10 Unlucky Musicians Who Narrowly Missed Out On Making It Big

We all love The Police, the energetic three piece responsible for some of the most danceable and catchy New Wave ever made. But before the trio were endlessly bickering and filling dance floors across the world, they were briefly a four piece with an entirely different line-up.

Originally formed in January 1977 as a trio with Sting, Steward Copeland, and guitarist Henry Padovani, The Police gigged heavily through the first half of '77. During this time the band also recorded and released their first single with Padovani on guitar, Fall Out, which heavily increased their popularity.

The Police then briefly became a four piece with second guitarist Andy Summers, with Sting in particular heavily impressed by Summers' playing. After the second gig as a four piece, Andy Summers was dissatisfied by just being second guitarist in the group, and issued them an ultimatum.

The ultimatum was that Summers would stay with the future post-punk pioneers, but only if they fired Henry Padovani. Padovani was then dismissed, and the classic line-up of The Police was now complete. Though enjoying a fruitful solo career, Padovani sadly never reached the illustrious heights of Sting and company, and narrowly missed the break of a lifetime.