Born 2 October 1951 in Wallsend, England. Known to most as Sting, thanks to a striped jersey.

One of the early bands Sumner played with was the Phoenix Jazzmen. He once performed wearing a black and yellow jersey with hooped stripes that bandleader Gordon Solomon had noted made him look like a bumblebee; thus Sumner became "Sting." He uses Sting almost exclusively, except on official documents. In a press conference, he once jokingly stated that even his children call him "Sting".

In June 2002, Sumner was awarded the honour of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), an honorary title that ranks just below knight.