Andy Summers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andy Summers
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Summers performing in 2023
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew James Summers |
| Born | 31 December 1942 Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England |
| Origin | Bournemouth, Hampshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1959–present |
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Andrew James Summers (born December 31, 1942) is an English guitarist. He is famous for being a member of the rock band the Police. Before joining The Police, he played in several other bands in the 1960s.
After The Police, Summers recorded his own albums and worked with other musicians. He also wrote music for movies, wrote books, and showed his photography in art galleries. In 2003, he was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Police.
Contents
Early Life and First Guitar
Andrew James Summers was born in Poulton-le-Fylde, a town in Lancashire, England. When he was a child, his family moved to Bournemouth. He took piano lessons for a few years, but at age 10, he started playing the guitar.
As a teenager, he went to a concert in London by jazz musicians Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie. This show inspired him greatly. By the time he was 16, he was already playing guitar in local clubs. He loved jazz guitar and was influenced by famous players like Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery.
Career Before The Police
Summers' professional music career started in the mid-1960s in London. He was the guitarist for a British rhythm and blues band called Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. This band later changed its style to acid rock and became known as Dantalian's Chariot.
After that band ended, Summers briefly joined the band Soft Machine in 1968. He also became a member of the Animals, which was then called Eric Burdon and the Animals. He recorded one album with them called Love Is.
For five years, Summers lived in Los Angeles. He studied classical guitar and music at California State University, Northridge. After graduating in 1972, he moved back to London. There, he worked with many famous musicians, including Kevin Coyne, Joan Armatrading, and Neil Sedaka.
Joining The Police
In 1977, Summers was invited to join a band called Strontium 90. However, he was soon asked to join a new band by Sting and Stewart Copeland. This band would become The Police.
Summers became the guitarist for The Police, replacing their original guitarist. The band became famous all over the world with hit songs like "Message in a Bottle", "Roxanne", and "Every Breath You Take".
While Sting was the main singer, Summers sometimes sang lead vocals on songs like "Be My Girl/Sally" and "Mother". He also wrote the famous guitar part for "Every Breath You Take." For his work with the band, Summers won two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. After seven years and selling around 80 million records, The Police stopped playing together in 1984.
Life After The Police
After The Police, Summers began a solo career. He recorded his own albums and worked with other guitarists like Robert Fripp from the band King Crimson. He also wrote music for movies, such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Weekend at Bernie's.
In 1987, Sting asked Summers to play guitar on his album ...Nothing Like the Sun. Summers also continued to explore jazz music. He released an album in 1999 called Green Chimneys as a tribute to the jazz musician Thelonious Monk.
The Police Reunion
In 2007, The Police announced they were getting back together for a tour. The Police Reunion Tour started in May 2007 and lasted until August 2008. It became one of the highest-earning tours of all time.
More Music Projects
In 2013, Summers formed a new band called Circa Zero with singer Rob Giles. They released their first album, Circus Hero, in 2014.
In 2017, he started a Police tribute band called Call the Police. He formed it with two Brazilian musicians, Rodrigo Santos and Joao Barone.
Summers' Famous Guitar Sound
As a member of The Police, Summers created a special guitar sound. He used effects pedals, especially a chorus effect, which makes the guitar sound like multiple guitars are playing at once.
He said he created this sound because he was in a three-person band. He wanted to make the guitar sound big and interesting for two-hour shows. He used an Echoplex for delay, a chorus pedal, and other effects. This unique sound was a big part of The Police's music.
His main guitar during his time with The Police was a 1963 Fender Telecaster Custom. It was changed to have a special pre-amplifier built into it.
Awards and Achievements
- Two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (1981, 1982)
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with The Police (2003)
- Named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France (2007)
- Received an honorary doctorate from Bournemouth University (2008)
- Voted the number one pop guitarist for five years by Guitar Player magazine
- Received Lifetime Achievement Awards from Gibson Guitars (2000) and Roland/BOSS (2017)
- His book One Train Later was made into a documentary film.
Personal Life
Summers was briefly married to American singer Robin Lane from 1969 to 1970. He married his second wife, Kate, in 1973. They have a daughter named Layla.
The couple divorced in 1981 but remarried in 1985. In 1987, their twin sons, Maurice and Anton, were born. Summers lives in Santa Monica, California, with his family.
Selected Discography
This is a short list of some of Andy Summers' most well-known work.
With The Police
- Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
- Reggatta de Blanc (1979)
- Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
- Ghost in the Machine (1981)
- Synchronicity (1983)
Solo Albums
- XYZ (1987)
- The Golden Wire (1989)
- Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk (1999)
- Metal Dog (2015)
- Harmonics of the Night (2021)
Collaborations
- I Advance Masked with Robert Fripp (1982)
- Bewitched with Robert Fripp (1984)
- Circus Hero with Rob Giles as Circa Zero (2014)
Books
- Throb (1983) - A book of his photographs.
- One Train Later (2006) - His autobiography.
- I'll Be Watching You (2007) - A book of photos from his time in The Police.
- Fretted and Moaning (2021) - A book of short stories.
See also
In Spanish: Andy Summers para niños
