
Ranked #9 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
Ranked #63 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
Former bus conductor and tax officer.
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Sting Quotes
My job is being a musician [...] I just make films for fun, really.
I'm bored with music between 1955 and 1980. I'm completely bored. I can't listen to a rock and roll record. I can't do it. I would rather listen to hogs screwing.
"It was quite something. My wife saw it, too. At first I thought it was her with one of the kids until I reached over and I realised that she was still in bed with me" - on seeing the ghosts of a woman and a child in his bedroom
The geniuses of music, like Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach) and Miles Davis, used silence beautifully; they were not about using as many notes as possible. They knew that playing almost nothing can be the most elegant and eloquent thing to do.
I'm so glad I have this way of expressing, in a veiled and artistic way, my most intimate feelings. A lot of people have the same feelings, but in others it must get bottled up. I'm proud of my being able to make it into artifacts that some people find beautiful or engaging.
I don't belong to a church or political party or a group of any kind. I feel that Amnesty International is the most civilized organization in history. Its currency is the written word. Its weapon is the letter; that's why I am a member. I believe in its non-violence; I believe in its effectiveness. Its dignity and its sense of commitment. Its focus on individuals and the concentration and tenacity with which they defend those imprisoned for their ideas has earned it the cautious respect of repressive governments throughout the world.
If anyone described me as a genius I would laugh. I have my moments - I just have to join them together.
I am very proud of the legacy of The Police. We are a damn good band and it still holds up. (On the induction of The Police into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
You can't get better than Otis Redding.
You can scratch the surface of my songs pretty lightly and you'll find someone who wanted to be James Taylor at the age of 14. He's also a brilliant and ridiculously underrated guitar player and blessed with a voice that could melt ice caps.
One of my favorite songs that I never wrote was "Tempted" and I did actually cover it. It's a great song, and Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook are great songwriters. Squeeze were always a great band, and it was nice to cover it.
I loved the band Traffic for their way of creating a musical universe without these boundaries, because whether it's country, pop, gospel, heavy metal or classical music, it's all a single language, a code.
I first met Youssou (Youssou N'Dour) with Peter (Peter Gabriel) several years ago when we worked together on an Amnesty tour. Both of them have such extraordinary voices and Peter has done a lot to promote world music in general and that should be acknowledged as it's been a one man crusade on his part.
The great thing about Bruce is that he's exactly as he seems. A great man. (On Bruce Springsteen)
He's a great artist and he really inspired me. (On Bob Dylan)
For me they are pop songs. Beautiful melodies, fantastic lyrics, great accompaniments. I feel that my job as a pop artist is to develop as a musician, and to bring into my sphere elements that aren't necessarily pop, more complex intervals, complex time signatures. (On performing the music of John Dowland on his album "Songs From The Labyrinth")
