The Police

(i)

The Police

Police were a British rock band formed in London

London in 1977.[1] For most of their history the band consisted of Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers

Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police

Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are generally regarded as one of the first new-wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. They are also considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the United States.[1][2] They disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 in the UK. Their second album Reggatta de Blanc

Reggatta de Blanc became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums with its lead single, "Message in a Bottle", their first UK number one.[3] Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), saw further critical and commercial success. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in both the UK and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US alone. "Every Breath You Take" became their fifth UK number one single, and first in the US.[3] The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.[4][5] They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, thanks to their reunion tour.[6] The band has won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, an MTV Video Music Award, and in 2003 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[7] Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Police

Police were included among both Rolling Stone's and VH1's lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[8][9]

Contents

1 Career

1.1 1977: Formation 1.2 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour 1.3 1979: Reggatta de Blanc 1.4 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta 1.5 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle 1.6 1983: Synchronicity
Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World" 1.7 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album 1.8 1986–2006: Disbandment 1.9 2007–2008: Reunion tour

2 Legacy 3 Musical style 4 Discography 5 Tours 6 Members 7 Awards

7.1 American Music Awards 7.2 Brit Awards 7.3 Grammy
Grammy Awards 7.4 Juno Awards 7.5 People's Choice Awards 7.6 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 7.7 Other lists

8 See also 9 Notes 10 Sources 11 External links

Career[edit] 1977: Formation[edit] In late November 1976, while on tour in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England with the British progressive rock band Curved Air, the band's American drummer Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland met and exchanged phone numbers with an ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) called Sting (so nicknamed due to his habit of wearing a black and yellow striped jersey mirroring a bee),[10] who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit.[11] On 12 January 1977,[12] Sting relocated to London; on the day of his arrival, he sought out Copeland for a jam session.[11]

"I was inspired by the amazing energy of the whole thing, and I thought, 'Well, I'm new to London
London and I'm totally unknown, so I'll give it a go.' We did a 15-minute lightning set and I squealed and screamed."

—Sting on his first jam session since arriving in London.[11]

Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the then-current punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band and join the burgeoning London
London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so the duo formed the Police
Police as trio with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member.[13] After their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales
Newport, Wales (which lasted only ten minutes), the group played London
London pubs and toured as a support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs.[14][15] Their first single "Fall Out," recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London
London on 12 February 1977 with a budget of £150, was released in May 1977 by Illegal Records.[16] Also in May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett
Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting took Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers
Andy Summers from Lancashire in northwest England. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers among others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, and played at a London
London club (under the name of "the Elevators") in July.[17] The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy.

"I thought there was fantastic potential in Sting and Stewart. I'd always wanted to play in a three-piece band. I felt that the three of us together would be very strong. They just needed another guitarist and I thought I was the one."

—Summers on Sting and Copeland after first hearing them at the Marquee Club
Marquee Club in Oxford Street, London.[11]

Summers' musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on the Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and the Police
Police carried on as a four-piece version but they only performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London
London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex- Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground member John Cale
John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum and Padovani was dismissed from the band. The effect of Summers' arrival was instant with Copeland stating: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group."[11] The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in the English city of Birmingham
Birmingham in the West Midlands.[18] A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players.[19] The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating,

"The truth is that the band merely utilized the trappings of 1970s British punk: the bleached blond short hair, Sting in his jumpsuits or army jackets, Copeland and his near maniacal drumming style. In fact, they were criticized by other punk bands for not being authentic and lacking 'street cred.' What the Police
Police did perhaps take from punk was a brand of nervous, energetic disillusion with 1970s Britain."[20]

The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock.[20] While still maintaining the main band and attempting to win over punk audiences, Police
Police members continued to moonlight within the art rock scene. In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time. These performances resulted in three albums, each of them an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and jazz.[21] Various appearances by the Schoener outfit on German television made the German public aware of Sting's unusual high-pitched voice, and helped pave the way for the Police's later popularity. The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond.[22] The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired.[23] 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour[edit] Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance the Police's first album. Recording Outlandos d'Amour
Outlandos d'Amour was difficult, as the band was working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. It was recorded during off-peak hours at the Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, Surrey, a converted recording facility above a dairy which was run by brothers Chris and Nigel Gray.[24] During one of his periodic studio visits, Miles heard "Roxanne" for the first time at the end of a session. Where he had been less enthusiastic about the band's other songs, the elder Copeland was immediately struck by the track, and quickly got the Police
Police a record deal with A&M Records on the strength of it.[25] "Roxanne" was issued as a single in the spring of 1978, while other album tracks were still in the midst of being recorded, but it failed to chart. It also failed to make the BBC's playlist, which the band attributed to the song's depiction of prostitution. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC," though it was never really banned, just not play-listed. Copeland later admitted, "We got a lot of mileage out of it being supposedly banned by the BBC."[26]

BBC
BBC Television Centre where The Police
Police made their television debut on The Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978, and where they also made their first appearance on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops in 1979.

The Police
Police made their first television appearance a few months later, in October 1978, on BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test
The Old Grey Whistle Test to promote the release of Outlandos d'Amour.[27] Though "Roxanne" was never banned, the BBC
BBC did ban the second single from Outlandos d'Amour, "Can't Stand Losing You". This was due to the single's cover, which featured Copeland hanging himself over an ice block being melted by a portable radiator.[28] The single became a minor chart hit, the Police's first, peaking at No. 42 in the UK.[3] The follow-up single "So Lonely", issued in November 1978, failed to chart. In February 1979 "Roxanne" was issued as a single in North America, where it was warmly received on radio despite the subject matter. The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April. The band performed "Roxanne" on BBC1's Top of the Pops, and the re-issue of the song finally gained the band widespread recognition in the UK when it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[29] The group's US success led to a gig at the famous New York club CBGB and a gruelling 1979 North American tour in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. That summer, "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the UK, becoming a substantial hit, peaking at No. 2.[3] The group's first single, "Fall Out", was re-issued in late 1979, and became a minor chart hit, peaking at No. 47 in the UK.[3] 1979: Reggatta de Blanc[edit] In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums.[3] The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK).[30] The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc
Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts.[31] The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire.[32] The instrumental title track "Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.[33] In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was re-issued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6.[3] In March 1980, the Police
Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers—-including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece, and Egypt.[30] The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police
Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which encompasses footage shot by Anne Nightingale originally intended for a BBC
BBC production The Police
Police in the East.[34] In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album).[3] 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta[edit]

Sting with the Police
Police in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1980.

Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police
Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in October 1980. The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons.[35] The album gave the group their third UK No. 1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (the UK's best selling single of 1980) and another hit single, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", both of which reached No. 10 in the US.[31] While the three band members and co-producer Nigel Gray all expressed immediate regret over the rushed recording for the album, which was finished at 4 a.m. on the day the band began their world tour,[36] the album received high praise from critics.[37][38] The instrumental "Behind My Camel", written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy
Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy
Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance for Duo or Group.[33] 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle[edit] The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was recorded at Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with the exception of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which was recorded at Le Studio
Le Studio at Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada, and released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (featuring pianist Jean Roussel), their fourth UK No. 1 (No. 3 in the U.S.), "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World".[3][31] As the band was unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, digital likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980s, Sting and Summers became tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone in Galway, and Summers to Kinsale in County Cork) while Copeland, an American, remained in England. The group opened and closed the 1981 concert film, Urgh! A Music War. The film, which captured the music scene in the wake of punk, was masterminded by Stewart Copeland's brothers Ian and Miles. The film had a limited release but developed a mythic reputation over the years.[39] At the 1982 Brit Awards
Brit Awards in London, the Police
Police received the award for Best British Group.[40] After the Ghost in the Machine Tour concluded in 1982, the group took a sabbatical and each member pursued outside projects. By this time, Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police
Police by branching out into acting. Back in 1979, he had made a well-received debut as the "Ace Face" in Quadrophenia, the film version of The Who's rock opera, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. In 1982, Sting furthered his acting career by co-starring in the Richard Loncraine film Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, a cover of the 1929 hit "Spread a Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks, "How Stupid Mister Bates", "A Kind of Loving", and "I Burn for You"). Over 1981 and 1982, Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked. In 1983, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish. The single " Don't Box Me In
Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway
Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. Also in 1983, Sting filmed his first big-budget movie role playing Feyd-Rautha
Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's Dune. As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with Stewart Copeland deteriorated. Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting's and Summers' marriages failed. 1983: Synchronicity
Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World"[edit] In 1983, the Police
Police released their last studio album, Synchronicity, which spawned the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain", and " Synchronicity
Synchronicity II". By that time, several critics deemed them "the biggest rock band in the world."[11][41] Recording the album, however, was a tense affair with increasing disputes among the band. The three members recorded their contributions individually in separate rooms and over-dubbed at different times.[42]

The Police
Police performed to 70,000 at Shea Stadium, New York in 1983, with Sting announcing near the end of the concert: "We'd like to thank the Beatles for lending us their stadium."[41]

The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York.[41] They played throughout the UK in December 1983, including four sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and the tour ended in Melbourne, Australia in March 1984 at the Melbourne
Melbourne Showgrounds (the final concert featured Sunny Boys, Australian Crawl and Bryan Adams, with the Police
Police topping the bill). Sting's look, dominated by his orange-coloured hair (a result from his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert. Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley & Creme. According to Billboard and Guinness' British Hit Singles & Albums the album became a No. 1 album in both the UK (where it debuted at No. 1) and the US. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK for two weeks and in the US for seventeen weeks.[43][44] It was nominated for Grammy
Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, but lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller. "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy
Grammy for Song of the Year,[33] beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while " Synchronicity
Synchronicity II" won the Grammy
Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video, and the song won two Ivor Novello Awards in the categories Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[45] 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album[edit] During the group's 1983 Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium concert, Sting felt performing at the venue was "Everest" and decided to pursue a solo career, according to the documentary The Last Play at Shea.[46] After the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984, the band went on hiatus while Sting recorded and toured in support of his successful solo debut LP, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in June 1985; Copeland recorded and filmed The Rhythmatist (1985); and Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp (Bewitched, 1984) and the theme song for the film 2010—which was not used in the film, but included on the soundtrack album. At the 1985 Brit Awards
Brit Awards held at London's Grosvenor Hotel
Grosvenor Hotel on 11 February, the band received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[47] In July the same year, Sting and Copeland participated in Live Aid
Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London.[48]

"Even though logic would say, 'Are you out of your mind? You're in the biggest band in the world—-just bite the bullet and make some money.' But there continued to be some instinct, against logic, against good advice, [that] told me I should quit."

—Sting on quitting the band in 1986.[49]

In June 1986, the trio reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International
Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope
A Conspiracy of Hope Tour. In July of that year, they reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums.[50] As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, " Don't Stand So Close to Me
Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25; it also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, which reached No. 1 in the UK album charts.[3] "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" was subsequently included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise."[51] 1986–2006: Disbandment[edit] Each band member continued with his solo career over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police
Police back together, albeit briefly. Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun
...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favour the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999). On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages
The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Walking on the Moon", "Every Breath You Take", and "Message in a Bottle". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event. On 22 August 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler
Trudie Styler in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, southwest England.[52] Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again". In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Andy Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter one was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity
Synchronicity Concert in 1984). On 10 March 2003, the Police
Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group (the last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer).[53] In the autumn of 2003, Sting released his autobiography, Broken Music.[54] In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with the participation of Copeland and Sting on one track, reuniting the original Police
Police line-up for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone ranked The Police
Police No. 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[55] In 2006, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland made a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police
Police Inside Out, based on Super-8
Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In October 2006, Andy Summers
Andy Summers released One Train Later, an autobiographical memoir detailing his early career and time with the band. 2007–2008: Reunion tour[edit] Main article: The Police
Police Reunion Tour

Sting with the group at Madison Square Garden, August 2007.

In early 2007, reports surfaced the trio would reunite for a tour to mark the Police's 30th anniversary, more than 20 years since their split in 1986.[56] The tour coincided with Universal Music (current owners of the A&M label) re-releasing some material from the band's back catalogue.[57] The following statement was released on behalf of the band by a spokesman at Interscope-Geffen-A&M and posted on Sting's official website: "As the 30th anniversary of the first Police
Police single approaches, discussions have been underway as to how this will be commemorated. While we can confirm that there will indeed be something special done to mark the occasion, the depth of the band's involvement still remains undetermined."[58] On 22 January 2007, the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story the Police
Police would reunite for the Grammys, and would perform "Roxanne".[59][60] Side-Line also stated the Police
Police were to embark on a massive world tour. Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Andy Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.' I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour."[61] The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy
Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles,[62] announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are the Police, and we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne".[63] After the dissolution of the Police, Sting adamantly refused to reunite with Copeland or Summers for any prolonged period, often commenting "If I ever reform the Police
Police I should be certified insane." However, by 2007, he had a change of heart. When asked what prompted the reunion, Sting said "I'd just done the lute album—Songs from the Labyrinth. I was thinking: 'Well what do I do? What's going to surprise people?' I just had this instinct, this desire to call the guys up and say: 'Let's give this a go.'" Sting added he saw the reunion as "a kind of healing. I think solving problems is an exercise worth doing".[64]

Guitarist Andy Summers
Andy Summers performing in Marseille with the group, June, 2008.

A&M Records, the band's record company, promoted the 2007–08 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the band's formation, and of the release of their first single for A&M, "Roxanne".[65] The Police
Police Reunion Tour began in late May 2007 with two shows in Vancouver. Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website,[66] which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. Copeland later apologised for besmirching "my buddy Sting," and chalked up the comments to 'hyper self-criticism'.[67] Tickets for the British leg of the tour sold out within 30 minutes, and the band played two nights at Twickenham Stadium, southwest London
London on 8 and 9 September.[68] On 29 and 30 September 2007, Henry Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, The Police
Police playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band. In October 2007, the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour in Dublin, Ireland, in front of 82,000 fans. They continued their reunion tour in 2008, and locations included New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Macau, Japan, Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, UK, Serbia, Poland, Puerto Rico, and South America including Chile, Argentina and Brazil. The group were headliners at the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium on 7 June 2008. The Police
Police also headlined the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June 2008,[69] in addition to headlining the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Venice on 23 June and the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) in London
London on 29 June.[70] In February 2008, the band announced once they were finished touring, they would break up again. According to Sting, "There will be no new album, no big new tour, once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for the Police."[71]

Drummer Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland performing in Marseille with the group.

The final show of the tour was held on 7 August 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band performed the opening song of the night, "Message in a Bottle", supported by the brass band of the New York Metropolitan Police
Police Corp. Later, they performed "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" as a tribute to the rock trios that preceded them (Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience). While announcing the show, the group also announced their donation of $1 million to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to plant one million trees in the city by 2017.[72] Proceeds of the concert went towards arts programming for the city's two public television stations, WNET and WLIW. During the entire tour, the Police
Police sold 3.7 million tickets and grossed $358 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all-time at its conclusion.[73] On 11 November 2008, the Police released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD set of the band's two performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tour (December 1 and 2, 2007). Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as some photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers.[74][75] Legacy[edit] In 2003, the Police
Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.[1] In 2004, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone ranked the Police
Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time,[76] and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[77] Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time: Ghost in the Machine (number 322), Reggatta de Blanc
Reggatta de Blanc (number 369), Outlandos d'Amour
Outlandos d'Amour (number 434), and Synchronicity
Synchronicity (number 455).[78] In the magazine's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Every Breath You Take" ranked number 84 (the highest new wave song on the list), and "Roxanne" ranked number 388. "Message in a Bottle" ranked number 65 in the magazine's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.[79] With a string of UK number one albums the Police
Police were among the most commercially successful British bands of the early 1980s, and with success overseas they are typically regarded as in both the vanguard of the Second British Invasion, and the new wave movement.[1][80] Despite the band's well-documented disagreements with one another, Summers confirmed in 2015 that Sting, Copeland and he are good friends. Summers said, "Despite the general press thing about 'God, they hate each other,' it's actually not true, we're very supportive of one another."[81] Musical style[edit]

A "power trio", the Police
Police performing at the Rogers Arena, Vancouver in 2007.

The Police
Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. In his retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic
AllMusic argues that the notion of The Police
Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term". He states the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk".[82] A "power trio,"[83] the Police are known as a new wave[80] and post-punk band,[84][85] with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre.[82] Discography[edit] Main article: The Police
Police discography

Outlandos d'Amour
Outlandos d'Amour (1978) Reggatta de Blanc
Reggatta de Blanc (1979) Zenyatta Mondatta
Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) Ghost in the Machine (1981) Synchronicity
Synchronicity (1983)

Tours[edit]

The Police
Police Around the World Tour (1977–80) Zenyatta Mondatta
Zenyatta Mondatta Tour (1980–81) Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981–82) Synchronicity Tour (1983–84) The Police
Police Reunion Tour (2007–08)

Members[edit]

Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals, keyboards (January 1977 – July 1986, 2003, 2007–2008), guitars (1977) Sting – lead vocals, bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (January 1977 – July 1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Andy Summers
Andy Summers – guitars, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals, keyboards (June 1977 – July 1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Henry Padovani – guitar (January–August 1977; reunion tour finale, Paris with Sting, Summers, and Copeland 2007)

Awards[edit] American Music Awards[edit]

Year Nominee/work Award Result

1984 Themselves Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group Nominated

Synchronicity Favorite Pop/Rock Album Nominated

"Every Breath You Take" Favorite Pop/Rock Single Nominated

Brit Awards[edit]

1982: Best British Group 1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music

Grammy
Grammy Awards[edit]

1980: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Reggatta de Blanc" 1981: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Don't Stand So Close to Me" 1981: Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Behind My Camel" 1983: Song of the Year for "Every Breath You Take" 1983: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Every Breath You Take" 1983: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for Synchronicity

Juno Awards[edit]

Year Nominee/work Award Result

1984 Synchronicity International Album of the Year Won

"Every Breath You Take" International Single of the Year Nominated

People's Choice Awards[edit]

Year Nominee/work Award Result

2008 Themselves Favorite Reunion Tour Won

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[edit]

The Police
Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003.[86]

Other lists[edit]

Ranked No.70 on Rolling Stone's Immortals, the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time Ranked No.40 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

See also[edit]

Book: The Police

List of best-selling music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours List of new wave artists and bands List of reggae rock artists

Notes[edit]

^ a b c d " Police
Police Lead Hall's New Wave". Rolling Stone. 30 March 2013. ^ "When Video Killed Radio Stars". New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2013 ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Police
Police Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 August 2014 ^ Graff, Gary (9 August 2014). " Andy Summers
Andy Summers finds new magic in Rock 'n' Roll". Qatar Tribune. Retrieved 10 September 2014. ^ "Guitarist Andy Summers
Andy Summers and Rob Giles release 'Circus Hero'". Electronic Musician. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2016. ^ "Madonna News – The Police
Police Are Considerably Richer Than You". idiomag. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2008. ^ "The Police: Timeline". Rock on the Net. Retrieved 16 October 2012 ^ "The Greatest Artists of All Time". VH1/Stereogum. Retrieved 11 January 2015. ^ Flowers, Brandon. "The Police: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 January 2015 ^ Egan, Sean (8 August 2003). "The Police: Every Little Thing They Sang Was Magic". Goldmine. 29.16: 14. ^ a b c d e f "'Whatever we do, this will always be the seminal band' ". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2015 ^ "Sting – Émission du 19/11/2016 – Replay – Thé ou café". France 2. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016. ^ "The Police: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 April 2013 ^ Copeland 1995. ^ Sting 2003. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). L'Historia Bandido. London
London and New York: Proteus Books. ISBN 0-906071-66-6. Page 41. ^ Summers 2006, pp. 167–170 ^ Christopher Sandford (2007). "Sting: Back on the Beat". p. 53. Da Capo Press, Incorporated, ^ Summers 2006, pp. 174–176. ^ a b Gable, Christopher (2009). The Words and Music of Sting. London: ABC-CLIO. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2016. ^ "Trance-Formation" (EMI 1C 064-32 526) with Andy Summers
Andy Summers (1977); "Flashback" (EMI 1C 066-32 839) with Sting, Andy Summers
Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland (1978); "Video-Magic" (EMI 1C 064-45 234) with Sting and Andy Summers (1978). ^ Obrecht, Jan. "Andy Summers". Menn 1992, p. 246 ^ Campion 2009, pp. 59 ^ Chris Campion (2010). "Walking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police
Police and the Rise of New Wave Rock". p. 229. John Wiley and Sons ^ Summers 2006, p. 194 ^ Campion, Chris (2010). Walking on the Moon: The Untold Story of the Police
Police and the Rise, page 65. ^ Wensley Clarkson (1996). "Sting: the secret life of Gordon Sumner". p. 85. John Blake Publishing, Limited, ^ Revolver Interview April 2000 Archived 2 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. ^ "1979 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 19th May 1979". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2014 ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2007). "The Police
Police > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book
Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 497. ^ Shaun Keaveny (2010). "R2D2 Lives in Preston: The Best of BBC
BBC 6 Music's Toast the Nation!". p. 125. Pan Macmillan, ^ a b c Grammy
Grammy Awards by the Police, Grammy.com. ^ "The Police
Police in the East". BBC
BBC Two. Retrieved 28 November 2014 ^ Eagan, Sean (8 August 2003). "The Police: Every Little Thing They Sang Was Magic". Goldmine. 29.16: 16. ^ Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). L'Historia Bandido. London
London and New York: Proteus Books. ISBN 0-906071-66-6. Page 77. ^ Prato, Greg (25 December 1980). " Zenyatta Mondatta
Zenyatta Mondatta Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011. While Sting later criticized the album as not all it could have been (the band rushed to complete the album so they could to begin another tour), Zenyatta Mondatta remains one of the finest rock albums. ^ Fricke, David. " Zenyatta Mondatta
Zenyatta Mondatta Review". RollingStone.com. Retrieved 29 December 2011. ^ tcm.com. "Those Were the Days: URGH! A MUSIC WAR Turner Classic Movies 14 November 2009". Moviemorlocks.com. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ 1982 Brit Awards
Brit Awards Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 5 December 2011 ^ a b c " Police
Police play Shea Stadium". BBC. Retrieved 26 January 2014 ^ Buskin, Richard (March 2004). "Classic Tracks: The Police's 'Every Breath You Take'". Sound on Sound. Cambridge, England: SOS Publications: 136–40. ^ Joel Whitburn (2006). The Billboard Book
Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books ^ David Roberts (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited ^ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent, 28 May 1994 ^ "Last Play at Shea' documentary tells stadium's story Newsday 21 April 2010". Newsday.com. 20 April 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ "1985 Brit Awards
Brit Awards Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2014 ^ "Live Aid: The show that rocked the world". BBC
BBC News. 5 April 2000. Retrieved 20 July 2014. ^ Billboard 13 Dec 2003. p. 26 ^ "Secret Police
Police Reunion in 1986 Was 'Too Early'". celebrityspider.com. 18 June 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2015. [permanent dead link] ^ Summers, Andy. "On the '86 remix..." thepolice.com. p. Don't Stand So Close To Me '86, 12'. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015. ^ Maximillien De Lafayette (2010). "Hollywood Most Beautiful, Exclusive and Rarest Photos Album: Films, Superstars, Divas, Femmes Fatales, and Legends of the Silver Screen. 2nd Edition". p. 371. Lulu.com, ^ Loder, Kurt (11 March 2003). "Gwen, Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler Sing With Police; AC/DC
AC/DC Shake The Waldorf: Kurt Loder Reports From The Rock Hall Induction". MTV News. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ "History". PoliceReunionTour.com. 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (1 January 2007). "Rumors swirl about possible Police
Police reunion". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2011. ^ " Police
Police fans may soon be walking on the moon again". The Mail on Sunday, 31 December 2006. London. 30 December 2006. ^ Grossberg, Josh (30 January 2007). "Reunited Police
Police to Open Grammys". E!. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ "The Police
Police reunion at Grammys". Side-line.com. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ "The Police
Police to play "Roxanne" at Grammys". Side-line.com. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ Police
Police Reunion Rumors Reaching Fever Pitch – Billboard, 3 January 2007 ^ " Police
Police to reunite for Grammy
Grammy gig". BBC
BBC News. 30 January 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ Walters, Sarah (12 June 2008). "The Police
Police pull into town..." CityLife. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ Iley, Chris (25 May 2007). "Sting: How I stopped hurting after The Police
Police split". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 January 2016. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (3 January 2007). " Police
Police Reunion Rumors Reaching Fever Pitch". Billboard. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland on his own forum ^ "The Police
Police find strange harmony in creative tension". The Dallas Morning News. 20 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. ^ " Police
Police tickets sell out in minutes". TVNZ. One News. ^ " Police
Police 'coup' for Wight festival". BBC
BBC News. 26 November 2007. ^ Verrico, Lisa (1 July 2008). "Hard Rock Calling/ The Police
Police in Hyde Park, London". The Times of London. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ "Sting Can't Wait To Be A Solo Singer Again". Icelebz.com. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ Nichols, Michelle (6 May 2008). "The Police
Police to perform final gig in New York". Reuters. Retrieved 29 March 2009. ^ Scaggs, Austin (4 September 2008). "The Police
Police Say Farewell With New York Blowout". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone (1060): 15. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. ^ "Best Buy Presents The Police
Police Encore Performance from Madison Square Garden Live on Best Buy.com on 7 August 2008..." ThePolice.com. 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. ^ Graff, Gary (15 July 2008). "Live CD/DVD To Chronicle Police
Police Reunion Tour". Billboard. ^ "100 Greatest Artists: The Police". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 August 2011. ^ " VH1
VH1 Listed 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Today24News. Retrieved 19 March 2012. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 18 November 2003. Archived from the original on 23 June 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2012. ^ " Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone 's 100 Greatest Guitar
Guitar Songs of All Time". Stereogum. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2012. ^ a b "Culture Club, Police, Duran Duran lead Second Invasion Scripps-Howard News Service printed by The Pittsburgh Press October 31, 1984". Google. Retrieved 15 May 2011. ^ Light, Alan (25 March 2015). "Andy Summers' Police
Police Investigation". Medium (website). Retrieved 19 January 2016. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Police". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2010. ^ Clark, Dick (July 15, 1983). "The Police: An Arresting Power Trio". Milwaukee Record-Journal. Retrieved 2 June 2013. ^ Janosik, MaryAnn (2006). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History: The video generation, 1981–1990. Greenwood Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-3133-2943-2. ^ Beck, John H., ed. (2013). Encyclopedia of Percussion
Percussion (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-415-97123-2. ^ Inductee List, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 July 2009.

Sources[edit]

Copeland, Ian (1995). Wild Thing. New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81508-7. Copeland, Stewart (2009). Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo and Pygmies. London: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-194196-2. Padovani, Henri (2010). Secret Police
Police Man. Brighton: Penn Press. ISBN 978-1-907172-83-0. Sting (2005). Broken Music. New York, N.Y.: Dial. ISBN 0-7432-3184-8. Summers, Andy (2006). One Train Later: A Memoir. New York, N.Y.: Thomas Dunne. ISBN 0-312-35914-4. Summers, Andy (2007). I'll Be Watching You: Inside The Police 1980–83. Cologne: Taschen. ISBN 3-8228-1305-2. Sutcliffe, Phil; Fielder, Hugh (1981). The Police: L'Historia Bandido. New York: Proteus. ISBN 978-0-906071-77-9.

External links[edit]

Find more aboutThe Policeat's sister projects

Media from Wikimedia Commons Quotations from Wikiquote Data from Wikidata

Official website The Police
Police Tour The Police
Police at Curlie (based on DMOZ) The Police
Police at AllMusic Interview: "Andy Summers: The Blessing and The Curse" – Rockerzine.com 2015

v t e

The Police

Stewart Copeland Sting Andy Summers

Henry Padovani

Studio albums

Outlandos d'Amour Reggatta de Blanc Zenyatta Mondatta Ghost in the Machine Synchronicity

Live albums

Live! Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires

Compilations

Every Breath You Take: The Singles Greatest Hits Every Breath You Take: The Classics The Very Best of Sting & The Police The Police

Boxed sets

Six Pack Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings

Singles

"Fall Out" "Roxanne" "Can't Stand Losing You" "So Lonely" "Message in a Bottle" "Walking on the Moon" "Bring On the Night" "The Bed's Too Big Without You" "Don't Stand So Close to Me" "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" "Invisible Sun" "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" "Spirits in the Material World" "Secret Journey" "Every Breath You Take" "Wrapped Around Your Finger" " Synchronicity
Synchronicity II" "King of Pain" " Don't Stand So Close to Me
Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" (Different Gear vs. The Police)

Other songs

"Next to You" "Reggatta de Blanc" "Driven to Tears" "Behind My Camel" "Demolition Man" " Synchronicity
Synchronicity I" "Tea in the Sahara" " De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da '86"

Tours

The Police
Police Around the World Tour Zenyatta Mondatta
Zenyatta Mondatta Tour Ghost in the Machine Tour Synchronicity
Synchronicity Tour A Conspiracy of Hope
A Conspiracy of Hope Tour The Police
Police Reunion Tour

Discography Songs Strontium 90 Strontium 90: Police
Police Academy Brimstone & Treacle ¡Policia!: A Tribute to the Police Everyone Stares

Book Category

v t e

Sting

Studio albums

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

EPs

Nada Como el Sol Demolition Man Still Be Love in the World

Live albums

Bring on the Night Acoustic Live in Newcastle ...All This Time The Journey and the Labyrinth Live in Berlin

Compilations

Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 The Very Best of... Sting & The Police The Best of 25 Years

Singles

"If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" "Love Is the Seventh Wave" "Fortress Around Your Heart" "Russians" "We'll Be Together" "Be Still My Beating Heart" "Englishman in New York" "Fragile" "They Dance Alone" "All This Time" "It's Probably Me" "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" "Fields of Gold" "Shape of My Heart" "All for Love" "I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" "Brand New Day" "Desert Rose" "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)" "Whenever I Say Your Name" "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" "The Empty Chair"

Guest singles

"Money for Nothing" "Take Me Home" "On Silent Wings" "Rise & Fall" "Always on Your Side" "Stolen Car"

Tours

Symphonicity Tour (2010–11) Back to Bass Tour
Back to Bass Tour (2011–13) On Stage Together Tour
On Stage Together Tour (2014–15) Summer 2015 (2015) Rock Paper Scissors North American Tour (2016) Summer 2016 (2016) 57th & 9th Tour (2017)

Theatre

3 Penny Opera (1989) The Last Ship (2014)

Discography The Police

Discography

Last Exit Bring on the Night
Bring on the Night (film) The Living Sea: Soundtrack from the IMAX Film Dolphins "Until..."

Book Category

v t e

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2003

Performers

AC/DC
AC/DC (Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd, Bon Scott, Cliff Williams, Angus Young, Malcolm Young) The Clash
The Clash (Terry Chimes, Topper Headon, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Joe Strummer) Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello & the Attractions (Elvis Costello, Steve Nieve, Bruce Thomas, Pete Thomas) The Police
Police (Stewart Copeland, Sting, Andy Summers) The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers (Bobby Hatfield, Bill Medley)

Non-performers (Ahmet Ertegun Award)

Mo Ostin

Sidemen

Benny Benjamin Floyd Cramer Steve Douglas

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 158418428 LCCN: n83196050 ISNI: 0000 0001 2375 5471 GND: 1217062-8 SELIBR: 225345 SUDOC: 028024079 BNF: cb13905846v (data) MusicBrainz: 9e0e2b01-41db-4008-bd8b-