Sting and Religion: The Catholic-Shaped Imagination of a Rock Icon

On the back cover of one of his most groundbreaking solo albums . . . Nothing like the Sun of 1987 Sting (Gordon Matthew Sumner b. 1951 in Wallsend UK) somberly stands close to a statue of Mary the mother of Jesus. The album was released a few months after his own mother Audrey died. The picture was taken on the island of Montserrat where he was recording the album apparently on the day of her death. I said goodbye to my mother as I had a recording date in Montserrat and she died a week later. When asked by the author if his mother was particularly connected to Mary and if this was why he chose this image he replied No but I did. This evocative photograph and Stings quick answer encapsulate the two pillars of this book: a microhistory of a specific British Catholic parish in the 1950s-60s and the impact that growing up there had on Stings artistic output. And beyond that this book opens a window onto the influence of Catholic education and imagination on millions of less famous people who had similar upbringings.