Henry Padovani

Henri Padovani (born 13 October 1952, Bastia, Santo-Pietro-di-Venaco, Corsica, France) commonly known as Henry Padovani, is a musician from the Mediterranean French isle of Corsica, noted for being the original guitarist with The Police. He was a member of the band from January 1977 to August 1977 and was replaced by Andy Summers, who had originally been part of the group as a second guitarist.

Biography

Early life and punk years

Henri Padovani grew up between Algeria and Corsica from Santo-Pietro-di-Venaco. While studying Economics at Aix-en-Provence, he began listening to Jimi Hendrix and was inspired to form his own band, Lupus, made up of various school friends. He moved to London in December 1976, where a friend took him to one of Curved Air's last gigs. Though unimpressed by the performance, afterward he ended up talking with American expatriate drummer Stewart Copeland, who showed him some songs he'd been writing and introduced him to the rising punk scene. After a show at the Roxy Club, Padovani decided he wanted to join a punk band and shaved off his waist-length hair and beard. He then auditioned for the band London and was offered the job.