Stewart Copeland

Stewart Copeland (born July 16, 1952) was the drummer for the band The Police.

Born in Virginia, Copeland moved with his family to the Middle East as an infant. He was famous for his blend of precise, energetic, kinetic and ingenious rock drumming along with a Reggae (bass drum on 3, instead of 2 and 4)-influenced style. His trademark sound was mainly to do a very loud high-pitched crack on a snare drum or rimshot, very subtle hi-hat work with lots of little flourishes (often playing only on hi-hat and bass drum and nothing else).

For examples of his stand-out drumming that influenced two generations of drummers, see the following songs on the following albums:

Outlandos D'amour: "So Lonely", "Roxanne"

Regatta de Blanc: "Message in a Bottle", "Bring on the Night", "Walking on the Moon", "The Bed's Too Big Without You"

Zenyatta Mondatta: "Driven to Tears", "Voices Inside my Head", "Man in a Suitcase"

Ghost in the Machine: "Every Little Thing", "One World (Not Three)"

Synchronicity: "Synchronicity", "Synchronicity II", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

For examples of his latest work (2001), see his collaboration with Oysterhead, The Grand Pecking Order.

His brother, Miles Copeland, was the group's manager.

After The Police's demise in 1986, he went on to write soundtracks (for movies, TV shows, and video games), operas and ballets, and occasionally playing drums for other artists, e.g. Peter Gabriel.