Andy Summers

Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942) is an English guitarist best known as a member of the rock band the Police. 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, and the Animals. 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 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 as a member of the Police in 2003.

Andrew James Summers was born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England, on 31 December 1942.

During his childhood, his family moved to Bournemouth, which was then in Hampshire. 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 and Dizzy Gillespie 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 to form Zoot Money's Big Roll Band. In his teens he played jazz guitar and was influenced by Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Raney, Wes Montgomery, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis.

Summers' professional career began in the mid-1960s in London as guitarist for the British rhythm and blues band Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, which eventually came under the influence of the psychedelic scene and evolved into the acid rock group Dantalian's Chariot. In September 1966, Summers was the first guitarist encountered by Jimi Hendrix 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".

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.