Born in Wallsend, England, Gordon Sumner was re-christened Sting after a fellow musician caught sight of his beloved black and yellow striped sweater. In the late 1970s, leaving a steady teaching position, the musician went on to front pop-rock trio The Police, achieving a phenomenal amount of success between 1978 and 1984. When the band fell apart, Sting embarked on a prolific solo adventure. His first effort, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, featured a host of young American jazz cats, including saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Ever the explorer, Sting has since proceeded to open up his horizons to world, folk and new age music. Some of his better projects have seen him team up with allstar players like Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and Cheb Mami. If On a Winter's Night came out in the Fall of 2009, at the eve of the Holiday season.