Andy in the Zoot Money era. Andy is on the bottom left.
By Greg Danielak
Andy Summers' life and career can be seen as one ascending line, with perserverance and passion always winning out over difficulty. This timeline shows the traits and events that have made him accomplish unimaginable things.
The information here has been taken from many different resources, including the Stingchronicity Interview Archive. I have tried to piece together each piece of information and deal with conflicting dates as accuratley as possible. All quotes are from interviews with Andy unless otherwise noted. If anybody sees a mistake or knows something not listed/not accurate here, please mail me. My utmost thanks goes out to José Martín Ramallo López for letting me use his excellent Police Chronology from his equally worthy Police Page In Argentina.
- A Piece Of Time : The Andy Summers Timeline -
December 31st, 1942...
- Andrew James Somers is born in Poulton-le-Fylde (near Blackpool), Lancashire, England.
He is the second child of a family of four children (older brother Tony, kid brother Richard,
kid sister Monica.)
1944
- The Somers family moves to the port-side town of Bournemouth. They open a restaurant.
1956
- Andy receives his first guitar - 'a battered old Spanish thing with only five strings'
from Uncle Jim. Six months later, a local guitar pro sees Andy strumming his
axe without a sixth string. Moved by pity, he buys Andy the E string.
1957
- Andy's mother takes in a lodger, 'Cloudy', an ex-Royal Air Force serviceman with a
musical ear. He tunes Andy's guitar via the family piano, which Andy had been taking lessons on.
"Once I had the guitar in tune I could get from 'D7' to 'G' sounding only just slightly more pleasant than a
cat being struck by a moving vehicle," says Andy.
1957- 1959
- Andy's older brother Tony introduces him to the jazz sounds of Django Reinhardt and
American jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery.
- Andy tunes in every Saturday night to the 'Guitar Club' program on B.B.C. Radio.
Wondering how the players got 'a crying or laughing sound that would
occur in solo passages', Andy discovers bending one day while practicing.
- Andy marvels over the Hofner catalogue of guitars, and gets a newspaper route. He raises
11 pounds and buys a Hofner President.
- Becomes a member of two or three skiffle groups "complete with T-chest bass and washboard."
Andy's popularity boosts up '10 notches' in school.
- Andy hunches over his vinyl player and carefully studies the guitar work of Wes Montgomery,
Kenny Burell, and Django Reinhardt.
- Andy sees Thelonius Monk in a London jazz club, the Fairfield Hall.
"I thought to myself, "more so than anyone else, this is the essence of jazz."
- Andy becomes friends with a fellow Cliff Richard and The Shadows fanatic whom is highly
protective of all the Shadows riffs he knows. One afternoon he shows Andy the intro to 'Move It',
the definitive Hank Marvin lick. "It was a religious moment during which my heart pounded.
I went home and played that lick every possible way I could think of."
- Andy starts to regularly appear with hotel bands in the Bournemouth area.
- After chasing him across the city on foot, Andy meets his idol Hank Marvin.
- In 1959 at age 17, Andy drops out of school to work at Mins, a local music store in Bournemouth.
1959 - 1961
- Andy starts performing professionally at the Blue Note jazz club in Bournmouth,
filling in between the headline band.
- Andy meets Zoot Money, a Hammond organist who he previously knew from school.
This meeting sets the two artists off on a intertwined career for several years.
- Andy and Zoot's style of rhythm and blues is ahead of its time for 1961. Andy
continues playing at the Blue Note club and other sea-front hotels.
1963 - 1966
- Zoot Money gets a job in London with British blues guru Alexis Korner. Andy decides to join, in the hope of establishing
himself. Longtime friend Robert Fripp takes Andy's place at the Majestic Hotel.
- Zoot and Andy strike out on their own and form Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.
Their first performance was at The Flamingo. They soon became the house band, replacing Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames. They performed there as many as ten times a week at 400 pounds a gig, an excellent stint indeed.
Andy in the Zoot Money era. Andy is on the bottom left.
- On May 31, 1966, the group records a live album, "The All Happening Zoot Money's Big Roll Band at Klook's Kleek." This record is Andy Summers' recording debut.
- The Big Roll Band have a minor success with 'Big Time Operator', their one hit single.
Highlight of their career was performing on stage with the legendary James Brown in France.
- Andy is deeply moved when he sees one of Jimi Hendrix's first performances in a London club on September 29, 1966.
- Eric Clapton and Andy Somers trade guitars - Clapton gets Andy's Les Paul while Somers receives Clapton's '63 Telecaster.
Clapton uses the Les Paul to record Cream's debut in 1966.
1967
- Struggling to fit in with the psychedelic boom of the late 60's, Andy and Zoot reform The Big Roll Band as a psychedelic
unit, 'Dantalion's Chariot'. Despite a sincere message, progressive stage show and good music, it flops. "I was young and
foolhardy at the time', says Andy.
1968
- While touring in Yorkshire, the Dantalion's Chariot bus crashes, breaking Andy's nose.
Zoot and Andy agree to break up Dantalion's Chariot.
- Andy decides to join Soft Machine in May 1968 for a tour. He leaves Soft Machine in July, right before they were supposed to record their debut.
- Andy replaces Vic Briggs and rejoins Zoot Money in the final 60's incarnation of Eric Burdon and the Animals,
appearing on their December 1968 release "Love Is".
- Arriving for a tour in L.A., Eric Burdon decides to break up the Animals to pursue a career in acting.
Deciding this was a moment to pause and reconsider, Andy stepped back to work on his music more formally.
- Andy enrolls as a music and classical guitar major at the California State University Of Northridge.
- With, he says, $5 in his pocket, he married the Californian singer Robin Lane (who was in Neil Young's band at the time.)
- Andy earns a hand-to-mouth living by giving lessons to guitar pupils in the area (working in a store with the chord-master Ted Green.) He begins to gig with a local Latin-rock band, and acts with various theater troupes.
1969 - 1970
- Andy jams with Hendrix at Studio T.T.G. Summers played lead; Hendrix played bass.
"Can you believe it? Weird."
- Andy gets his signature '63 Telecaster customized to include a preamp (sellotaped into the back, removed around 1997),
an out-of-phase switch and an new bridge.
- Andy's marriage with Robin Lane breaks up in a painful divorce.
He shakes himself out of it by picking up the electric guitar again.
1971 - 1973
- Studies with Vincent Macaluso, Howard Heitmeyer and Ted Greene.- Andy starts to take sitar lessons. "I used to copy Vilayat Kahn's solos when I was trying to learn Indian sitar solos on the guitar. He was my favorite."
- Attempts to form a band with Tim Rose (of Morning Dew fame).
- Andy marries Kate (a psychology graduate) in 1973.
- Andy finishes his studies in California and returns to Britain with Kate in 1973.
"Suddenly, I became conscious after being unconscious for many years,
and decided I was going to have a career with the guitar."
1973-1976
- Andy decides to change his surname from 'Somers' to 'Summers' in order to avoid having to spell it out for people.
- The revitalized Summers quickly reestablishes himself as the complete, reliable sideman, renting his skills out
successively to Neil Sedaka (with help from Robert Fripp), David Essex, Kevin Coyne, Jon Lord
(of Deep Purple), Kevin Ayers (formerly in Soft Machine) and Eberhard Schoener (an avant-garde German composer).
An interesting anecdote on Andy's gig with Sedaka...
"I had just moved back to London after spending five years in L.A. and was totally penniless. With the help of my friend Robert Fripp, I got a connection to Sedaka and went to see him. I didn't even own a guitar amplifier, and I had to ask him - he hadn't even heard me play - if he would lend me the money to buy one. He did, and I got the gig."
- Andy is offered to take Mick Taylor's place in the Rolling Stones.
Summers was tipped by the music press for the job - along with Ron Wood (who got it).
- Took the Mike Oldfield role in a live orchestral performance of Tubular Bells at Newcastle City Hall.
Sting's own band, Last Exit, opens the show.
- At a party around Christmas 1976, bass player/singer Mike Howlett started talking to Andy about Strontium 90.
Andy, still unfulfilled and seeking opportunity, decided to go for it.
1977
- Andy meets Stewart Copeland and Sting when all three are booked for the same recording session with Mike Howlett.
Impressed by what they told him about their group, the Police, Andy sits in with them at the Marquee Club in London.
- On May 28, 1977, Sting and Stewart play with Andy Summers for the first time in Mike Howlett's one-off,
two-bass band for a Gong reunion at the Circus Hippodrome, Paris.
July 25
- Andy joins The Police at the Music Machine, London, for the first of only two gigs as a quartet.
As Sting tells it, "he demanded to be in the band, so he was in!"
"As far as I'm concerned, The Police didn't really start until I joined." - Andy Summers
August 10
- Second guitarist Henri Padovini leaves the Police after an abortive recording session
produced by former Velvet Underground legend John Cale. Part of the reason is musical/personality clashes
between Summers and Padovini, as it became clear that Andy was the better suit for Sting and Stewart's
musical agenda.
August 18
- At Rebecca's, Birmingham, the classic Police trio makes its debut.
The Police, 1977. Whoa, check out Andy's hair!
1978
January 13
- The Police begin recording Outlandos D'Amour at Nigel Gray's Surrey Sound studio.
February 22
- Desperate for cash, the three get the chance to 'act' in a Wrigley's chewing gum TV commercial.
They have to dye their hair blond and it becomes a trademark.
March 21
- Miles Copeland visits a Police Surrey Sound session, hears Roxanne and gets excited.
April
- Roxanne, the band's first "white reggae" track, is released by A&M in the UK and fails to chart.
September
- Can't Stand Losing You/Dead End Job single released.
October
- Can't Stand Losing You reaches #42 in the UK.
- Andy Summers is seen for the first time with a Hamer guitar on the Can't Stand Losing You video.
October 20
- The Police make their US debut at CBGB's, New York.
November
- Album Outlandos D'Amour and single So Lonely released in UK. The Police tour the UK
supporting Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias.
- The band buys three Echoplex tape-delay machines, which would become
a major creative inspiration to the band for the writing of the next album.
- On November 19, 1978, Andy and Kates' first child, Layla Z., is born.
1979
February 13
- Back at Surrey Sound, the band starts work on Reggatta De Blanc.
April 25
- The Police debut on Top Of The Pops, the only peak-time pop show on British TV. They mime Roxanne.
April
- Re-released Roxanne makes UK #12, US #32, stirring Outlandos D'Amour to UK #6, US #23
- Andy Summers begins a fruitful partnership with Hamer guitars.
July 24
- Climaxing their first headline tour of the UK, The Police are top of the bill at the annual three-day Reading Festival.
September
- UK release of Message In A Bottle/Landlord which becomes their first number 1 two weeks later. US release delayed
- Andy Summers begins his experiments with guitar synthesis.
September 27
- The Police begin a two-month US tour which includes a video shoot at
Kennedy Space Center, Houston, for the Walking On The Moon single.
October
- Reggatta de Blanc goes UK #1, US #25
December
- Walking On The Moon/Visions Of The Night UK #1. Message In A Bottle goes US #74
December 18
- The band play two London venues, the Odeon and the Palais in Hammersmith on the same night,
travelling between the two in an army personnel carrier. This starts Miles Copeland's trademark booking strategies.
1980
January 20
- Unprecedented 19-country world tour begins in Buffalo, USA, the takes in Hong Kong, New Zeland, India and Egypt.
A Film crew follows the band everywhere - the footage would later become the excellent 'Police Around The World' video.
July 7
- The Police start recording Zenyatta Mondatta at Wisseloord studios in Hilversum, Holland, with Nigel Gray still producing.
August 9
- The band finish recording at 4am; play Werchter Festival, Belgium, first date of new world tour, 9pm.
September
- Don't Stand So Close To Me/Friends single goes UK #1
October
- Zenyatta Mondatta is the #1 album in the U.K.
- Andy and Kate buy a cozy £40,000 vacation house in the village of Cork, Ireland.
- From a hotel in Munich, Germany, Andy writes a letter to Robert Fripp (of King Crimson), asking whether they can
team up to record a solo-duet album. Robert responds with enthusiasm.
December
- Dedododo, Dedadada/A Sermon single goes UK #5.
- Andy and Robert Fripp meet at Andy's parents' house on Christmas to discuss if they would like to record a duet album.
1981
January
- Dedododo, Dedadada becomes the Police's first American hit since Roxanne, charting at #10.
Zenyatta Mondatta goes to #5 in America and they sell out their first concert at Madison Square Garden,
New York, on January 10.
February 25
- The track 'Reggatta De Blanc' wins the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
April
- Don't Stand So Close To Me reaches US #10.
June 15
- At AIR Studios in Montserrat, the Police begin recording Ghost in the machine, with Hugh Padgham producing.
August
- Largley in part of growing pressure inside and regarding the band and touring, Andy and Kate get a divorce.
September
- Andy Summers and Robert Fripp write and record 'I Advance Masked.'
- Invisible Sun/Shambelle single released, goes UK 2 (not released as single in US)
October
- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic/Flexible Strategies single goes UK #1, US #3;
Ghost in The Machine machine album goes UK #12.
November
- Andy Summers and Robert Fripp's first collaboration, 'I Advance Masked', is released on A&M records.
December
- Spirits In The Material World/Low Life single released, goes UK #12
1982
January
- Ghost In The Machine reaches #2 in the U.S.
February 24
- Within 24 hours the Police win the Best British Group title at the first annual Brit Awards in UK,
then the Grammies for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a duo or group (Don't Stand So Close To Me)
and Best rock instrumental performance (Behind My Camel).
Andy Summers during the height of Police-Mania.
March
- Spirits In The Material World goes US #11 .
May
- Secret Journey goes #46 in America (not released as single in UK).
December
- In Montserrat, the band records Synchronicity in a period of six weeks.
1983
May
- Every Breath You Take goes #1 all around the world.
June
- Synchronicity album #1 everywhere.
July
- The band begins their worldwide 'Synchronicity' tour.
- Wrapped Around Your Finger/Someone To Talk To single goes #7 in the U.K.
- Andy Summers writes a movie script and creates music for potential use in films.
August 18
- The Police play to 70,000 people in Shea Stadium, New York. Sting and Andy have a talk afterwards, agreeing that this is the top and it can't get any better than this.
- Andy Summers publishes 'THROB', a collection of 'wacky' black-and-white photos taken by the man himself, on the
William Morris Press label. He also does some publicity tours in support of the book.
October
- Synchronicity II/Once Upon A Daydream single goes UK #17, King of pain/Tea in the Sahara (live) single goes US #3.
December
- Synchronicity II goes US #16. Billboard magazine names 'Every Breath You Take' the top single of the year.
1984
January
- King Of Pain goes UK #17.
Febraury 28
- At the Grammies, 'Every Breath You Take' wins song of the year and the 'best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal' and Synchronicity II (the single) wins 'best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal'.
March
- Wrapped Around Your Finger goes #7 in America.
- Andy Summers contributes his song 'Human Shout' to the 1984 film 'Wild Life.'
April
- Every Breath You Take wins 'Best group video' at the American Video Awards.
- Andy wins the Guitar Player Magazine 'Best Pop Guitarist' Award.
August/September
- Andy spends these two months on and off to record 'Bewitched' with Robert Fripp.
Andy Summers, after the 'Bewitched' sessions.
October
- Andy Summers and Robert Fripp release their second collaboration, 'Bewitched', on A&M Records.
- Andy Summers gets a movie offer considering using the music from him and Robert's two albums as backdrop for the script Andy wrote in the summer of '83. A trip to Hollywood to raise funds for the project leaves him "depressed as hell" over the impact of greed on the movie industry. "If that's the process," he stated, "I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life in films, at least not in this country. But the work interests me; the industry kicks up a pile of shit, but the work is good."
1985
- Andy remarries Kate. "We remarried in L.A. with a fancy Buddhist wedding on our lawn."
- Contributes music to the film 'Band Of The Hand.'
February 11
- The Police win the "career" Brit Award for their outstanding contribution to British music.
April
- Andy wins the Guitar Player Magazine 'Best Pop Guitarist' Award.
July/August
- Andy Summers visits the Far East and writes a few more songs for his long-planned solo album.
April 12
- Andy and Kate become the parents of twin boys, Maurice Y. and Anton X.
1986
- Andy Summers contributes music for the film '2010.'
March
- Andy Summers begins recording his first solo album, 'Quark', at Devo Studios in L.A. with Dave Hentschel producing.
- Andy wins the Guitar Player Magazine 'Best Pop Guitarist' Award.
June
- The Police appear in Atlanta, USA, at the climax of Amnesty International's all star American tour and play five songs. It will prove to be their final public performance.
- Andy contributes an original score to the film 'Down And Out In Beverly Hills'. It later wins an award for 'Best Film Soundtrack Of The Year.' (This is widely considered to be his best soundtrack.)
July
- Andy finishes recording 'Quark' in L.A., renaming it 'XYZ' before it is released.
July 21
- The Police go into a London studio intending to record their sixth album, but they don't, as old tensions flare up again.
1987
- Andy Summers releases his first solo album, 'XYZ', on MCA records . The 'Love Is The Strangest Way' single is released simultaneously. The 'Love Is The Strangest Way' video airs on MTV and VH1 (being hard to find means this video was only shown a limited number of times.)
April
- Andy wins the Guitar Player Magazine 'Best Pop Guitarist' Award.
July
- Andy begins a world tour in support of XYZ.
October
- Don't Stand So Close To Me '86 goes UK #24, US #46; Every Breath You Take - The Singles compilation goes UK #1, US #7.- Andy Summers records 'Mysterious Barricades' with David Hentschel and Bob Casale from the 2nd to 11th of October.
1988
- Andy launches his own record company, 'Private Music'. It becomes an interesting label featuring many experimental new-age artists such as Tangerine Dream, Patrick O'Hearn, Shadowfax and Yanni.
(Private Records Logo)
- Andy releases 'Mysterious Barricades' on his Private Music label. Critics love it.April
- Andy wins the Guitar Player Magazine 'Best Pop Guitarist' Award for the fifth time in a row, thus inducting him into their 'Gallery Of The Masters'.
- Andy contributes music to the 1988 film 'End Of The Line.'
Andy Summers, 1988. Photo by Donnie Shiftman
August
- Andy begins a U.S. tour in support of his new album, hitting spots such as Radio City Music Hall in New York.
November/December
- At his Venice studio, Andy records 'The Golden Wire' with Dennis Smith assisting and Dave Hentschel co-producing.
1989- 'The Golden Wire', widley considered to be Andy's best solo album, is released in January. Andy subsequently goes on tour.
- Andy appears on former Santana drummer Micheal Shrieve's album, 'Stiletto'. Andy is featured on guitar, teaming up with David Torn.
- Andy composes music for the movie 'Weekend At Bernie's'.
1990
- During this year, Andy played a Steve Klein electric guitar and fell in love with it. He offers some input and ideas to Steve Klein on the releasing of these instruments. Andy would soon endorse these guitars.
February/March- Andy Summers and his band begin recording 'Charming Snakes' on the 7th of February and end on the 21st. Sting makes a guest appearance on the title track.
The album would form the basis for Andy's 1990 world tour. "It's the best playing I've done in years," he says.
- 'A Piece Of Time', the leadoff track from 'The Golden Wire', is nominated for 'Best Jazz Performance' in the 1990 Grammy Awards. Andy doesn't win, but gets lots of exposure and publicity.
- Andy Summers contributes music to the film 'Decieved'.
November
- 'Charming Snakes' is released on Private Music. Andy begins his 1990 tour on the East Coast.
This photo is from 1991. By the time Andy released 'Charming Snakes', his hair had regained its natural dark-brown color. This is symbolic for him 'being himself' and making the music he wanted to create, as well as showing that he's long gotten over the Police. (Photo by Luciano Viti)
1991
- Andy Summers contributes music to the film 'Motorama'.
May 21 - June 14
- Andy Summers and his band record 'World Gone Strange' at Centerfield Studios in New York City.
September
- Andy Summers releases 'World Gone Strange', a more bluesy and slightly 'jazz-wave' album, on his Private Records label.
1992
- Andy Summers composes the music for the film 'Another You'. Besides writing a great soundtrack, he has a part in the movie as well, playing the role of the bandleader.
August 22
- Stewart and Andy attend Sting and Trudie Style's wedding and, at the reception in a marquee at the rear of Sting's Wiltshire home, The Police reconvene for a couple of numbers.
Summer/Fall
- Private Records folds. All of Andy Summers' albums become out-of-print and difficult to find at stores.
The reason why can be guessed from this 1998 interview - "I sort of kick myself now, I made a lot of records and, being sort of half-aware that I didn't retain ownership of a lot of them. I've tried to buy some of them back and I can't get them back."
1993
- Andy takes part with Sting and Stewart Copeland in putting together the 'Message In A Box' box-set.
- Andy contributes guitar to the film 'Mississipi Malasa'.
February-March
- Andy teams up with fellow British guitarist John Etheridge (ex-Stephane Grappelli and Soft Machine guitar player) to form a minimalist, acoustic guitar duet.
May 25 - June 14
- Andy and John record 'Invisible Threads' at Blast Studios.
October 10
- 'Invisible Threads', featuring Andy Summers and John Etheridge, is released on Mesa/Bluemoon Records.
Andy Summers (left) and John Etheridge.
1994
March-July
- Andy Summers and John Etheridge are on their acoustic tour. Andy tells Guitarist magazine in April, '...now I look back at all this [electronic] rack gear and realize I don't want to go back to it... I think this [tour] has been very healthy for me as a guitar player.'
Fall-Winter
- Andy begins writing material for a new solo album by improvising at his Bosendorfer grand piano, loading these improvs into his computer via MIDI, and then marking the good parts with numbers until he had 25 to 30 'vehicles' for writing and composing.
1995
- Andy Summers helps put together and assist-mixes 'The Police - Live'.
February 9 - March 3
- Andy Summers records 'Synaesthesia' with Ginger Baker on drums, Mtichell Forman on keys and Jerry Watts on bass, with appearances from the Trouserfly String Quartet on strings. This would be the last album Andy would make with Dave Hentschel producing, the last album with his Steve Klein guitar, and his first album with his current setup of MESA/Boogie amps.
Winter
- Andy Summers signs a record deal with the experimental CMP label, who also featured David Torn and Mark Isham on their roster.
1996
January 23
- 'Synaesthesia' is released on CMP records. Unfortunately, like most of Andy's records up to this point, it becomes out of print later in the year (due to CMP's collapse.)
Spring/Summer
- Andy contributes a track, 'Stingray', to the Hank Marvin & The Shadows tribute 'Twang!'
Fall/Winter
- Andy Summers secures a record deal with the RCA/Victor label.
1997
January 20
- Andy begins recording his next album, 'The Last Dance Of Mr. X', in North Hollywood.
February 4
- Recording for the album finishes in Venice Beach, C.A.
Spring
- Andy Summers goes with Jerry Watts and Bernie Dresel to New York to make his first instructional guitar video, with Arlen Roth producing.
May 19
- After recording 'Big Thing', the opening track to the guitar video, RCA/Victor hears it. "It was so good, RCA/Victor wanted it on the album, as did I", said Andy in an October interview.
Summer
- Andy Summers, taking a nap in his home, is awakened by his twin sons. They beg him to come to the radio to hear a song that is 'such a rip-off of you.' Andy hears Puff Daddy's 'Every Breath You Take' remake in which his guitar part is heavily sampled, becomes infuriated, and makes phone calls. He finds out that Sting gave permission to Puff Daddy for usage of 'Every Breath'. The guitar-part ('song' is an unsuitable use of the word) stays #1 on the charts all summer long.
- Andy Summers experiences sort of a comeback, as guitar players left and right praise him in magazines. With the Ska Phenomenon at its height, ska bands everywhere praise him and The Police, who first brought reggae and rock together 20 years ago.
- Andy does a three-week acoustic trio tour in Europe with guitarist Larry Coryell and trap-percussionist Trilok Gurtu.
"It was interesting. We had two acoustic guitars as well as Trilok with his hybrid percussion traps setup. It was rigorous because there was no bass. We worked really hard all the time to cover all that sonic ground, and it got a little bit intense. So we did the one tour and that was sort of it, actually."
October 14
- 'The Last Dance Of Mr. X' is released everywhere. Andy starts a publicity run for the album that brings him more recognition than ever before. His first (incredible) guitar instructional video, 'Andy Summers : Guitar', is released near the end of October.
- Andy begins a period of perpetual touring which includes his mainstay at the Baked Potato in Hollywood.
1998
February 22
- While in Brazil, Andy Summers and Gustavo Cerati record 'Bring On The Night' with Vinne Colaiuta on drums for "Outlandos D'Americas: A Rock En Espanol Tribute to The Police".
Summer/Fall
- Andy joins up and records with Brazilian guitarist Victor Biglione in an acoustic duet.
October 5
- Due to his comeback, 'Andy Summers : RETROSPECTIVE' is released by Windham Hill Records. It is a compilation of arguably the "best of" from Andy's several albums with his long-gone Private Music records.
October 10
- Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland perform on stage together for the first time in a decade,
joining Saul Hernandez of The Jaguares on stage at the House Of Blues (in Los Angeles) for a sold out show.
The occasion was to celebrate the release of 'Outlandos D'Americas: A Rock En Espanol Tribute to The Police'.
They played 'Does Everyone Stare' (the track The Jaguares vocalist Saul Hernandez performs on the album), and 'Demolition Man'. Ekhymosis' vocalist joined Andy and Stewart for 'Message In A Bottle' with Jaguares bass player Sabu.
Andy was playing his '63 Telecaster Custom.
October 15
- Andy Summers and Victor Biglione release 'Strings Of Desire' on RCA/Victor. The cover features one of Andy's paintings, 'The Woman Penetrates The Man.'
October 20
- "Bring On The Night" by Gustavo Cerati and Andy Summers becomes the #1 single in Chile.
October - December 1998
- Andy Summers records an album exclusively of Thelonius Monk music featuring Peter Erskine & David Carpenter on drums & bass respectively. Andy flies to Italy to get Sting's vocal on 'Round Midnight.' Eddie King has production credits with Andy.
November 1
- Andy and Victor Biglione join forces for a 16 day tour of Brazil.
November 17
- Andy returns to the studio to work on his Thelonius Monk album.
November 21
- Nigel Kennedy's band featuring John Etheridge ask Andy to sit-in for the Los Angeles date in their US tour.
December 16
- The Thelonius Monk album is in its closing stages, it is announced that it will be called 'Green Chimneys'.
1999
January
- Andy's trio plays their first gig of 1999 at the new Baked Potato in Hollywood. Andy and bassist Dave Carpenter were joined by Gregg Bissonette for an informal evening of music and humor.
- Andy, Dave Carpenter & Bernie Dresel play a series of gigs at the Baked Potato.
January 11
- 'Green Chimneys' is finished.
February 4
- The proposed Outlandos tour (Andy and Stewart Copeland touring with Mexican-Rock bands) is canceled, and a rumor starts up that it was canceled because Andy was having surgery. The truth is the tour was canceled because two of the main singers were unable to make the dates - therefore making the tour financially unviable.
March 21 - 29
- Andy attends 'Music Bridges Over Troubled Waters', a collaboration between Cuban and foreign artists, bridging cultural divides. The project was filmed by PBS and it took place at the Karl Marx Theatre in Cuba.
June 25
- Andy performed as featured guitarist at the Hollywood Bowl's opening night of 'Music Of The Beatles'. Conducted by Sir George Martin, the concert featured symphony orchestra and band, with Stewart Copeland on drums.
September 9 - 10
- After meeting Andy at the Hollywood Bowl Beatles tribute, Cuban classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco invites Andy to record some duets, for future release.
September 23 - November 14
- Andy tours the East Coast and Europe with Riccardo Fierabracci and Joel Taylor.
2000
February 4 - 7
- Recording in New York takes place for Andy's next album, featuring the work of Charles Mingus.
February 22
- Andy is presented with a lifetime Achievement Award by Gibson Guitars at the Hard Rock Café - Los Angeles.
To end the ceremony, Henry E. Juszkiewicz presented Andy with a beautiful new Gibson 446 guitar.March 17
- Andy takes part in the Music Bridges Australia Program in Melbourne.
March 31
- In San Francisco, Andy records the final track for his forthcoming album, 'Peggy's Blue Skylight', with the Kronos Quartet.
May 3
- Silva Screen Records re-release the entire CMP catalogue, including Synaesthesia by Andy Summers.
Other CMP artists whose excellent records were saved by this gracious move include : David Torn, Mick Karn, Jack Bruce, Trilock Gurtu, Glen Velez Ed Mann, Chad Wackerman, Michael Shrieve, Bernie Worrell, Sonny Sharrock & Nicky Skopelitis.
May 21
- Andy takes part in his first chat-session to fans on Guitar.com.
May 24
- Andy made a brief guest appearance at the The Ringo Starr & All-Star show at the Beacon Theater, New York.
He played on Jack Bruce's "Theme for An Imaginary Western".
May 30
- Andy had an initial design meeting at the Gibson Guitar custom shop in Nashville for a collaboration on an Andy Summers Signature guitar.
May 31
- Andy lends his vocal talents to Billy Bob Thornton's CD. He sang back up vocals along with old friend Peter Frampton on "Hang On Sloopy".
September 26
- Andy's latest CD on RCA/Victor records, 'Peggy's Blue Skylight', is released.November
- It is announced that Andy Summers, Jack Bruce and Dennis Chambers have teamed up to form a group, 'HotFlash.' So far, Andy and Jack Bruce have written 20 songs, 7 of which have already been recorded. The album is scheduled to be released in 2001 with a world tour to follow.
2001
January-February-March
- Andy Summers, Riccardo Fierabracci and Anastasios 'Toss' Panos play a string of dates in America, then head for Europe in March.- On February 27, Andy and his trio play the Baked Potato Hollywood for the last time before it closes down...
May
- The new album from Manuel Barrueco, 'Nylon And Steel' is released on EMI.
It features duets with Andy Summers, Steve Morse and Al Di Meola.- Andy heads for Australia.
June 26
- Andy's concert at the Basement club in Sydney, Australia, is webcast around the world. Because of the huge time difference between countries, devoted fans in California, U.S.A. had to wake up 4:30 AM Tuesday morning to watch it!
Greg Danielak - 2001
