Andy Summers life and biography

Andy Summers (born Andrew James Summers) is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed several film scores.

Summers' professional career began in the mid 1960s in London as the guitarist for the British rhythm and blues band Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, which eventually came under the influence of the spreading psychedelic scene and morphed into the acid rock group Dantalian's Chariot. After the demise of Dantalion's Chariot, Summers joined The Soft Machine for a period of six months and toured the United States. For a brief time in 1968, he was a member of The Animals, then known as Eric Burdon and the Animals, with whom he recorded one album, Love Is.

Summers achieved international fame as the guitarist for The Police, which he joined in 1977. Emerging from London’s punk scene, the Police gained international fame with many hit songs, including "Message in a Bottle", "Roxanne", "Don't Stand So Close to Me", "Every Breath You Take", and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic". In 1980, his song "Behind My Camel" won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. In early 1984, after seven years and record sales around eighty million, the Police disbanded with the members going their separate ways.

Summers' solo career has included touring, recording, composing for films (including Down and Out in Beverly Hills and Weekend at Bernie's), writing books, and exhibiting his photography. In 1992, Andy Summers served a brief stint as Musical Director on the short-lived Dennis Miller Show. In March 2005, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall playing the premier of Dark Florescense, a concerto composed for him and classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery. His 2006 biography One Train Later was voted music book of the year in the UK’s Mojo magazine, and is to be released as a documentary film in 2011 by Yari pictures.

On the 2007 Grammys award show The Police appeared playing "Roxanne" and subsequently announced that they would be going on tour. The Police Reunion tour began in Vancouver, Canada on 28 May 2007, and continued until August 2008 becoming the third highest grossing tour of all time.

He was voted number one pop guitarist for five years in Guitar Player Magazine before being inducted into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame. In 2003, along with his band mates Sting and Stewart Copeland he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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