Andy Summers
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Musician and composer Andy Summers (born Andrew James Summers) was born on December 31, 1942 in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Summers's primary instrument is the six-string electric guitar. His playing is informed by years of jazz and classical music studies, as well as his work in new age, rock, and other musical genres.
First playing jazz guitar as a teenager in local clubs, Summers 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. 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 genius defined much of the Police sound, most notably on classics 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", often received less acclaim (although his instrumental "Behind My Camel" won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental in 1980).
Summers's diverse musical credits include motion picture 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 an amusing bit part in the comedy Another You, starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.
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 drummer Stewart Copeland reunited for the momentous induction of The Police into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later that year, Summers released his tenth solo album, Earth + Sky, which proves once again that the multiple Grammy winner is a cutting-edge influence in contemporary instrumental music.
His most recent release is an album called The X Tracks. This is something of a retrospective of his musical efforts between 1997 and 2002.
Lately, Summers has been performing at jazz clubs and other venues only a few times each year. One popular location for these select shows is The Baked Potato in Los Angeles, CA.
In addition to being a musician, Summers is a published writer and accomplished 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.