Biography
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Born
16 July 1952 (age 72)
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Born In
Alexandria, Virginia, United States
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician best known as the drummer for the band The Police. He is widely regarded as an influential drummer with a distinctive style and has also gained recognition for his extensive work composing soundtracks for film, television, and video games.
During the early years of The Police, Copeland released music under the secret pseudonym Klark Kent. In the late 1980s, he formed the band Animal Logic with jazz bassist Stanley Clarke and singer-songwriter Deborah Holland. He is also a member of the supergroup Oysterhead alongside Les Claypool and Trey Anastasio.
Born in Alexandria, Virginia, to CIA agent Miles Copeland Jr. and British intelligence officer Lorraine Adie, Stewart spent his childhood in the Middle East, attending school in Beirut before moving to England and later attending college in California. His professional music career began in 1975 with the progressive rock band Curved Air.
In 1977, he founded The Police with Sting and Henry Padovani (later replaced by Andy Summers). Copeland wrote several early Police songs, including their debut single "Fall Out" and co-authored many others. His songwriting contributions include "On Any Other Day," "Does Everyone Stare," "Contact," "Bombs Away," "Darkness," and "Miss Gradenko."
Under the name Klark Kent, he released several singles in 1978, including "Don't Care," which charted in the UK. A self-titled 10-inch album followed in 1980, recorded entirely by Copeland playing all instruments.
Following The Police’s disbandment in 1984, Copeland began composing soundtracks. Notable works include the score for "Rumble Fish" (earning a Golden Globe nomination) and songs like "Don't Box Me In" with Stan Ridgway. His film and TV credits include "Airborne," "Talk Radio," "Wall Street," "Riff Raff," "Highlander II," "See No Evil, Hear No Evil," "The Equalizer," "Dead Like Me," "Star Wars: Droids," "The Amanda Show," and "The Life and Times of Juniper Lee."
He also composed operas and ballets, including "Holy Blood and Crescent Moon," "Prey," "Noah’s Ark," and "King Lear." His 1985 solo album "The Rhythmatist" explored African musical traditions and served as the soundtrack for a documentary film of the same name. In 1988, he released "The Equalizer & Other Cliff Hangers," a compilation of TV soundtrack work.
Copeland has collaborated with numerous artists, including Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, and Adam Ant. He scored the original Spyro the Dragon video game series from 1998 to 2002 and voiced a minor role in the film "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut."
In 2000, he co-founded Oysterhead. He also worked with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors before a legal fallout. His other projects include the band Gizmo and the chamber music project Orchestralli. His film "Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" premiered at Sundance in 2006.
In 2007, The Police reunited for a Grammy performance and a global tour. Copeland also released a compilation titled "The Stewart Copeland Anthology." He continued composing for orchestras, including "Celeste" (2008), "Retail Therapy" (2009), and "Gamelan D’Drum" (2011), and provided narration for a Latin-language production of "Ben-Hur."
His memoir "Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies" was released in 2009. He remains active in various musical and artistic endeavors, regularly appearing in media and performing solo or with former collaborators.
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