Sting (1951– )

English pop singer, songwriter, bass player, and actor. As a member of the trio the Police (1977–83), he had UK No. 1 hits with ‘Message in a Bottle’ (1979), ‘Walking on the Moon’ (1979), and ‘Every Breath You Take’ (1983). In his solo career he has often drawn on jazz, as on the albums The Dream of Blue Turtles (1985), Nothing Like the Sun (1987), and Soul Cages (1991).

Emerging during the punk era, The Police were one of the first white pop groups to use a reggae-based sound. The song ‘Don't Stand So Close to Me’ was the best-selling single in the UK in 1980. In his solo work, Sting has continued to blend music styles from all over the world into a Western rock format. He won several Grammy Awards both with the Police and as a solo artist. Later albums include Brand New Day (1999), Sacred Love (2003), and Songs from the Labyrinth (2006), a collection of classical recordings of music by John Dowland.

He has also acted in several films, including Quadrophenia (1979), Brimstone and Treacle (1982), Dune (1984), and Stormy Monday (1988).

Sting has been a vocal spokesman for the preservation of the Amazon rainforests and the traditional way of life of the indigenous Indians. He has also set up a record label called Pangaea devoted to recording world music.

He published his autobiography, Broken Music, in 2003.

sting

Old musical term describing the effect of vibrato in lute playing.