Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

. Prior to joining the Police, Summers had been a member of several bands during the 1960s, including Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, Dantalian's Chariot,

Soft Machine Soft Machine are an English Rock music, rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became o ...

, and

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

. He spent the first half of the 1970s furthering his musical education, before returning to professional work in 1975, eventually joining the Police two years later. Summers has also recorded solo albums, collaborated with other musicians (including two albums with

Robert Fripp Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is an English musician, composer, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session mu ...

during the 1980s), composed film scores, written fiction, and exhibited his photography in galleries. He was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

as a member of the Police in 2003.

Early life

Andrew James Summers was born in

Poulton-le-Fylde Poulton-le-Fylde (), commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,115. There is evidence of human habitatio ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, England, on 31 December 1942. During his childhood, his family moved to

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, which was then in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. After several years of piano lessons, he took up the guitar at the age of 10. Before being enraptured with the guitar, Summers described himself as an outdoorsy kid growing up in rural England. In his teens, he saw a concert by

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

in London that left a lasting impression. By 16, he was playing in local clubs, and by 19, he had moved to London with his friend

Zoot Money George Bruno "Zoot" Money (17 July 1942 – 8 September 2024) was an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He was best known for playing the Hammond organ and for his leadership of the Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ra ...

to form Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. In his teens he played jazz guitar and was influenced by

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

Jimmy Raney James Elbert Raney (August 20, 1927 – May 10, 1995) was an American jazz guitarist, born in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, known for his work from 1951 to 1952 and then from 1953 to 1954 with the Red Norvo trio (replacing Tal Farlow) a ...

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for his unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and for his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a ...

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz Double bass, upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. A major proponent of collective Musical improvisation, improvisation, he is considered one of ...

, and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Musical career

Pre-Police career

Summers' professional career began in the mid-1960s in London as guitarist for the

British rhythm and blues British rhythm and blues (or R&B) was a musical movement that developed in the United Kingdom between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, and reached a peak in the mid-1960s. It overlapped with, but was distinct from, the broader British beat ...

band Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, which eventually came under the influence of the psychedelic scene and evolved into the

acid rock Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage rock, garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelia, psychedelic subculture. While the term has sometimes been used interchangeably with "psyc ...

group Dantalian's Chariot. In September 1966, Summers was the first guitarist encountered by

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

after landing in the UK. The young Summers is portrayed in fiction as one of the "two main love interests" in Jenny Fabian and Johnny Byrne's 1969 book ''Groupie'', in which he is given the pseudonym "Davey". After the demise of Dantalian's Chariot, Summers joined

for three months in the summer of 1968 and toured the United States. For a brief time in 1968, he was a member of

, then known as

Eric Burdon Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...

and the Animals, with whom he recorded one album, '' Love Is''. The album features a recording of

Traffic Traffic is the movement of vehicles and pedestrians along land routes. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic laws and informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly an ...

's "Coloured Rain", which includes a 4minute and 15 second guitar solo by Summers. The LP also included a reworked version of Dantalian's Chariot's sole single "Madman Running Through the Fields". After five years in Los Angeles, mostly spent studying

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

and composition in the music programme at

California State University, Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge), is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. With a total enrollment of 36,848 students (as of Fall 2024), it has the ...

, from which he graduated in 1972, he returned to London with his American girlfriend, Kate Lunken. In London, Summers recorded and toured with acts including

Kevin Coyne Kevin Coyne (27 January 1944 – 2 December 2004) was an English musician, singer, composer, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. He was critically acclaimed for his unorthodox style of blues-influenced guitar composition, the ...

, Jon Lord, Joan Armatrading, David Essex,

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

and

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely asso ...

. In October 1975 he participated in an orchestral rendition of

Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...

's ''

Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...

''. In 1977, Summers was invited by ex-

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

bassist Mike Howlett to join his band Strontium 90, but was soon coaxed away by future Police bandmates Sting and

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...

. According to Copeland, Summers met him and Sting when the three worked together as session musicians. Later, when Summers by chance encountered Copeland on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

and got coffee, Summers told Copeland, "Stewart, you and that bass player (Sting), you've got something. But you need me in the band, and I accept."

The Police

Summers achieved international fame as the guitarist for the Police, which he joined in 1977, eventually replacing original guitarist Henry Padovani. Emerging from London's punk scene, the Police gained international renown with many hit songs, including " Message in a Bottle", " Roxanne", " Don't Stand So Close to Me", "

Every Breath You Take "Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for ei ...

", and " Every Little Thing She Does is Magic". During his time with the band, Summers twice won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, first in 1981 for "

Reggatta de Blanc ''Reggatta de Blanc'' is the second studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 5 October 1979 by A&M Records. It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles: " Messa ...

" (written with Copeland and Sting) and in 1982 for " Behind My Camel". Although Sting was the lead singer of the band, Summers occasionally contributed lead vocals, as in "Be My Girl/Sally" (1978), "Friends" (1980), "Mother" (1983), and "Someone to Talk To" (1983). Other notable Summers compositions from this period are "Omegaman" (which would have been released as the debut single from the 1981 ''

Ghost in the Machine The "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the concept of the mind existing alongside and separate from the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part ...

'' album had Sting not objected), "Shambelle" (1981), "Once Upon a Daydream," and "Murder by Numbers" both co-written with Sting (both 1983). In early 1984, after seven years together and record sales around 80 million, the Police disbanded. Summers wrote the guitar riff for "Every Breath You Take", though was not given a songwriting credit. It was recorded in one take with his 1961

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...

during the ''Synchronicity'' sessions. The song was number one for eight weeks. Sting won the 1983 Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and the Police won Best Pop Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocal for this song. Summers provides an account of the session in his memoir, ''One Train Later''. As a member of the Police, Summers created a trademark guitar sound, which relied heavily on a chorus effect. He explained in 2017 how the sound came about:

"I created it sort of out of necessity; my mission was 'We're going to play for two hours each night as a trio,' so I wanted to have this fantastic, coloured guitar sound that was different for every song. So, I used the
Echoplex The Echoplex is a tape delay effects unit, first made in 1959. Designed by engineer Mike Battle, the Echoplex set a standard for the effect in the 1960s; according to Michael Dregni, it is still regarded as "the standard by which everything e ...
, then a chorus, and a few other pedals…envelope filters. As we went on, I acquired more stuff and got a Pete Cornish board, but what was driving it was to invade and push the edge of what the guitar was supposed to sound like, and make it really interesting over a show. So, it wasn't just one straight sound all the time. I could move it around. And it was appreciated by many millions of people (laughs). Of course, it's very tired and a bit 'retro' now; I'm not very keen on it anymore. But in those days it was new, fresh, and exciting."

Post-Police

Summers's solo career has included recording, touring, composing for films (including ''

Down and Out in Beverly Hills ''Down and Out in Beverly Hills'' is a 1986 American comedy film co-written and directed by Paul Mazursky, based on the 1919 French play ''Boudu sauvé des eaux'', which was later adapted into the 1932 film '' Boudu sauvé des eaux'' by Jean ...

'' and ''

Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Robert Klane, and starring Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Terry Kiser. It tells the story of two young in ...

''), and exhibiting his photography in art galleries around the world. He recorded the duet albums '' I Advance Masked'' (1982) and '' Bewitched'' (1984) with guitarist

of King Crimson, as well as duet albums with Victor Biglione,

John Etheridge John Michael Glyn Etheridge (born 12 January 1948) is an English jazz fusion guitarist, composer, bandleader and educator known for his eclecticism and broad range of associations in jazz, classical, and contemporary music. He is best known fo ...

, and Benjamin Verdery. His solo debut album, '' XYZ'', was released in 1987 and is the only noninstrumental album in his solo catalogue. Although it included pop material, such as the single "Love is the Strangest Way", it failed to dent the charts. In 1987, Sting invited Summers to perform on his second album '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'', a favour the singer returned by playing bass on '' Charming Snakes'' (1990) and later contributing vocals to " 'Round Midnight" on Summers' tribute album to

, ''Green Chimneys'', in 1999. In the mid-1990s Summers briefly returned to a more rock-oriented sound with ''Synesthesia'' (1995) and ''The Last Dance of Mr X'' (1997) before recording a string of jazz albums. He also participated in the formation of

Animal Logic Animal Logic (also known as Animal Logic VFX) is an Australian visual effects and computer animation digital studio based at Disney Studios in Sydney, New South Wales in Australia, Vancouver in Canada, and Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles, Califo ...

. In 1992, he led the house band (credited as musical director) for '' The Dennis Miller Show''. AndySummers

The Police reunion

During the 2007 Grammy Awards show, the Police played "Roxanne" and subsequently announced that they would be going on tour. The Police Reunion Tour began in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, Canada, on 28 May 2007 and continued until August 2008, becoming the third-highest-grossing tour of all time.

Circa Zero

In August 2013, Summers announced he had formed the band Circa Zero with Rob Giles from

the Rescues The Rescues are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008. Their music can be classified as indie pop/rock, and is notable for its use of three and four-part vocal harmonies. History "The Rescues" were formed in 2008 ...

. Originally, drummer Emmanuelle Caplette was also a member of the band. Their debut show was 25 July 2013 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The band's debut album, ''

Circus Hero ''Circus Hero'' was the only album released by Circa Zero, a band formed in August 2013 by Andy Summers and Rob Giles from The Rescues. Originally, drummer Emmanuelle Caplette was also a member of the band. Released on 25 March 2014, the album ...

'', was released 25 March 2014. It is titled after a

malapropism A malapropism (; also called a malaprop, acyrologia or Dogberryism) is the incorrect use of a word in place of a word with a similar sound, either unintentionally or for comedic effect, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance. An exam ...

of the band's name made by a radio disc jockey during an interview of Summers.

Call the Police

In March 2017, Summers announced he had formed Call the Police, a Police tribute band, with two Brazilian musicians, Rodrigo Santos ( Barão Vermelho) on bass guitar and vocals and Joao Barone ( Os Paralamas do Sucesso) on drums.

Awards and honours

* Grammy Award, Best Rock Instrumental, "

", 1981 * Grammy Award, Best Rock Instrumental, " Behind My Camel", 1982 * Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with the Police, 2003 * Chevalier of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

, with the Police, 2007 * Honorary doctorate,

Bournemouth University Bournemouth University is a public university in Bournemouth, England, with its main campus situated in neighbouring Poole. The university was founded in 1992; however, the origins of its predecessor date back to the early 1900s. The universi ...

, 2008 * Hall of Fame, ''Guitar Player'' magazine * Vote number one pop guitarist, five years, ''Guitar Player'' magazine * Guiding Light Award, Progressive Music Awards, 2016 * 85th guitarist of all time in 2015, 250th in 2023 by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine * Lifetime Achievement Award, Gibson Guitar Awards, 2000 * Lifetime Achievement Award, Roland and BOSS, 2017 * ''One Train Later'' (2006) was voted music book of the year by ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' and was turned into the 2012 documentary '' Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police''. The documentary was released on DVD in July 2015.

Personal life

Summers was married to American singer Robin Lane between 1969 and 1970. He married his second wife, Kate, in 1973 and they had one daughter in 1978, Layla Zoe Summers. They divorced in 1981 and remarried in 1985. In 1987, their twin sons Maurice X and Anton Y were born. As of 2022, Summers resides in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, California, with his wife and family.

Equipment

Summers primary guitar throughout the Police's peak years was a unique 1963 Fender Telecaster Custom with two significant modifications: an onboard preamp and a Gibson PAF in the neck position. In the early days of the Police he started off with the Telecaster, Fender Twin Reverb and an MXR Phase 90. As the Police got more money, Andy had commissioned a custom-built effects pedalboard by Pete Cornish, which was assembled in early 1979 and had mostly MXR effects with an Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress and Musitronics Mu-Tron III envelope follower. In addition to the pedalboard he had a vintage 1960s Maestro Echoplex EP-2 for delay effects. He also recorded in the studio with a Roland Bolt amplifier.

Discography

Solo albums

* '' XYZ'' ( MCA, 1987) * ''Mysterious Barricades'' (

Private Music Private Music was an American independent record label founded in 1984 by musician Peter Baumann as a "home for instrumental music". Baumann signed Ravi Shankar, Yanni, Suzanne Ciani, Andy Summers, Patrick O'Hearn, Leo Kottke, and his for ...

, 1988) * '' The Golden Wire'' (Private, 1989) * '' Charming Snakes'' (Private, 1990) * '' World Gone Strange'' (Private, 1991) * ''Synaesthesia'' (CMP, 1995) * ''The Last Dance of Mr. X'' (BMG/

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1997) * ''Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk'' (BMG Classics/RCA Victor, 1999) * ''Peggy's Blue Skylight'' (BMG Classics/RCA Victor, 2000) * ''Earth + Sky'' (Golden Wire, 2003) * ''Metal Dog'' (Flickering Shadow, 2015) * ''Triboluminescence'' (Flickering Shadow, 2017) * ''Harmonics of the Night'' (Flickering Shadow, 2021) * ''Vertiginous Canyons'' (Blue Cloud Music, 2024)

Collaborations

* '' I Advance Masked'' with

( A&M, 1982) * '' Bewitched'' with Robert Fripp (A&M, 1984) * ''Invisible Threads'' with

(Mesa, 1993) * ''Strings of Desire'' with Victor Biglione (R.A.R.E., 1998) * '' Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band'' with Jack Bruce (Guest, 2000) * ''Splendid Brazil'' with Victor Biglione (R.A.R.E., 2005) * '' First You Build a Cloud'' with Ben Verdery (R.A.R.E., 2007) * ''Fundamental'' with Fernanda Takai (Deck, 2012) * ''

'' with Rob Giles as Circa Zero ( 429, 2014)

Film soundtracks

* ''The Wild Life'' (MCA, 1984) * ''

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

'' (A&M, 1984) * ''Band of the Hand'' (1985) * ''

'' (MCA, 1986) * ''Weekend at Bernie's'' (Arista, 1989) * ''The Craft'' (Columbia, 1996)

Singles

* "I Advance Masked"/"Hardy Country" with

(1982) * "Parade"/"Train" with

(1984) * "

"/"To Hal and Back" (1984) * "Love is the Strangest Way"/"Nowhere" (1987) * "Bring on the Night" (Police cover) with 40 Fingers (2022)

As band member

With The Police * ''

Outlandos d'Amour ''Outlandos d'Amour'' is the debut studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 17 November 1978 by A&M Records. Elevated by the success of its lead single, " Roxanne", ''Outlandos d'Amour'' peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart ...

'' (1978) * ''

'' (1979) * ''

Zenyatta Mondatta ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' (stylised as ''Zenyattà Mondatta'' on the album cover artwork) is the third studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray. ''Zeny ...

'' (1980) * ''

'' (1981) * '' Brimstone and Treacle'' (1982) * ''

Synchronicity Synchronicity () is a concept introduced by Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology, to describe events that coincide in time and appear meaningfully related, yet lack a discoverable causal connection. Jung held that this was a healthy fu ...

'' (1983) * '' Every Breath You Take: The Singles'' (1986) * '' Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings'' (1993) * '' Live!'' (1995) * ''

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

'' (2007) * '' Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires'' (2008) With Eric Burdon and the Animals * '' Love Is'' (1968) With

* '' Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)'' (EMI/Harvest, 1976) * ''First Show in the Appearance Business: The BBC Sessions 1973–1976'' (Strange Fruit 1996) * ''Too Old to Die Young: BBC Live 1972–1976'' (Hux 1998) With

* '' Matching Head and Feet'' (Virgin, 1975) * ''Heartburn'' (Virgin, 1976) * ''In Living Black and White'' (Virgin, 1976) * ''Sign of the Times'' (Virgin, 1994) * ''On Air'' (Tradition & Moderne, 2008) With Dantalian's Chariot * ''Chariot Rising'' (Wooden Hill, 1996) With Eberhard Schoener * ''The Book'' (Ariola 1977) * ''Trance-Formation'' (Harvest/EMI Electrola 1977) * ''Video Magic'' (Harvest, 1978) * ''Flashback'' (Harvest, 1979) With Strontium 90 * ''Police Academy'' (Pangaea, 1997) With Zoot Money's Big Roll Band * ''It Should Have Been Me'' (1965) * ''Zoot!'' (Columbia, 1966) * ''Transition'' (1968) * ''Were You There?'' (Indigo, 1999) * ''Fully Clothed & Naked'' (Indigo, 2000)

As guest

* Joan Armatrading, '' Back to the Night'' (A&M, 1975) * Manuel Barrueco, ''Nylon & Steel'' (Angel, 2001) *

David Bedford David Vickerman Bedford (4 August 1937 – 1 October 2011) was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music. He was the brother of the conductor Steuart Bedford, the grandson of the composer, painter ...

, ''The Odyssey'' (Virgin, 1976) *

Gregg Bissonette Gregg Bissonette (born June 9, 1959) is an American jazz and rock drummer and vocalist. He is the brother of bassist Matt Bissonette, with whom he frequently collaborates. Bissonette is known for playing and recording many different styles of m ...

, ''Gregg Bissonette'' (Mascot, 1998) * Toni Childs, '' House of Hope'' (A&M, 1991) * Deeyah Khan, ''Ataraxis'' (Heilo, 2007) *

Jo Jo Laine Jo Jo Laine (born Joanne LaPatrie July 13, 1953 – October 29, 2006)
''Telegraph'' was a ...

, ''Dancin' Man'' (Polydor, 1980) * Jon Lord, ''

Sarabande The sarabande (from ) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance called ''zara ...

'', (Purple, 1976) * Juicy Lucy, ''Blue Thunder'' (Outer Music, 1996) * Roberto Menescal, ''Bossa Nova Meets the Beatles'' (Deck/Jingle Bells 2017) * Anthony Moore, ''Out'' (Virgin, 1976) *

Paolo Rustichelli Paolo Rustichelli is an Italian-American pianist, composer, and producer, and the son of Academy Award, Oscar nominee Carlo Rustichelli. His music is eclectic but generally belongs in the genres smooth jazz, jazz rock, and progressive rock. Care ...

, ''Capri/Mystic Jazz'' (Verve Forecast, 1991) *

, ''Live at the Royal Festival Hall'' (Polydor, 1974) * Michael Shrieve, ''Stiletto'' (Novus/RCA/BMG, 1989) *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

, '' Hello Big Man'' (Warner Bros., 1983) * Sting, '' ...Nothing Like the Sun'' (A&M, 1987) * Andrew York, ''Centerpeace'' (2010)

Books

* ''Throb'' (William Morrow, 1983) * ''Light Strings'' (Chronicle, 2005) * ''One Train Later'' (St Martins, 2006) * ''I'll Be Watching You'' (

Taschen Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen. History The company began as Tasch ...

, 2007) * ''Desirer Walks the Streets'' (

Nazraeli Press Nazraeli Press is a publisher of books of photography. It was founded in 1989, in Munich, Germany, by Chris Pichler and has been based in the US since 1996. Nazraeli publishes roughly 30 new titles each year and has published over 400 with work b ...

, 2008) * ''The Bones of Chuang Tzu'' (

Steidl Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks. Overview The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...

, 2018) * ''A Certain Strangeness'' (

University of Texas Press The University of Texas Press (or UT Press) is the university press of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly and trade books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Caribbean, Caribbea ...

, 2019) * ''Fretted and Moaning'' (Rocket88, 2021)

References

External links

*
The Police official site

Circa Zero official website

Interview: "Andy Summers: The Blessing and The Curse" – Rockerzine.com 2015

BBC text interview with Andy Summers (2014)

Rick Beato video interview with Andy Summers (2023)

Book Review of Andy Summers' One Train Later

Police Guitarist Andy Summers to Release Short Story Debut, 'Fretted and Moaning'
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Andy 1942 births Living people People from Poulton-le-Fylde People from Chipping Barnet California State University, Northridge alumni Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres English jazz guitarists English male guitarists English rock guitarists English lead guitarists English male jazz musicians A&M Records artists Private Music artists The Animals members The Police members Soft Machine members Strontium 90 (band) members Spooky Tooth members English expatriate musicians in the United States