The Shipyard Tales!

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known as ‘Sting’, was born on 2nd October 1951.

He is a renowned musician, songwriter, singer, and actor.

In 1977 he formed a band, ‘The Police’ with his friends.

They sold more than 65 million albums.

Sting’s songs have a specialty.

His songs always tell a meaningful ‘Story’.

He is a gifted storyteller.

But there was a time when Sting was stuck with writer’s block.

He was unable to think and write anything.

It was not a normal writer’s block that could be overcome by clearing the desk or taking a walk.

He suffered every day to put something on paper.

But all his efforts seemed to be in vain.

The days turned to weeks; and weeks to months.

But he was unable to come out of his writer’s block.

He realized he had to fight it back, or else his career would be over.

And to find a solution, he went back to his roots.

Sting had spent the early years of his youth in the shipyard town of Northumberland, England.

His mother was a hairdresser, and his father worked as an engineer.

He grew up with ship workers, sailors, and captains.

He listed down the people he knew back in his shipyard town.

He wrote the stories of their dreams; their anger; their hopes and adventures.

His Broadway musical, ‘The Last Ship’, tells the story of a ship worker — Gideon Fletcher.

Fletcher dreams of a different future and sets out to travel the world, leaving his love and his old life behind.

Sting wrote about the disrespectful Pastor who was once a drunkard and foul-mouthed but later inspires the community.

He wrote about the demise of the shipbuilding industry.

At last, Sting had overcome the obstacles in his present, by re-visiting his past.

 His roots gave him the stories that uplifted his musical journey.