Sting turns 75 today.
How did this happen? The eternally young chief of The Police was always the youngest of the rock stars, sort of caught in between the classic rock crowd and the new wavers.
Happy birthday to a true mensch, who brings the bass like Mingus or Ron Carter, with his butterscotch voice one of rock’s great gifts.
Not only is Sting a family man — husband of Trudie, father of six, grandfather of eight (at last count) — he’s also the thoughtful philanthropist and activist. Let’s face it, no one ever heard of the Rainforest before he and Trudie brought attention to it and its indigenous population.
Of course, Sting’s time with The Police is deeply ingrained in the canon of rock and roll. But how about an exciting endlessly successful 40 year solo career full of hits, towering achievements, and a model approach to a long lasting career? I can still remember standing in the mezzanine of the Ritz in 1985 when he premiered his solo album and thinking, ‘This is a rock star.’
Tonight, Sting appears on stage in London in the penultimate performance (for now) of his Broadway musical, “The Last Ship.” A few days later he hits the road again with Sting 3.0, his sold out rock tour. And this is always the beginning.
PS Let’s not forget Paul McCartney telling Jarvis Cocker in a live video interview that “Fields of Gold” was the one song he wished he’d written. You can’t do better than that.
