Sting was born Gordon Sumner, on Oct 2, 1951 in Wallsend, England. Before his musical career took off with The Police Sting had an array of jobs. He made ends meet as a dig ditched, and also a school teacher and soccer coach at a Catholic school in England. All the while Sting had a passion for music. He played in assorted bands, mostly jazz bands. He was given the nickname Sting because of a yellow and black t-shirt he often wore during his early performances. Stings life changed, in 1977 when Stewart Copeland invited him to join the band The Police. The Police had their first big hit in 1978, with the popular single Roxanne. Six of their singles did even better making it into the prestigious top 10. After gaining fame in England the bands next move was to conquer the market in the United States. His solo success continues with the recent album Songs From The Labyrinth. It seems as though Sting will be rocking for a very long time.