Sting

Sting

Name: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
DOB: Oct. 2, 1951
Where: Wallsend, England
Genres: rock, pop, new wave, jazz, new age, blue-eyed soul
Occupations: musician, producer, singer-songwriter
Instruments: vocals, bass guitar, guitar, double bass, keyboards, lute
Years Active: 1971-present
Website: www.sting.com

-Best known as the lead singer of The Police

Early Life
-Oldest of 4 kids born to Audrey, a hairdresser and Ernest Matthew Sumner, a milkman and engineer
-When he was young, he would sneak into clubs to see people like Cream and Jimi Hendrix
-Worked as a schoolteacher at St. Paul's First School for 2 years

Music
-In January 1977, moved to London and joined Stuart Copeland and Henry Padovani to form The Police
-Between 1978-1983, they released 5 chart topping albums and won 6 Grammy awards.
-Synchronocity was the last album The Police released together before Sting decided to go solo
-September 1981: Sting makes his first solo appearance. Peformed "Roxanne" "Message in a Bottle". His first solo album was called The Dream of the Blue Turtles and was released in 1985
-On February 11, 2007, he was the intoductory act for the 2007 Grammy Awards, singing "Roxanne".

Personal Life
-Married film producer Trudie Styler on August 20, 1992, they have 4 kids: Bridget Michael, Jake, Eliot Pauline, Giacomo Luke

Discography
Acting

Sting occasionally has ventured into acting. Film and television roles include:

• The Ace Face, the King of The Mods, a.k.a. The Bell Boy in the movie adaptation of The Who album Quadrophenia (1979)
• Radio On : Just Like Eddie (1980)
• The angel Helith in the BBC TV film Artemis 81 (1981)
• Martin Taylor, a drifter in Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
• Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in the movie Dune (1984)
• Steerpike in two BBC Radio 4 broadcasts based on the Mervyn Peake novels: Titus Groan and Gormenghast (1984)
• Mick, a black-marketeer in Plenty (1985)
• Baron Frankenstein in The Bride (1985)
• A "heroic officer" in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
• Finney, a nightclub owner in Stormy Monday (1988)
• Daniel, a British gentleman in Julia and Julia (1988)
• Billy Idol in a Saturday Night Live sketch (1991)
• Himself on The Simpsons episode "Radio Bart" (1992)
• Himself on The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer Episode 5 (1995)
• Fledge in The Grotesque (1995), in which he appears nude
• Himself in The Larry Sanders Show episode "Where Is the Love?" (1996)
• J.D., Eddie's father and owner of a bar, in Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
• Himself in Ally McBeal season four episode "Cloudy Skies, Chance of Parade" (2001)
• Himself in Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (2006)
• Himself in Studio 60 on Sunset Strip 2006
• Himself on the Vicar of Dibley Comic Relief special (2007)
• Himself in Bee Movie (2007)
• Himself, mistaken by Tom Baker for Stomp, the lead singer of "The Cops" in Little Britain USA (2008) He plays his own song, "Fields of Gold"
• Himself in Brüno (2009)
• Himself in Still Bill (2009)
• Himself in Do It Again (2010)
• Himself in Life's Too Short (2011)

Sting narrated the American premiere of the musical Yanomamo (1983), by Peter Rose and Anne Conlon, outlining problems that existed in the Amazon rainforest. This was made into a film and later broadcast asSong of the Forest. He also provided the voice of Zarm on the 1990s television show Captain Planet and the Planeteers. In 1989 he starred as Macheath (Mack the Knife) in John Dexter's Broadway production ofThe Threepenny Opera. Sting also appeared as himself in the video game Guitar Hero World Tour.

VH1 Classic

VH1 Classic

-TV network launched on May 8, 2000
-Part of MTV Networks
-Primarily features concert footage from 1970s through the mid 1990s and on. Also features music video blocks such as Metal Mania dedicated to metal bands from all over the world and from various decades, etc
-This channel is a sister to regular VH1
-Also has shows like Classic Albums, Behind the Music, Rock and Roll Picture Show, Pop Up Video, I Love the 80s, That Metal Show

VH1 Shows

That Metal Show

-Host Eddie Trunk does That Metal Show, which is an hour long, focused on heavy metal, both classic and current. Guest starts include Lita Ford, Geddy Lee of Rush, Alex Lifeson, Geoff Tate, Peter Criss of KISS fame, Yngwie Malmstein

Video Compilation Shows

VH1 Classic 120 Minutes

Totally 80s
-Broadcasts music videos from the 1980s, such as Hot Legs by Rod Stewart, Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones, etc.

Metal Mania
-Classic hard rock and metal videos from 1970s-1990s

All Time Top Ten
-Ranked in order of videos focused on a single artist or theme

Pop Up Videos
-Includes pop up bubbles with info you never knew.
  1. Examples include in the video for the song Love is Strong by The Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger was 3'' shorter than his 2nd wife Jerry Hall or in the video for the song Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts was previously in advertising/graphic design before becoming a musician, Bill Wyman was a member of the Royal Air Force before going into music

Every Breath You Take: The Police

Undercover of the Night: The Rolling Stones

The Spice Girls. According to the Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, these girls are England's Newest 90s hitmakers.

Hot for Teacher: Van Halen

Documentaries, Film Series

Classic Albums
-Tells the story behind the making of some of the greatest albums in music through the artists and producers.
-Some of the artists include Led Zeppelin, The Who, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, Elton John, Motorhead, Rush, Metallica, Def Leppard

Rock Docs
-Music documentaries, such as Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, or Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon

Rock and Roll Picture Show
-Most of the movies have some musical theme. Such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Shine a Light, Let's Spend the Night Together, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, etc.

Famous Songwriting Teams

Have you ever noticed that when it comes to rock bands, the ones usually writing the songs are the lead singer and lead guitarist, or it will end up being the lead singer and the lead guitarist have known each other for like ever?

Famous Songwriting Teams

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (ABBA)

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan)

Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter (The Grateful Dead)

Deborah Harry and Chris Stein (Blondie)

Big Boi and Andre 3000 (OutKast)

Don Henley and Glenn Frey (The Eagles)

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (The Rolling Stones)

John Lennon and Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)

Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti (Creed)

Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (The Clash)

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry (Aerosmith)

Roger Waters and David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

Brian Wilson and Mike Love (The Beach Boys)

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: Arrested!

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

-On February 12, 1967 around 5:30pm, 20 police officers from the London police swarmed the Redlands home that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards owned in Sussex. Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were arrested, along with Brian Jones(who was supposedly there, but him and then girlfriend Anita Pallenberg were fighting so they stayed in London).

-Others had come along for the weekend, including Beatle George Harrison and wife Patti Boyd. They had left before the raid, leading most people to believe they were staking the place out and waited for George to leave so they would not have to arrest a member of the beloved Beatles.

-According to police reports, the police took some drugs and left around 8:00pm. On March 20, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were due to appear in court and they received summonses saying they committed offences against the Dangerous Drugs Act. After their court date, they were sentenced to prison. Mick was sent to Lewes prison outside of London where as Keith Richards was sent to Wormwood Scrubs.

-On Sunday, February 5, 1967, News of the World, a British tabloid paper, published a story claiming Mick Jagger along with others, were taking LSD. Later that same evening, Mick Jagger appears on the Eamon Andrews Show and said he never took LSD and that his lawyers would sue for libel. But this story was actually started by Brian Jones being mistaken for Mick Jagger, so he could get payback on his once ally but now enemy.

-The week following the story by News of the World, it saw The Rolling Stones in Abbey Road Studios recording with The Beatles before they left London for Redlands. This weekend was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing getaway. But it soon changed when London police swarmed the property that Sunday night

-With the police having a warrant, The Stones suspected they were tipped off. The report from News of the World and police played up the image of Miss X(Marianne Faithfull) wearing nothing at all except for a fur rug which she intentionally let fall from time to time during the raid. And some reports say that it was Mick Jagger who was completely naked and wearing the rug. A groupie named Nicky Kramer was mistaken for a woman and searched by a female officer.

“He had long fairish hair,” reported the female officer who searched him, “and was dressed in what would be best described as a pair of red-and-green silk ‘pajamas’. I searched him and this was all he was wearing. I formed the opinion he, too (along with Mick Jagger) was wearing makeup.”


On May 10, 1967, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and their friend Robert Fraser appeared in a Chichester court and were released on a bail of $100 in British money. On June 27, Mick Jagger's trial began in Chichester, with Keith Richards trial starting the next day. After a day's hearing, the verdict was given on June 29: both were found guilty. Mick Jagger was sentenced to 3 months in prison for possession of 4 amphetamine pills and Keith was given a year in prison

-After hearing this, there was a wave of protests, from Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and Keith Moon of The Who

American Tour 1972

The Rolling Stones

-Highly publicised tour of the US and Canada in June-July 1972

History
-This tour followed the release of the band's Exile on Main St. album.
-This established the band's reputation as purveyor's of raw R&B music, carnal energy and bohemian decadence. They were now being seen as the opposite of the now defunct, family-friendly Beatles.

-At the same time, Mick Jagger was a celeb who moved into the jet set way of life.

Altercations
-On July 13, 1972, police had to block 2,000 ticketless people from trying to enter the show in Detroit. On July 17, a visit to the Montreal Forum resulted in a bomb blowing up in the Stones' equipment van, and replacement gear had to be flown in; 3,000 forged tickets had been sold, causing a riot and a late start to the concert.

-July 18: the Stones got in a fight with photographer Any Dickerman in Rhode Island, and Jagger and Richards landed in jail, causing concern for the show later that night at the Boston Garden. Boston Mayor Kevin White, fearing a riot if the show did not go on, bailed them out.

-Lesser events included Jagger's then wife, jet-setting model Bianca Jagger getting in verbal fights with Anita Pallenberg, who was Keith Richard's companion. Since the Altamont incident, a process server attempted to serve Jagger with papers relating to a lawsuit from the concert. Due to a reported rumor about an assassination attempt on Jagger's life, Richards carried a .38 caliber revolver during the tour.

-The last show, on July 26, Jagger's birthday, was peaceful; a party was held for Jagger by Ahmet Ertegun, which also included Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, Andy Warhol, Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Film releases
-No live albums were made

-But there were 2 films made: Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, released in 1974

-Robert Frank's Cocksucker Blues is an unreleased documentary depicting the concert footage, along with interaction with Warhol, drug use, Jagger mastrubating, and staged group sex. This movie was shelved as Jagger feared the band could not get work visas.

Set list

1. "Brown Sugar"
2. "Bitch"
3. "Rocks Off"
4. "Gimme Shelter"
5. "Happy"
6. "Tumbling Dice"
7. "Love in Vain"
8. "Sweet Virginia"
9. "Loving Cup"
10. "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
11. "All Down the Line"
12. "Midnight Rambler"
13. "Bye Bye Johnny"
14. "Rip This Joint"
15. "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
16. "Street Fighting Man"
17. Encore: often none, sometimes "Honky Tonk Women, a few times "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"/"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" medley performed jointly by the Stones andStevie Wonder and his band

1989 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour

1989 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour

-This tour helped to promote the band's recently released Steel Wheels album
-Continued to Japan in February 1990, with 10 shows at the Tokyo Dome.
-That show featured a different stage and was called the Urban Jungle tour, which ran from May-August 1990.
-This would be the last tour with Bill Wyman as bassist

History
-A pre-tour 'surprise show' took place on August 12, 1989 at Toad's Palce in New Haven, Connecticut.
-The official Steel Wheels tour kicked off later that month at the now demolished Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

-During the show in Pennsylvania, the power went out when the band was performing "Shattered" and caused a delay in the show. Jagger started talking to the people in the audience during the delay

-The stage was designed by Mark Fisher along with help from Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts

-Performances were later documented on the album Flashpoint and the video Live at the Max, both released in 1991

Tour band

• Mick Jagger: lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Keith Richards: guitar, backing vocals
• Ronnie Wood: guitar, backing vocals
• Bill Wyman: bass guitar
• Charlie Watts: drums, percussion

Additional musicians:

• Matt Clifford: keyboards, French horn
• Bobby Keys: saxophone
• Chuck Leavell: keyboards and musical director
• Bernard Fowler: vocals
• Lisa Fischer: vocals on the North American & Japanese tours only
• Cindy Mizelle: vocals on the North American & Japanese tours only
• Lorelei McBroom: vocals on the European tour only
• Sophia Jones: vocals on the European tour only
• The Uptown Horns:
1. Arno Hecht: saxophone
2. Bob Funk: trombone
3. Crispin Cioe: saxophone
4. Paul Litteral: trumpet

For the opening night of the Steel Wheels Tour the setlist was as follows (all songs composed by Jagger/Richards unless otherwise noted):

1. "Intro: Continental Drift"
2. "Start Me Up"
3. "Bitch"
4. "Shattered"
5. "Sad Sad Sad"
6. "Undercover of the Night"
7. "Harlem Shuffle" (Relf/Nelson)
8. "Tumbling Dice"
9. "Miss You"
10. "Ruby Tuesday"
11. "Play With Fire" (Nanker Phelge)
12. "Dead Flowers"
13. "One Hit (to the Body)" (Jagger/Richards/Wood)
14. "Mixed Emotions"
15. "Honky Tonk Women"
16. "Rock and a Hard Place"
17. "Midnight Rambler"
18. "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
19. "Little Red Rooster" (Dixon)
20. "Before They Make Me Run"
21. "Happy"
22. "Paint It Black"
23. "2000 Light Years from Home"
24. "Sympathy for the Devil"
25. "Gimme Shelter"
26. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)"
27. "Brown Sugar"
28. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
29. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (encore)

For the final night of the Urban Jungle Tour (the last Rolling Stones concert with Bill Wyman) the band played:

1. "Start Me Up"
2. "Sad Sad Sad"
3. "Harlem Shuffle"
4. "Tumbling Dice"
5. "Miss You"
6. "Ruby Tuesday"
7. "Angie"
8. "Rock and a Hard Place"
9. "Mixed Emotions"
10. "Honky Tonk Women"
11. "Midnight Rambler"
12. "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
13. "Little Red Rooster"
14. "Before They Make Me Run"
15. "Happy"
16. "Paint It Black"
17. "2000 Light Years from Home"
18. "Sympathy for the Devil"
19. "Street Fighting Man"
20. "Gimme Shelter"
21. "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)"
22. "Brown Sugar"
23. "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
24. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" (encore)

Other songs played on the tour:

1. "Almost Hear You Sigh" (Jagger/Richards/Jordan)
2. "Blinded by Love"
3. "Boogie Chillen" (Hooker)
4. "Can't Be Seen"
5. "Factory Girl"
6. "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Dixon)
7. "Salt of the Earth"
8. "Terrifying"
9. "Indian Girl" Hannover 23.May 1990