Andy Summers

Andy Summers , born Andrew James Somers the December 31st 1942 with Blackpool, Great Britain, was the second guitarist of the group of Rock The Police.

Musical career

It begins its career at 15 years while playing in the orchestra of the Large Hotel of Bournemouth, seaside resort where it grows. Then, it goes up to London, and plays of the guitar in clubs; he plays Flamingo every evening, where he meets and plays with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Brian Jones and Soft machine! He spends then some time on the west coast to the United States, time to record some albums for various artists, in particular Eric Burdon and Kevin Coyne.

The Organizes

It is thanks to Mike Howlett, bass player of Gong, which it meets Police. It integrates the group; quickly, its technique and its masterliness of professional guitarist astonish; the other guitarist of Police force, at the time, Henry Padovani, leaves the group (Summers will declare then: “A certain musical level had been reached and certain followed better than of others, if you see what I want to say… ”).

There will remain guitarist of The Police until the death of the group. It was also tested with artistic photography, some of its stereotypes were published by the magazine Photo in 1984.

The personality of Andy Summers was often commented on in the contradictory press of way: “Simple carrying out talent of Sting” for some, “fundamental contribution” for the trio according to others… The truth is undoubtedly in the medium. Andy Summers forever hidden its admiration for the talents of type-setter and creator of the singer of Police force. Its technical contribution and its musical experiment on the other hand constituted a " plus" undeniable for the headlight group of the Eighties. Its character very " british" , keeping its direction of humor and its calm in all the situations, undoubtedly allowed Police to resist the internal tensions between Stewart Copeland and Sting, as with hegemonic temptations of the leader-singer of the trio which will end up flying despite everything in glare in 1985…

Career in writing and photography

Although being known like a musician, Andy Summers is also a writer and a photographer. Its more recent book with Ralph Gibson, Strings Light: Impressions off the Guitar , contains various passages of the types of music, the guitars and stories personnel.

Its autobiography, One Later Train: In Memoir left in October 2006.

It is well-known to have often brought a camera and to have taken photographs of its experiments. In 2007 it left I' L Be Watching You , a photographic newspaper of its years with The Police. It continues to take photographs during the current round of meeting of the group The Police where it used numeric cameras for the first time.

Discography

Studio

I Advance Masked - 1982 (with Robert Fripp)
Bewitched - 1984 (with Robert Fripp)
XYZ - 1987
Mysterious Barricades - 1988
The Golden delicious Wire - 1989
Charming Snakes - 1990
World Gone Strange - 1991
Invisible Threads - 1993 (with John Etheridge)
Synesthesia - 1996
The Last Dance off Mr. X - 1997
Strings off Desired - 1998 (with Victor Biglione)
Green Chimneys: The Music off Thelonious Monk - 1999
Peggy' S Blue Skylight - 2000 (with the voice of Deborah Harry on the track " Weird Nightmare")
Earth + Sky - 2004
Splendid Brasil - 2005 (with Victor Biglione)
First You Build has Cloud - 2007 (with Ben Verdery)

Compilation

has Windham Hill Retrospective - 1998
The X Tracks: The Best off Andy Summers - 2005

External bonds

Official site

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