The Police, the #88 Artist of the Rock Era

"Legendary group".

"One of the best bands ever."

"A case of the band being more than the sum of its parts."

"These guys are phenomenal; I love them."

"Brilliant band."

"Exceptionally-written music."

"An innovative and wonderful group."

"My favorite band of all-time."

"Such an awesome band."

"Super cool band--classic."

In 1976, drummer Stewart Copeland of the band Curved Air met vocalist/bassist Gordon Sumner, who was nicknamed Sting.  Sting was playing in a group called Last Exit at the time.  Two months later when Sting moved to London, he contacted Copeland to get together for a jam session.  Copeland's group had recently broken up and he was ready to form a new group.  Sting and Copeland recruited guitarist Henry Padovani and formed the Police.  They performed live for the first time on March 1, 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales.  

The Police performed in pubs in the area and toured in support of other groups.  They recorded the single "Fall Out" later in the year, which received little interest.  Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in his group Strontium 90.  Sting brought Copeland with him into the band, which also included guitarist Andy Summers, a musician with credits including playing with Eric Burdon and the Animals.

Strontium 90 performed in London and recorded several demo tracks.  Sting still wanted to pursue the prospects of the Police, though he wasn't happy with Padovani on guitar.  Impressed by Summers, Sting asked Andy to be in the band.  Summers agreed, but only if he replaced Padovani as he wanted to play in a trio.  Copeland and Sting were loyal to Padovani and played as a four-piece on two occasions that year.  But after a failed recording session, Summers demanded Padovani be fired from the group. 

 

The new lineup performed live for the first time on August 18 at Rebecca's in Birmingham.  Sting and Summers also recorded three albums as part of a group assembled by Eberhard Schoener while still continuing in the Police.  Copeland's brother Miles financed recording of the group's first album at Surrey Sound Studios.  When Copeland heard "Roxanne", he enabled the Police to sign a recording contract with A&M Records.  The single was released in 1978 but failed to chart.  Later in the year, the group released their debut album Outlandos d'Amour.  The single "Can't Stand Losing You" became a minor hit.

 

In 1979, "Roxanne" was released as a single in North America and peaked at #31 in Canada and #32 in the United States, one of The Most Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  Given the renewed popularity, the song was re-released in the U.K. and reached #12.

The song may not have been a big hit at the time, but it led to an appearance at the famous New York City club CBGB.  Not able to afford the finer pleasures of touring yet, the Police drove around the United States in a van on an extensive North American Tour.  "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the U.K. and rose to #2.

 

Fans have since pushed the album to Platinum status.  In 1979, the band released the album Reggata de Blanc, the first of five consecutive #1 albums in the U.K.  The single "Message In A Bottle" also topped the U.K. and Ireland Singles charts and reached #2 in Canada, #4 in the Netherlands and #5 in Australia.  

"Walking On The Moon" went to #1 in the U.K. and Ireland but did not spread to North America.

Reggata also has sold over one million copies.  The Police went on their first world tour, including stops in Mexico, India, Honk Kong, Greece and Egypt.  The title song of the album, though it received little airplay, won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.  

 

The Police released the album Zenyatta Mondatta in 1980.  The first single, "Don't Stand So Close To Me", rose to #1 in the U.K. and Ireland, #2 in Canada and New Zealand, #3 in Australia and the Netherlands and #10 in the United States.

 

"Don't Stand So Close To Me" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and finished the year as the best-selling single in the U.K.  The single "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" jumped to #2 in Ireland, #5 in the U.K. and Canada, #6 in Australia, #8 in Ew Zealand and #10 in the U.S.

The trio once again received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance with "Behind My Camel".  Zenyatta Mondatta has sold over two million copies in the U.S. alone.

 

The Police followed up with another solid album, Ghost in the Machine, released in 1981, which has gone over the three-million mark in sales.  The band scored a huge hit with "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", #1 in the U.K., Canada, the Netherlands and Ireland, #2 in Australia, #3 in the United States and #7 in New Zealand.  It is one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

The great song "Spirits In The Material World" managed to make it to #6 in Ireland and #8 in the Netherlands, but was highly underrated nearly everywhere else.

After a world tour, the members worked on separate projects, with Sting getting particular attention on the big screen.

 

The band released the album Synchronicity in 1983 despite growing internal strife.  The three members each recorded their parts individually in separate rooms.  The single "Every Breath You Take" was a monster hit with an eight-week lock on #1 in the United States, #1 in the U.K., Canada and Ireland, #2 in Australia and #3 in the Netherlands  and sold over one million copies.  The killer hit is another Police song in The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*.

 

The Police may have had their problems with each other, but they were superstars as a result of the album.  Their world tour included a show in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium in New York City and four sold out performances at London's Wembley Arena.  The single "Wrapped Around Your Finger" hit #1 in Ireland, #7 in the U.K. and #8 in the U.S.

Synchronicity remained on top of the U.S. Album chart for 17 weeks and now tops eight million in sales.  The title song was a minor hit.

 

"King Of Pain" also hit the Top 10--#1 in Canada, #3 in the United States and #7 in Ireland.

The Police received American Music Award nominations for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Single (for "Every Breath You Take").  They won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Every Breath You Take" and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Synchronicity" and were nominated for Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Every Breath You Take").  The group was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Overall Performance and Viewer's Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards for "Every Breath You Take".

Increasingly, Sting was a star in his own right and recorded a successful album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, in 1985.  The Police played three concerts to benefit Amnesty International.  The band planned to record a new studio album but Copeland broke his collarbone after falling from a horse.  The Police disbanded, with each member recording their own material over the next 20 years. 

The group released their compilation Every Breath You Take:  The Singles in 1986; it has become a five-million seller.  In 1993, the Police released the compilation Message in a Box:  The Complete Recordings, which has now gone over one million in sales.  The album Live! in 1995 has sold over one million copies, while the album The Very Best of Sting & the Police in 1997 was certified Gold. 

In 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  To mark the group's 30th anniversary, they reunited at the Grammy Awards in 2007 and then toured the U.S. Canada, Germany, France, the U.K. eastern Europe and South America.  The Police grossed $358 million, the third-highest-grossing tour of all-time at that time, and sold 3.7 million tickets. 

The group charted 12 career hits with five Top 10's and the huge #1 hit "Every Breath You Take".

The Police have sold over 75 million records.

They have won six Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award.