Stewart Copeland

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Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police and is an influential drum stylist. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks. He was also the composer of the soundtracks for Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, and Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.

Contents

Background

Copeland was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the youngest of four children of CIA officer Miles Copeland, Jr. and Lorraine Copeland, a Scot who served in British Military intelligence.

The family moved to Cairo, Egypt a few months after his birth, and Copeland spent his formative years in the Middle East. In 1957, the family moved to Beirut, Lebanon and Copeland attended the American Community School there. He started drum lessons at age twelve and by age thirteen he was playing drums for school dances. Later he moved to England and attended Millfield from 1967 to 1969. Copeland went to college in California, attending California Western University and UC Berkeley. He returned to England in 1975, playing drums for the progressive rock band Curved Air.

Personal Life

Copeland married Curved Air vocalist Sonja Kristina in 1982. They divorced in the early 1990s. They have three sons: Sven (drummer/producer), Jordan (film-editor/director and frontman in London-based rock 3-piece Hot Head Show[1]) and Scott (currently tour-manager for uncle Miles Copeland III's Bellydance Superstars). Copeland has another son, Patrick, with Marina Guinness, daughter of Desmond Guinness. Copeland currently lives in Los Angeles with his second wife, Fiona Dent. They have three daughters: Eve, Grace, and Celeste.

Stewart's oldest brother Miles Copeland III, founder of I.R.S. Records, was manager of the Police and has overseen Stewart's interests in other music projects. Stewart's other brother, the now deceased Ian Copeland, was a pioneering booking agent who represented the Police, amongst many others.

Stewart's hobbies include rollerskating, cycling along the beach in Santa Monica, filmmaking and playing polo.

Drumming

Copeland is known for his precise, energetic, and creative rock drumming along with a reggae and jazz influenced style. His distinctive sound centers on a hard, high-pitched crack on a snare drum or rimshot, subtle hi-hat work with understated flourishes, while often playing only hi-hat with bass drum. Copeland is a master of the syncopated beat, and his distinct approach consolidates his position as an important drummer on the world stage, subsequently influencing generations of drummers. His credit on Curved Air's Airborne album was "Heavy Artillery" rather than "drums."

Copeland is also noted for his heavy emphasis on the groove as a complement to the song, rather than displays of technical prowess. He once drove this point home at a drum clinic: Copeland announced that he would show the audience something "that very few modern drummers can do," and proceeded to play a simple rock beat for two minutes. Nonetheless, his playing often incorporates spectacular fills and subtle inflections which greatly augment the groove. Compared to most of his 1980s contemporaries, Copeland's snare sound was very bright and cutting. Another novelty was his use of splash cymbals. He also is one of the few rock drummers using the traditional grip rather than the matched grip.

Equipment

Stewart Copeland currently uses Tama Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Remo Drum Heads & Vater Drum Sticks.

The Police Reunion (2007-2008) Tour Kit:

  • Tama Starclassic Maple Drums and Paiste Cymbals:
  • Drums - Blue Sparkle
    • 10x8" Tom
    • 12x9" Tom (To the left of his snare drum)
    • 13x9" Tom
    • 16x16" Floor Tom
    • 18x16" Floor Tom
    • 22x18" Bass Drum
    • 14x5" Tama SC145 Stewart Copeland Signature Snare
    • Tama Custom Octobans (x4) (custom made for Copeland)
  • Cymbals - Paiste
    • 12" Prototype Micro Hi-Hats
    • 16" Signature Full Crash
    • 17" Signature Fast Crash
    • 18" Signature Fast Crash
    • 18" Signature Full Crash
    • 18" 2002 Flat Ride (prototype)
    • 22" Signature Blue Bell Ride
    • 10" Signature Splash
    • 8" Signature Bell
    • 8" Signature Prototype Splash
  • Stewart also uses his own Vater Stewart Copeland Standard Sticks.

Copeland's Classic Kit Set-Up

  • Tama Imperial Star Maple Drums (9-ply) and Paiste Cymbals:
  • Drums - Midnight Blue
    • 10x8" Rack Tom
    • 12x8" Rack Tom
    • 13x9" Rack Tom
    • 16x16" Floor Tom
    • 14x5" Snare
    • 22x14" Bass Drum
    • 20x16" Tama Gong Drum
    • Tama Octobans (x4)
    • Two Tama Tymp Toms
  • Cymbals - Paiste
    • Formula 602 13" Medium Hi-Hats
    • 16" Thin Crash
    • 8" 2002 Bell (x2)
    • 8" 2002 Splash (x2)
    • 11" 2002 Splash
    • 14" Rude Crash Ride
    • 16" Rude Crash Ride
    • 22" Rude Crash Ride

The Police

In 1977, Copeland founded the Police with singer/bassist Sting and guitarist Henry Padovani (who was soon replaced by Andy Summers), which became one of the top bands of the 1980s.

Frequently cited recordings with the Police include:

  • Outlandos d'Amour: "So Lonely," "Roxanne," "Can't Stand Losing You"
  • Regatta de Blanc: "Message in a Bottle," "Walking on the Moon," "The Bed's Too Big Without You"
  • Zenyatta Mondatta: "Driven To Tears," "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," "Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Canary in a Coalmine"
  • Ghost in the Machine: "Invisible Sun," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Spirits in the Material World"
  • Synchronicity: "Synchronicity I," "King of Pain," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," "Every Breath You Take," "Synchronicity II"

Klark Kent

Copeland also recorded under the pseudonym Klark Kent, releasing several United Kingdom singles in 1978 with one ("Don't Care") entering the UK Singles Chart that year, along with an eponymously titled 10-inch album on green vinyl released in 1980. In a 2006 online chat, Copeland "revealed" (with tongue in cheek) that A&M Records signed the Police in order to get Klark Kent.

Singles

  • "Don't Care" / "Thrills" / "Office Girls" - 1978
  • "Too Kool To Kalypso" / "Kinetic Ritual" - 1978
  • "Away From Home" / "Office Talk" - 1980
  • "Rich In A Ditch" / "Grandilinquent" - 1980

EPs

  • Klark Kent - 1980

Albums

  • Kollected Works - 1995

Work With Spyro

In 1998, Insomniac began production on the first Spyro game, Spyro the Dragon. Copeland was hired to create the music for the first game in the Spyro series. The music Copeland created was frequently compared to that of Mutato Muzika's of Crash Bandicoot fame, in terms of originality and quality. Stewart Copeland was then hired once again to compose for Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, and once again for Spyro: Year of the Dragon, which, according to Ted Price, was some of Copeland's best music to date.

When Insomniac chose to not develop the next game in the Spyro series, Sierra began to work with Chekc Six Studios and Equinox on Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. All of the original actors and music producers had returned to Enter the Dragonfly, which would be the last time they all worked on the series, Copeland included. Although the game received low reviews, Copeland's music received high praise. A soundtrack of his music from this game was released in a promotional package containing the tracks:

  • Mid Flute
  • Karma
  • Dobrow
  • Songer
  • Fiddle
  • Songea
  • Andes

The song "Rain" from the original Spyro the Dragon is available on The Stewart Copeland Anthology and on iTunes. Fourteen other tracks are currently available in the Stewart Vault on Copeland's official site.

External links

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