Gordon Matthew Sumner was born in 1951 in Newcastle-on-Tyne in the north of England. After quite a strict education, young Gordon himself became a teacher. At the same time, he taught himself the guitar, playing Beatles and
Rolling Stones hits. He then began to play with several small groups. He often
wore yellow and black striped T-shirts which earned him the nickname ‘Sting’
since people thought he looked like a wasp!
In 1976, Sting went to London to try his luck. One year later, he and Stewart
Copeland formed ‘Police’. The group has now disappeared, but their successes
such as Roxanne, Can’t stand losing you, and Message in a bottle, have become classics. Sting’s first solo was Spread a little happiness in 1982. In 1983, Police made their last tour together with the album Synchronicity, which contained hits such as Every breath you take and Wrapped around your finger. It was Number 1 in the United States and Great Britain. When the group split up, Sting started his career as an actor in David Lynch’s film Dune.
Around 1980, long before the idea become fashionable, Sting created an association called Outlando’s Trust for the underprivileged. He then took part in the Amnesty International tour with Phil Collins, Eric Clapton and others. He made his political position clear, for example, in ‘Invisible Sun’ about Northern Ireland.
In 1985, Sting took part in the Live Aid concert at Wembley to help collect
money in aid of famine victims in Ethiopia. This was followed by the Band Aid
record ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ The group Police came back together again for three concerts in the United States for Amnesty International. At the end of 1986, Sting –solo again– took part in the Amnesty Conspiracy of Hope tour with Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, and U2.
He went on to make records in aid of the disabled. He opened the show for the
liberation of Nelson Mandela at Wembley in 1988, and toured for Amnesty in
‘Human Rights Now’ with Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and Youssou
N’Dour. Sting then disappeared from the world of music to devote his time to
the struggle for the Amazonian Rainforest with Chief Raoni. The Rainforest
Association, that he helped to found, now has offices all over the world.
In 1991, Sting released the album The Soul Cages. His career as a musician had been relaunched. Since then, he has continued to combine music with his other preoccupations –acting, ecology, concern for human rights. He shows no signs of slowing down.
Comprehension check: Answer the questions:
a. Where did Gordon Sumner get his nickname from?
b. Which successful group was Sting a member of?
c. What other career has Sting been involved in, apart from music?
d. What has Sting done in support of Human Rights?
e. What has Sting done in support of ecology?
Vocabulary: Find words that mean the following:
a/ varis b/ marginats c/vespa d/fam e/èxit f/discapacitats g/de moda h/lluita
Grammar: Write the missing words:
Sting trained ………… become a teacher and played ………… guitar in his spare time. He played ………… the group Police but later left ………… group and went solo. He has had………… very varied career which has included acting and work ………… defence of Human Rights. He has worked ………… favour of ecological groups and has lent his name………… many good causes. Despite all this activity, he has also managed ………… get married and have several children!
