The Police

The Police were an English rock band that formed in London in 1977. The group consisted of Sting on lead vocals and bass, Andy Summers on guitar, and Stewart Copeland on drums and percussion. Sting was the primary songwriter. They started out in the British punk scene but quickly moved into new wave, reggae rock, and post-punk.

Their popularity spread worldwide from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, came out in 1978 and reached number six on the UK Albums Chart. It included the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You." The follow-up, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), was the first of four straight number-one studio albums in both the UK and Australia. "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" became the band's first UK number-one singles. Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981) also did well, with "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" hitting number one in the UK and reaching the top five in other countries.

Zenyatta Mondatta was their big break in the United States, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), topped the charts in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, and the US. It sold more than eight million copies in America alone. The lead single, "Every Breath You Take," became the band's fifth UK number one and their only US number one.

The Police were seen as leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US. In 1983, Rolling Stone called them "the first British new wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world." They broke up in 1984 at the height of their fame. After occasional reunions, they got back together fully in 2007 for a world tour. That tour was the highest-grossing of 2007, making the Police the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008.

Legacy

The Police have sold over 75 million records, placing them among the best-selling bands. Their awards include six Grammys, two Brit Awards (winning Best British Group once), and an MTV Video Music Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Four of their studio albums appear on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." Both Rolling Stone and VH1 included the Police on their lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." On 25 September 1976, American drummer Stewart Copeland was touring with the British progressive rock band Curved Air.

1977: Formation

In Newcastle upon Tyne, music journalist Phil Sutcliffe introduced Copeland to singer-bassist Gordon Sumner, known as Sting, who was then playing in the jazz-rock fusion band Last Exit. Copeland got Sting's number from Sutcliffe's partner. Sting moved to London on 14 December 1976 and sought out Copeland for a jam session that same day. Curved Air had recently split.

Inspired by the punk movement, Copeland wanted to start a band for the London punk scene. Sting was less enthusiastic but saw the commercial potential, so they formed the Police as a trio with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani. Their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at the Alexandria Club in Newport, Wales, lasted only ten minutes.

After that, they played London pubs and punk clubs, touring as a backing band and support act for Cherry Vanilla and Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On 1 May 1977, the Police released their first single, "Fall Out," on Illegal Records. It was recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London, on 12 February 1977 (a few weeks before their first live show) on a budget of £150. This is the only Police recording that features Padovani.

Mick Jagger reviewed the single in Sounds. In May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett asked Sting to join a band project called Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett wanted, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting brought in Copeland. The fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers.

Summers was ten years older than Sting and Copeland and had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals, Kevin Ayers, and others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977 and played at a London club (under the name "the Elevators") in July. They also recorded demo tracks, which were released 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy, along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Sting was impressed by Summers and frustrated with Padovani's limited skills. After the Strontium 90 gig, Sting asked Summers to join the Police.

Summers agreed, but only if the band stayed a trio with him replacing Padovani. Out of loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted at first, and the Police continued as a four-piece. They performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. After these two shows (and a failed recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers gave the band an ultimatum, and Padovani was let go.

Copeland later said that as Sting's songs started coming in and Summers joined, the material became more interesting and Sting took a much greater interest in the group. The Police's power trio lineup of Copeland, Sting, and Summers played together for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham. This lineup lasted for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock, and other trends usually...