Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner earned the honorary title of Commander of the British Empire for his service to music, as a songwriter and performer. Sumner is far better known by his stage name Sting.
Sting was born in Wallsend, North Tyneside, where the shipyards had a strong influence on him as a child. In fact, he has written a musical, “The Last Ship,” based on the impact of the shipyard on the community. From 1971 to 1974, Sting attended Northern Counties College of Education (today Northumbria University), graduating as a qualified teacher. He taught for two years while playing jazz on breaks, weekends, and evenings.
Lighting struck in 1977 when he, Henry Padovani (replaced by Andy Summers), and Steward Copeland formed The Police, with Sting as the primary songwriter. During the period 1978 to 1983, the group put five albums on the UK charts, won six Grammys and two Brit Awards. In 1983 “Synchronicity” won five Grammy nominations including “Album of the Year.”
After The Police disbanded, Sting went on to a highly successful career as a solo artist. To date, he has sold more than 100 million records. A review says:
“This was the best concert I have been to since The Police back in the 80's.”
Sting will appear at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre on February 6. Shows like this benefit when organizers use poster printing to advertise them.