
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977.[1] For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz.
Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 in the UK Albums Chart. Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its lead single, "Message in a Bottle", became their first UK number one. Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success with two songs - "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" - becoming UK number-one singles.
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. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became their fifth UK number one, and first in the US. During this time, the band were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US; in 1983 Rolling Stone labelled them "the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world."[2][3] The Police disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, due to their reunion tour.[4]
The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.[5][6][7] The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[8] Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone 's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The band were included among both Rolling Stone 's and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[9][10]
- ↑ "Police Lead Hall's New Wave". Rolling Stone. 30 March 2013. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/police-lead-halls-new-wave-20030311.
- ↑ "Anglomania: The Second British Invasion". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/anglomania-the-second-british-invasion-52016/.
- ↑ "When Video Killed Radio Stars". New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2013
- ↑ Madonna News – The Police Are Considerably Richer Than You. idiomag (26 September 2008).
- ↑ Christie, Janet (May 26, 2018). "Interview: Sting on bringing his debut musical to Scotland". The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/interview-sting-on-bringing-his-debut-musical-to-scotland-1-4744945. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- ↑ Graff, Gary (9 August 2014). "Andy Summers finds new magic in Rock 'n' Roll". Qatar Tribune. http://www.qatar-tribune.com/viewnews.aspx?n=6F869480-C7F7-4828-943D-A8FA0A0CC793&d=20140809.
- ↑ "Guitarist Andy Summers and Rob Giles release 'Circus Hero'". Electronic Musician. 27 March 2014. http://www.emusician.com/gear/1332/guitarist-andy-summers-and-rob-giles-release-circus-hero/46035.
- ↑ "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