Andy Summers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Andy Summers | |
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| Born | 31 December 1942 Poulton-le-Fylde, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock Jazz new age |
| Affiliation(s) | The Police |
| Notable guitars | Fender Telecaster |
| Years active | 1968 - present |
| Official site | AndySummers.com |
Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist and composer best known for his work in The Police. Summers's primary guitars are the Fender Telecaster when playing rock, and Gibson electric guitars when playing jazz fusion and jazz. His playing has been influenced by years of jazz and classical music studies, as well as his work in new age, rock, and other musical genres. He was born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England.
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[edit] Recording career
Though born in Lancashire, Summers grew up in Bournemouth, Dorset, where he started playing jazz guitar as a teenager in local clubs.
He began his recording career in the 1960s as the guitarist for Zoot Money's Big Roll Band and its subsequent psychedelic-era incarnation, Dantalian's Chariot, both popular acts on the London club scene. Summers was a member for several months in early 1968 of the legendary Canterbury scene jazz fusion band Soft Machine, although he did not record with the group. He also recorded with Eric Burdon and the New Animals, and spent much of the 1970s doing prolific session work for Neil Sedaka, Joan Armatrading, Kevin Ayers, Kevin Coyne, Tim Rose, and Jon Lord, to name a few.
Summers achieved international prominence as the guitarist for The Police, perhaps the most popular rock music group of the early to mid-1980s. Summers's guitar playing defined much of the Police sound, most notably on popular hits such as "Message in a Bottle", "Don't Stand So Close to Me", and "Every Breath You Take". However, Summers' own songs for the Police, such as "Omegaman" and "Mother", perhaps unfairly received less acclaim (although his instrumental "Behind My Camel" won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental in 1980). It is Summers' voice which can be heard in the song "Be My Girl - Sally" (from the album "Outlandos D'Amour"), taking the part of the narrator telling - in a broad Yorkshire accent - about his adventures with Sally, the inflatable doll.
Stylistically, the "Summers Sound" is characterized by tasteful use of various guitar effects. Eschewing fancy guitar pyrotechnics, Summers' style is notable for its depth of sound, characterized by tasteful use of compressor, chorus, and echo effects. He was an early adopter of Roland synthesizer technology. In recent years, however, Summers has favored a less effected sound, preferring a straight guitar-amp setup.
Summers's diverse musical credits include film scores, his most famous assignments being Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Weekend at Bernie's. He also dabbled in late night television as the band leader and composer for actor/comic Dennis Miller's first talk show. Summers guest-starred in an episode of TV's The Hitchhiker and had a bit part in the comedy Another You, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Summers also was briefly a member in 1987 of the group "Rush Hour", which became Animal Logic with ex-Police drummer Stewart Copeland.
As an individual artist, Summers has released numerous recordings with his own collections of musicians, including John Etheridge, Vinnie Colaiuta, Robert Fripp, Herbie Hancock, Brian Auger, Eliane Elias, Tony Levin, Ginger Baker, Deborah Harry, Q-Tip, and Sting, among others. Summers also taped a two-part guitar instructional video for Hot Licks.
In March 2003, Summers, Sting and Copeland reunited for the induction of The Police into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later that year, Summers released his tenth solo album, Earth + Sky, which consisted of contemporary instrumental music. His most recent release is an album called The X Tracks, which is something of a retrospective of his musical efforts between 1997 and 2002. Recently, Summers has been performing at jazz clubs and other venues a few times each year.
At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Summers, Stewart Copeland and Sting performed together again as The Police. This marked the band's first public performance since 1986 (they had previously reunited only for an improvised set at Sting's wedding party in 1992 and for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003). One day later, the band announced that in celebration of The Police's 30th anniversary, they would be embarking on worldwide The Police Reunion Tour on 23 May 2007.
[edit] Writing career
In addition to being a musician, Summers is a published writer and photographer. His recent book with Ralph Gibson, Light Strings: Impressions of the Guitar, published by Chronicle Books, contains various passages about different types of music, guitars, and personal stories.
His autobiography, One Train Later: A Memoir, (with a foreword by U2's The Edge) was released in October 2006.
Taschen will publish, "I'll Be Watching You", a photographic journal of Andy's years with The Police in March 2007.
[edit] Education
Before joining The Police, Summers took a break from pursuing his musical career full time. He attended California State University, Northridge where he earned a bachelors degree in Music.
[edit] Personal
Andy married first wife Robin Lane in 1968. The couple divorced in 1970. In 1973, he married Kate, a psychology graduate, and they had a daughter, Layla Z Summers (born in 1978). Kate and Andy divorced in 1981 but remarried in 1985. Andy blamed their divorce on the stress of being away from home on extensive tours with The Police. During the period estranged from Kate, Andy fathered a son, Andrew, by another relationship. Andrew is now legally fathered by Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash. In 1987, twin sons Anton Y Summers and Maurice X Summers were born. The kids were all given a letter (i.e., X, Y, and Z) for a middle name (his first solo album, XYZ, was named after his children).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio
- I Advance Masked - 1982 (with Robert Fripp)
- Bewitched - 1984 (with Robert Fripp)
- XYZ - 1987
- Mysterious Barricades - 1988
- The Golden Wire - 1989
- Charming Snakes - 1990
- World Gone Strange - 1991
- Invisible Threads - 1993 (with John Etheridge)
- Synaesthesia - 1996
- The Last Dance of Mr. X - 1997
- Strings of Desire - 1998 (with Victor Biglione)
- Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk - 1999
- Peggy's Blue Skylight - 2000
- Earth + Sky - 2004
- Splendid Brasil - 2005 (with Victor Biglione)
[edit] Compilation
- A Windham Hill Retrospective - 1998
- The X Tracks: The Best of Andy Summers - 2005
[edit] External links
| The Police |
|---|
| Sting | Andy Summers | Stewart Copeland |
| Henry Padovani |
| Discography |
| Studio Albums: Outlandos d'Amour (1978) | Reggatta de Blanc (1979) | Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) | Ghost in the Machine (1981) | Synchronicity (1983) |
| Live Albums: Live! (1995) |
| Compilation Albums: Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986) | Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings (1993) | Every Breath You Take: The Classics (1995) | The Very Best of Sting & The Police (1997, 2002) |
| Tours |
| Early Years (1977-80) | The Police Around the World Tour (Zenyatta Mondatta Tour) (1980-81) | Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981-82) | Synchronicity Tour (1983-84) | A Conspiracy of Hope Tour (1986) | The Police Reunion Tour (2007-08) |
