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The Police
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Miami Vice Performer
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"Tea In The Sahara" ("The Maze")
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Members
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Gordon "Sting" Sumner
Stewart Copeland Andy Summers |
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Active
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1977-1984
2007-08 |
The Police were an English new wave/rock band whose song "Tea In The Sahara" appeared in the episode "The Maze" of the series Miami Vice. Related work in the series was in the form of drummer Stweart Copeland writng and performing the song Don't Box Me In with Wall of Voodoo lead singer Stan Ridgway which served as the theme song to the 1983 Francis Ford Coppola directed period drama Rumble Fish with starred Laurence Fishburne.
The Police were formed in 1977 in London with members Gordon Sumner (aka Sting, born 1951, lead vocal/bass), Stewart Copeland (born 1952, drums/percussion), and Andy Summers (born 1942, guitar, formerly played with The Animals). At their founding they had a fourth member, guitarist Henry Padovani, but he left shortly after the band's forming. In 1979 the three-man Police released their first album, Outlandos d'Amour, and their single, "Roxanne", became their first US hit. Their followup album, Regatta de Blanc, was released in 1980 and featured the classic rock staple "Message In A Bottle". 1981's Zenyatta Mondatta was their breakout album, with the songs "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (which won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group), and "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da". 1982's Ghost In The Machine featured "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Spirits In The Material World", and the success of the band's videos on MTV (with the group being featured in commercials demanding people tell their cable companies they "Want Their MTV!") began to rocket the group to stardom, which culminated in the final studio album, 1983's Synchronicity, which remained at #1 for 17 weeks and had their biggest hit, "Every Breath You Take", with other songs "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger" (both Top 10 singles), "Synchronicity II", and "Tea In The Sahara". The album was followed by a tour which featured four of the 80's biggest bands: A Flock of Seagulls, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Simple Minds, and The Fixx, and each of the videos (except for "King of Pain") from their singles were directed by Godley and Creme, and the album won two Grammys.
After their Synchronicity tour ended in 1984, the group disbanded, each going on to great solo success. Sting made an appearance on Dire Straits' #1 smash "Money For Nothing" (which he co-wrote with guitarist Mark Knopfler) and a number of successful solo albums. The group reunited in 1986 to re-record "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86", a re-worked version of their 1980 hit for their greatest hits album, then would not reunite again until 2003 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2007 they would reunite again at the Grammys, and decided to do the send-off tour they never done, which was a major success. The band has not reunited since.