Sting (musician)

Sting
Sting in 2018
Born
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

(1951-10-02) 2 October 1951
Alma materNorthern Counties College of Education
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • activist
  • actor
Years active1969–present
Spouses
(m. 1976; div. 1984)
(m. 1992)
Children6, including Joe, Mickey and Eliot
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass guitar
  • guitar
  • double bass
  • keyboards
Labels
Formerly of
Websitesting.com

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 2 October 1951), known as Sting, is an English musician and actor. He was the frontman, principal songwriter and bassist for the rock band the Police from 1977 until their break-up in 1986. He launched a solo career in 1985 and has included elements of rock, jazz, reggae, classical, new-age, and worldbeat in his music.

Sting has sold a combined total of more than 100 million records as a solo artist and as a member of the Police. He has received three Brit Awards, including Best British Male Artist in 1994 and Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2002; a Golden Globe; an Emmy; and four Academy Award nominations. As a solo musician and as a member of the Police, Sting has received 17 Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Police in 2003. Sting has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors; a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II for services to music; Kennedy Center Honors; and the Polar Music Prize. In May 2023, he was made an Ivor Novello Fellow.