Andy Summers

Andy Summers ( born December 31, 1942 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England as Andrew James Somers ) is a British pop and rock guitarist.

Andy Summers became known in the late 1970s and 1980s as the guitarist of "The Police", as sought-after guest musicians and throughout his solo career as a contemporary instrumental musician. His guitar playing is influenced by jazz and classical music, as well as New Age, Blues, Rock and other styles of music. His favorite guitars are "Fender Telecaster " for rock music and " Gibson Electric Guitars", he plays jazz fusion and jazz.

4.1 Albums with "The Police" 4.1.1 Studio albums
4.1.2 Compilations

4.2.1 Studio albums
4.2.2 compilations

Biography

Andy Summers moved as a child to Bournemouth, where he began playing guitar at the age of 14 years.

1968 married Andy Summers Robin Lane, they were already divorced in 1970.

In 1973 he married the American psychologist Kate Lunken, 1978, a daughter was born. In 1981, she divorced, but married in 1985 again. In 1987 she became parents of twins. Summers also has a son from another relationship before he married Kate for a second time.

Musical Career

Already with 16 Andy was part of the jazz scene of Bournemouth and played in local clubs and coffee houses.

There he was the musician Zoot Money on the Andy invited in his " Zoot Money's Big Roll Band" and play along the following " Dantalian 's Chariot ", both in the late 1960s popular acts in the London clubs.

1968 Andy Summers played for several months, the legendary jazz - fusion band " Soft Machine " from the Canterbury scene, before he met again with Zoot Money with Eric Burdon's " The Animals ".

As this commitment in 1969 ended, he spent four years studying classical guitar and composition at the "California State University " (UCLA ), where he graduated with a Bachelor in Music and studying with guitar lessons, gigs with LA, Latin rock - band and financed in different theater groups. 1973 Summers came back to England.

During the 1970s, Andy made a name for himself as a guest and studio musician and has had numerous engagements with Neil Sedaka, Joan Armatrading, Kevin Ayers, Kevin Coyne and Tim Rose.

1977 Andy has played as a guest musician on Eberhard Schoener LP Trance - formation. From 1977 to 1979 had Sting and Stewart Copeland were added. They all played together on Eberhard Schoener's two LPs Flashback Video & Magic as guest musician and also went on tour with him.

"The Police"

Main article: The Police

In May 1977, invited Mike Howlett, formerly bassist with Gong, Andy Summers and Sting, to act together as strontium 90. Stewart Copeland also joined them after Chris Cutler was prevented as a drummer. This short-lived band lineup recorded several demo tracks, followed by a performance at comeback concert Gong on 28 May 1977 in Paris and a concert as "The Elevators " in a London club.

In June 1977, Andy Summers The Police joined - in July 1977, they toured briefly as a quartet - and from August to replace Summers Henry Padovani as a guitarist.

Here Summers developed his style. In contrast to many guitarists in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Andy Summers emphasized in "The Police" the rhythm guitar towards the solo guitar and sat only moderately exaggerated effect agents. The special charm of his playing style was in the rhythm changes between rock and reggae, the " So Close to Me Do not Stand " coined about songs like " So Lonely " and.

Summers ' compositions - " Omegaman ", " Mother" and " Be My Girl - Sally" ( one of the few songs with Summers ' voice ... as narrator ) - were, as well as those of Stewart, in the shadow of Sting's talent for composition. On composed by Andy Summers instrumental song " Behind My Camel ", he played instead of Sting bass passages - for which he was awarded the Grammy for " Best Rock Instrumental Performance ".

In 1984, the trio separated for the time being to pursue their own projects. In 1986, "The Police" at three concerts of the " Amnesty International - A Conspiracy of Hope Tour " and then proceeded to take 21 years for the last common studio work, the best-of album, " Every Breath You Take: The Singles ." Then the musicians concentrated completely on their successful solo careers.

At the Grammy Awards 2007 on February 11, 2007 in Los Angeles "The Police" were reunited on stage. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers opened the evening with a revised version of their world hit " Roxanne ". In May 2007, launched "The Police" their world tour.

Solo artist, studio musician, composer and photographer

In the last phase of the collaboration of "The Police" Summers already started some solo projects. To musically to position themselves outside of the pop-rock music, he worked on some film scores. In the first late-night show of the actor / comedian Dennis Miller, he worked as a bandleader and composer, had some minor roles in television and other films, such as in the TV version of " Hitchhiker 's Guide Through The Galaxy" ( the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ) and together with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in the comedy " Another You ".

In 1987, he joined, along with Stewart Copeland, for a few months Animal Logic (respectively " Rush Hour" ). He left the band but at the end of 1987, after a short tour in Brazil to his first solo album "XYZ" - to publish, but which received only modest reviews - named after the first names of his three children.

The album went ahead already Andy Summers and Robert Fripp " I Advance Masked " (1982) and " Bewitched " (1984), the further collaborations followed: "Invisible Threads" (1993 ) with John Etheridge and with Victor Biglione " Strings of Desire" (1998) and " Splendid Brazil" (2005).

However, his subsequent total of 15 albums, the more stressed the ' jazzy ' and influenced by the New Age style and Zeitgeist were significantly more successful, and so remained true to Andy Summers of his favorite contemporary instrumental music.

At the same time Andy Summers as a guest musician continues to be extremely popular, so he had many other appearances, with John Etheridge, Vinnie Colaiuta, Herbie Hancock, Brian Auger, Eliane Elias, Tony Levin, Ginger Baker, Deborah Harry, Q-Tip and his former band colleague Sting are among the better known.

Andy Summers was also quite successful as a photographer and published books: 1983 already " THROB " in which he published his black and white images of the tours with The Police. Along with Ralph Gibson (photos ) currently "Light Strings: Impressions of the Guitar ," his autobiography, " One Train Later: A Memoir " with a foreword by U2 guitarist The Edge (October 2006) and Andy's photographic diary - signed and 1500 copies limited - "I'll be watching you. Inside the Police 1980-1983 " (including DVD) with " The Police " was published in September 2007.