English musician and actor Sting was born in Northumberland, England. His given name is Gordon Sumner, while his nickname is Sting because of the yellow and black striped sweater he often wore onstage.

In 1977, Sting formed The Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. They scored their first hit in 1983 with “Every Breath You Take” from the album Synchronicity. The song was nominated for five Grammy awards and is included on the Rolling Stones’ top 500 songs of all time.

After The Police unofficially disbanded in 1983, Sting embarked on his solo career, releasing his first album, “The Dream of the Blue Turtles.” The album received four Grammy nominations.

In 1984, Sting appeared on the charity single “Do They Know it’s Christmas” by Band Aid, a multi-artist collaborative song recorded and released to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Three years later, Sting released his second studio album, “Nothing Like the Sun.” The record produced four charting singles and received three Grammy nominations. The single “Be Still My Beating Heart” was written about his mother, who had recently died.

Sting’s continued success led to his Grammy award-winning single “The Soul Cages” from the 1991 album of the same name. The record was dedicated to his recently deceased father.

In 1993 he released “Ten Summoner’s Tales,” which was later nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. It includes the hit single “Fields of Gold.”

After taking a musical break, Sting released his next album, “Brand New Day” in 1999. The record had two hits, “Desert Rose” and “Brand New Day,” which won a Grammy award.

Venturing into the world of soundtracks, Sting began making music for movies and films, leading to more Grammy wins and nominations as well as other awards.

In 2003 he released the studio album “Sacred Love” featuring Mary J. Blige.

Sting has also been heavily involved in human rights activism. He has worked intently with Amnesty International and created the Rainforest Foundation Fund. He also performed during “America: A Tribute to Heroes” to help fund the families of victims of 9/11.