The Police was a British pop band which was strongly influenced by reggae and became popular in the beginning of the punk rock phenomenon. The group was formed in 1977 by Stewart Copeland, the band’s drummer, who initially recruited Sting as the bassist and lead singer, and Henri Padovani as the guitarist. This line-up issued the band's first single called “Fall Out” in May 1977. Andy Summers was then asked to join as the guitarist, thus forming The Police.
Copeland had previously played drums in a new age rock band called Curved Air. After leaving the band, he caught notice of Sting, then bass player and singer with a jazz fusion group called Last Exit. Sting was an amazing songwriter throughout their time in the band. Before taking root in the music industry, he had been a high school English teacher. String’s lyrics are noted for their literary awareness and verbal flexibility. When the band originally recruited Andy Summers, he told Padovani that he wanted to experiment with 'new sounds'. Padovani said he understood but didn’t want to be a part of it and quit the band.
Outlandos d'Amour was the band’s first album. The creation was a lot of hard work, working on a small budget, with no manager, record deal, or any kind of contacts. Stewart Copeland's older brother, Miles, heard 'Roxanne' for the first time and immediately got them a record deal with A&M Records. The single was re-released in 1979. That single was the reason the Police achieved widespread fame in England. Their success led to a gig at the infamous New York club CBGB. In October 1979, the group released their second album Regatta de Blanc, which spawned the hit 'Walking on the Moon'.
In March of 1980, the Police make the choice to go on their first World Tour, which included shows in places such as Bombay, India and Egypt. The crazy thing about this world tour is that they went of the tour before they had worldwide acclaim. The combination of their new music and world tour caused an exponential increase of popularity among new wave music fans across the rest of the world. The Police quickly released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta in 1980. The album created a U.K. number one with 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' and 'De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da', which charted successfully in the U.S. This album also gave the Police worldwide fame. It was the last album the group cooperated with together, or as Sting would say, the last album they worked on 'as a band.'
Their fourth album, Ghost In The Machine, released in 1981, featured a thicker sound and vocal textures and spawned the hit singles, 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Spirits In The Material World.'
They released their last album, Synchronicity, in 1983; it is widely regarded as a classic. Notable songs from that album include 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Wrapped Around Your Finger'. Although there was never an official break-up, each band member gradually began his own solo career. A short-lived attempt to reunite in 1986 produced a re-recording of their song 'Don't Stand So Close to Me'. On March 10, 2003, The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.