Founded in 1977 by bassist Gordon"Sting"Sumner(born October 2,1951 in Wallsend,England) and drummer Stewart Copeland(born July 19,1952 in Alexandria,Egypt) in London, England. Sting and Copeland later joined forces with guitarist Henry Padovani, and by May of 1977 released a single entitled "Fall Out". This appeared on Copeland's newly formed I.R.S. label, and made a respectable showing by selling 70,000 copies.
Guitarist Andy Summers(born december 31,1942 in Blackpool,England) replaced Henry Padovani following his departure in August of 1977. Then, after signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1978, the group released the single "Roxanne". Shortly thereafter, the band left for a tour of the U.S. After their return and around November of 1978, they released the album "Outlandos d'Amour". This was followed by the single "Can't Stand Losing You" again in 1978, also the number one British hit "Message in a Bottle" and finally the number one hit L.P. entitled "Reggatta De Blanc" in October of 1979. With these releases, the Police began their slow climb to the top.
Already successful in the U.K., the Police made their breakthrough in the U.S. market with the album "Zenyatta Mondatta" in the fall of 1980. With a series of number one releases including "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "De Do Do Do,De Da Da Da", the group had full control of the U.S. and British charts. This eventually landed them a number of Grammy awards.
While contemplating their future and pursuing other interests, the band took a short pause in their schedule. This lasted until June of 1983 when they released album "Synchronicity". This was by far the biggest hit for these British rockers. But while on tour following "Synchronicity", tension between band members(which had been going on for years), finally came to a head. This led to their falling out and eventual break-up. In 1986, they attempted a half hearted effort to regroup. This plan fell through with the group finally going their separate ways with only Sting showing any degree of success.
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Message in a Bottle
