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Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16 , 1952 ) is an American Musician , best known as the Drummer for the Band The Police and is an influential drum stylist. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed Soundtrack s. BACKGROUND Copeland was born in Alexandria, Virginia {Link without Title} , the youngest of four children of CIA officer Miles Copeland, Jr. and Lorraine Adie , a Scot who served in British Intelligence . The family moved to Cairo , Egypt a few months after his birth, and Copeland spent his formative years in the Middle East attending Cairo American College . He started drum lessons at age twelve and by age thirteen he was playing drums for school dances. Later he moved to England and attended Millfield from 1967 to 1969. Copeland went to college in California , attending California Western University and UC Berkeley . He returned to England in 1975 , playing drums for the Progressive Rock band Curved Air . DRUMMING Copeland is known for his precise, energetic, and creative rock drumming along with a Reggae influenced style. His distinctive sound centers on a hard, high-pitched ''crack'' on a snare drum or rimshot, subtle Hi-hat work with understated flourishes, while often playing only hi-hat with bass drum. Copeland's distinct use of a polyrhythmic approach solidifies his stance as an important drummer, subsequently influencing generations of drummers. His credit on Curved Air 's ''Airborne'' album was "Heavy Artillery" rather than "drums." Copeland is also noted for his heavy emphasis on the groove as a complement to the song, rather than displays of technical prowess. He once drove this point home at a drum clinic: Copeland announced that he would show the audience something "that very few modern drummers can do," and proceeded to play a simple rock beat for two minutes. Nonetheless, his playing often incorporates spectacular fills and subtle inflections which greatly augment the groove. Compared to most of his 1980s contemporaries, Copeland's snare sound was very bright and cutting. Another novelty was his use of Splash Cymbal s. He also is one of the few rock drummers using the Traditional Grip rather than the Matched Grip . STEWART COPELAND'S EQUIPMENT Stewart Copeland currently uses Tama Drums , Paiste Cymbals, Remo Drum Skins & Vater Drum Sticks. ''The Police Reunion'' (2007-2008) Tour Kit:
''Copeland's Classic Kit Set-up''
THE POLICE See Also: The Police In 1977 , Copeland founded the Police with Singer / Bassist Sting and Guitarist Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers ), which became one of the top bands of the 1980s. Frequently cited recordings with the Police include:
KLARK KENT Copeland also recorded under the Pseudonym Klark Kent, releasing several UK singles in 1978 with one ("Don't Care") entering the UK Singles Chart that year, along with an eponymously titled 10-inch album on green Vinyl released in 1980. In a 2006 online chat, Copeland revealed that A&M Records signed the Police in order to get Klark Kent.1 Singles
EPs
Albums
LATER CAREER In 1982 Stewart Copeland was involved in the production of a WOMAD benefit album called Music and Rhythm. In 1983, Stewart Copeland would compose the musical score and earn a Golden Globe nomination for his scoring of Francis Ford Coppola 's '' Rumble Fish ''. The film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola from the S.E. Hinton novel also had a song released to radio on A & M Records "Don't Box Me In - Theme From Rumblefish" - a collaboration between Copeland and singer/songwriter Stan Ridgway , leader of the band Wall Of Voodoo , that received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. After The Police stopped touring in ''), and Video Game s ('' Spyro The Dragon ''), along with Opera s (''Holy Blood and Crescent Moon'', commissioned by Cleveland Opera ,) and Ballet s. In 1985 , Copeland released a solo album, ''The Rhythmatist''. Featuring drums and percussion, the record was the result of a pilgrimage to Africa . In 1988 he followed up with ''The Equalizer & Other Cliff Hangers'', an album collecting some of his soundtrack efforts. In 1989, Copeland formed Animal Logic with Jazz Bassist Stanley Clarke and Singer Songwriter Deborah Holland . The trio had success with their first album and world tour but the followup recording sold poorly, and the band did not continue. Copeland has occasionally played drums for other artists including Peter Gabriel . In 2000 , he joined with Les Claypool of Primus (with whom he produced a track on the Primus album '' Antipop '') and Trey Anastasio of Phish to create the band Oysterhead . In 2002 , Copeland was hired by Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors to play on a new album and tour, but after an injury sidelined Copeland, the arrangement ended in mutual lawsuits. In 2005 , Copeland started Gizmo, a new project with Avant-garde Guitar ist David Fiuczynski . The band made their U.S debut on September 16, 2006 at the Modern Drummer Drum Festival. In January 2006, Copeland premiered his film about the Police called '''' at the Sundance Film Festival . In February and March, he appeared as one of the judges on the BBC Television show ' Just The Two Of Us ' (A role he later reprised for a second series in January 2007). At the 2007 Grammy Awards , Copeland, Andy Summers and Sting performed the song " Roxanne " together again as The Police. This marked the band's first public performance since 1986 (they had previously reunited only for an improvised set at Sting's wedding party in 1992 and for their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2003). One day later, the band announced that in celebration of The Police's 30th anniversary, they would be embarking on worldwide The Police Reunion Tour on May 23rd 2007. PERSONAL Copeland married Curved Air vocalist Sonja Kristina , and they had three sons together (Sven, Jordan, and Scott) before divorcing in the early 1990s. Copeland had one other son (Patrick, born 1981) with Marina Guinness, daughter of Desmond Guinness . Copeland currently lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, Fiona, with whom he has three daughters (Eve, Grace, and Celeste). Stewart's oldest brother Miles Copeland III , founder of I.R.S. Records , was manager of the Police and has overseen Stewart's interests in other music projects. Stewart's other brother, the now deceased Ian Copeland , was a pioneering booking agent who represented the Police, amongst many others. Stewart's hobbies include rollerskating, cycling along the beach in Santa Monica, filmmaking and playing polo. REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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