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Sting was born in Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. In 1977 Gordon moved from Newcastle to London and met Stewart Copeland and Henry Padovani to form a new wave band called The Police. They enjoyed success from the late 70's to early 80's, releasing five albums, four of which topped the charts in the UK and one that topped the charts in the US also. They enjoyed huge success with their punk inspired sounds which developed into a minimalist reggae tinged rock/pop and had a plethora of hit singles including 'Message In A Bottle' 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Walking On The Moon'.
The band unofficially parted after their final release 'Synchronicity' to focus on their solo careers. Sting's first solo gig was at Amnesty International's The Secret Policeman's Other Ball where he performed solo versions of tracks such as 'Roxanne' and 'Message In A Bottle'. In 1985, Sting finally released his debut record which featured a heavier lean towards jazz including the musicians Kenny Kirkland, Darryl Jones, Omar Hakim and Branford Marsalis. Once again, he enjoyed a number of hit singles from the record and within a year it had been awarded triple platinum. To add to the accolades Sting also received four Grammy nominations for 'The Dream Of Blue Turtles'.
Sting was part of the iconic Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' charity single which raised money for famine victims in Ethiopia and took part in the live aid concert the following year, playing a selection of The Police hits. His next album '...Nothing Like The Sun' mirrored the successes of his first, more hit singles, more Grammy Nominations and this time a Brit Award for Best Album. The following four releases all reached the top five of the UK charts and have now been certified as platinum selling. In 2007 he reunited with his Police bandmates as the introductory act for the 2007 Grammy Awards, singing 'Roxanne' and subsequently announced a huge worldwide tour which sold out almost instantly.
Sting has had multiple successes both with his band and as a solo artist. He has accumulated a total of sixteen Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards and several Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. He is known for his musical abilities but also his activism, becoming patrons for several charities including Elton John's AIDS foundation. He has sold over 100 million records to date.
Sting performing with the Philarmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria was such a special night. It was a balmy evening in July, in an open air stadium when the sounds of Every Little Thing she does is Magic starts then Sting hits the stage wearing a black jacket, black trousers and a white shirt. This concert was so unique as he was accompanied by a philarmonic Orchestra and his own band, rocking out some of the old Police songs and many of his own. The Spanish audience went wild when he Sang Englishman in New York and changed the words to Englishman in Gran Canaria. When he sang Fields of Gold, When We Dance and Shape of My Heart, I was so engrossed in the atmosphere I could hardly see the stage through the tears. All night the Spanish audience never missed a single word (the lyrics being sung by everyone in the crowd) and they clapped for over 2 hours, with a short break in the middle. The orchestra managed to adapt many of the well known UK hit songs including Mad About You, Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and many more. He may now be 60 years old but his voice and emotion have never wavered over the years; it was a truly magnificent concert.
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