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Andy Summers

Andy Summers

In the early 1980s, The Police went on tour accompanied by a photographer who documented the band behind the scenes in a series of candid and striking black and white photos. This talented photographer also happened to be the band’s guitarist, Andy Summers. Yes, it’s true—the man responsible for the guitar lick from “Every Breath You Take” was not only the backbone of one of the most popular bands of all time, he also possessed a visual gift for composition and mood that allowed him to capture the spirit of The Police better than anyone else could have.

In the mid eighties, The Police ruled rock, arguably the most popular band in the world. Thirty years after their founding, twenty five since they disbanded, fans have waited breathlessly for their return. The wait is over. The Police have embarked on a historic reunion tour. But in the quarter of a century without The Police, Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland have hardly been idle, each pursuing solo careers. For Andy Summers, there were not only the precise guitar riffs, which created his signature of dense interlocking waves of sounds and effects in his jazz albums and movie soundtracks. But also, Andy's keen ear has rivaled his sharp eye, with a parallel career as a world-class photographer.

Now a resident in Santa Monica, California, Summers, continues to shoot with his beloved Leica. He sees his work as being in the tradition of the great photojournalists and as a complement to his successful and acclaimed solo career with contemporary instrumental music that, like his work with Sting and Stewart Copeland, draws on his love of jazz, world, classical music, and his fascination with creating sonic textures. His post-Police years have produced more than two dozen solo albums, soundtracks, and collaborations, plus hundreds of international concerts, and induction to both the Guitar Player Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Summer’s parallel passion for photography has led him to document subjects ranging from rural communities throughout Southeast Asia to timeless noir-style street scenes in cities around the world. His photographs have been shown in galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Paris and London, and his books include Throb (1983), the Ralph Gibson collaboration Light Strings: Impressions of the Guitar (2004), and the memoir One Train Later (2006).
 
Photo: Self portrait 

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