Sting, real name Gordon Matthew Sumner, *2 October 1951 Wallsend-on-Tyne (near Newcastle), English singer, composer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and actor. He was self-taught in music. He grew up in Newcastle, where from 1971 he played in jazz bands, including The Phoenix Jazzmen (where he earned the nickname Sting) and later in Big Band Newcastle; in 1974 he formed the jazz-rock group The Last Exit, in which he made his debut as a vocalist. In 1977-83 (and again in 1986 and 2007) he was a member of the band The Police (albums including Outlandos D’Amour, 1978; Regatta de Blanc, 1979; Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980; Ghost in the Machine, 1981; Synchronicity, 1983). The group achieved artistic and commercial success with hits written by Sting, among others: Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You, Every Breath You Take. He made his first solo recordings in 1982 for the film Brimstone and Treacle (dir. D. Potter). After The Police disbanded (1984), he developed a solo career. In 1985, together with jazz musicians (including K. Kirkland and B. Marsalis), he recorded his first self-titled album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and went on a world tour, which was filmed (Bring on the Night, dir. M. Apted, 1985), while songs from the soundtrack were released in 1986 on a double album. In 1987 Sting performed with the orchestra of G. Evans at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia (album Last Session, 1987), and his next album Nothing Like the Sun was released (in addition to Kirkland and Marsalis, the recordings included M. Cinélu, M. Knopfler, E. Clapton and Evans’ orchestra). In the same year, Sting founded the non-commercial label Pangaea, where in 1988 he released Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Story performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1991 he narrated S. Prokofiev’s musical tale Peter and the Wolf (conducted by C. Abbado, DG). The same year he recorded the highly acclaimed album Soul Cages, which marked the end of a three-year creative crisis caused by the death of his parents. Further success came with his subsequent albums: Ten Summoner’s Tales (1993), Brand New Day (1999), All This Time (2001), and Sacred Love (2003). In 2005, together with lutenist E. Karamazov, he recorded an album of J. Dowland songs, Songs from the Labyrinth, released by the Deutsche Grammophon label. His album If on a Winter’s Night (2009) also drew on early music, featuring works by H. Purcell, M. Praetorius, and others. Sting is the author of the musical Last Ship (premiered in 2014); songs from the show were released on an album of the same title. He returned to pop and rock music with the album The Bridge (2021).
He appeared in a number of feature films, including: Quadrophenia (dir. F. Roddam, 1979), Radio On (dir. C. Petit, 1979), Dune (dir. D. Lynch, 1984), Stormy Monday (dir. M. Figgis, 1988), as well as stage and radio productions. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including a 2001 Grammy Award for his album Brand New Day, as well as honorary doctorates from Newcastle University (1992) and Berklee College of Music in Boston (1994). He is an active supporter of Amnesty International; he is also involved in humanitarian and environmental campaigns. He performs regularly in Poland. Sting is among the most popular rock and pop artists with his music consistently present on international charts since the late 1970s. Early on, he drew inspiration from J. Bruce and P. McCartney. With The Police, he quickly developed his own compositional and vocal style characterized by a high, slightly husky voice that works well in both dynamic songs (We’ll Be Together, All This Time, Brand New Day) and lyrical ballads (Fragile, Sister Moon, Shape of My Heart).
After leaving The Police, with whom he had performed pop-rock infused with reggae, he significantly expanded the musical range of his works. He introduced elements of jazz (including extended solo parts) and ethnic music (Desert Rose, The Book of My Life), modernized his sound through the use of electronic and exotic instruments, and enriched the rhythmic layer. Sting’s works are characterized by their rich melodic lines, inventive harmonies, meticulously conceived arrangements, and lyrically sophisticated texts.
Literature: Sting The Broken Music. Memory, London 2003.
