Sting is the professional name of Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, an English musician and actor born in Wallsend, England, in 1951. He is best known as the singer, songwriter and bassist of The Police, and also works as a solo artist.

Career

Sting fronts The Police from 1977 until the group breaks up in 1986. He begins his solo career in 1985 and builds it around a mix of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age and worldbeat influences. His solo work and his recordings with The Police together account for sales of more than 100 million records.

Groups and collaborations

He appears in a number of other acts and projects, including Last Exit, Strontium 90, Fast Breeder & the Radio Actors, Cast “The Last Ship”, The Conspirators, Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes, The Secret Police and Newcastle Big Band. He also releases 44/876 in collaboration with Shaggy.

Style and work

Across his catalogue, Sting works in several related genres, including classical, dance-rock, jazz, jazz pop, new wave and pop. His studio albums include The Dream of the Blue Turtles, ...Nothing Like the Sun, The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner’s Tales, Mercury Falling, Brand New Day, Sacred Love, Songs from the Labyrinth, If on a Winter’s Night..., Symphonicities, The Last Ship, 57th & 9th, 44/876, My Songs and The Bridge.

Awards and honours

His awards include three Brit Awards, among them Best British Male Artist and Outstanding Contribution to Music, as well as a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and 17 Grammy Awards as a solo musician and band member. He also receives four Academy Award nominations, is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Police in 2003, and is awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Other honours include the Ivor Novello Awards for Lifetime Achievement, appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to music, the Kennedy Center Honors and the Polar Music Prize. He is named an Ivor Novello Fellow in 2023.

Publishing

His listed labels and publishing names include EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (Sting), GM Sumner and Magnetic Publishing Ltd.