Bernard Sumner

Last updated

Bernard Sumner
New Order - Fete de l'Humanite 2012 - 013.jpg
Sumner performing with New Order in September 2012
Background information
Also known as
  • Bernard Albrecht
  • Bernard Dicken
  • Barney
Born (1956-01-04) 4 January 1956 (age 68)
Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • synthesiser
  • melodica
Years active1973–present
Labels
Member of New Order
Formerly of

Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English musician. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, Electronic, and Bad Lieutenant. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post-punk, synth-pop, and techno music scenes, as well as their various related genres, and was an early influence on the Manchester music scene that presaged the Madchester movement of the late 1980s centred on Factory Records and The Haçienda club in Manchester.

Contents

He began his career playing guitar and keyboards for Joy Division. Following lead singer Ian Curtis's death, the remaining members of Joy Division formed New Order with Sumner taking on lead vocal duties. His complex electronic compositions became less guitar-driven and more focused on electronic keyboards, synthesizers, and programming throughout the 1980s and 1990s. He formed Electronic with Johnny Marr in the late 1980s as a creative outlet outside of New Order, which continued after New Order went on hiatus in 1993. New Order became active again from 1998 through 2006, after which he returned to a more traditional rock context with the band Bad Lieutenant. He continues to record and perform with the latest iteration of New Order, which reformed in 2011.

Early life

Sumner was born on 4 January 1956 in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, England. [4] [5]

Sumner was educated at Salford Grammar School, before joining the Manchester-based animation studio Stop Frame (later called Cosgrove Hall Films) as an animator, where he was credited as Bernard Dickin. He worked on Jamie and the Magic Torch . [6]

Career

Sumner with New Order in NYC, 2005 Barney2005.jpg
Sumner with New Order in NYC, 2005

Joy Division

Sumner was a founding member of Joy Division, formed at Salford in 1976. He and childhood friend Peter Hook both attended the fabled Sex Pistols concert at Manchester's Free Trade Hall on 4 June 1976 and whose music inspired them to perform together. [7] Widely considered one of the most influential bands of the era, Sumner was lead guitarist (his main guitars were a Gibson SG and a custom Shergold Masquerader), [8] [9] as well as playing electronic keyboards [10] and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "Walked in Line" on the Warsaw album. [11] In May 1980, after the suicide of its lead singer, Ian Curtis, Joy Division disbanded. [12]

New Order

Sumner and remaining band members Peter Hook and Stephen Morris started a new band named New Order, joined by keyboardist Gillian Gilbert in October 1980. [13] Though Hook, Morris and Gilbert also contributed vocals on some early tracks, Sumner emerged as the band's permanent singer and lyricist, alongside playing guitar and keyboards. Through a series of splits and reformations, the band has released ten studio albums. Sumner and Morris are the only members to be part of every lineup.

Electronic

In 1989, Sumner joined up with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to form Electronic. The Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant collaborated on two tracks on their debut eponymous album, providing vocals. Sumner was their singer, guitarist, keyboardist and lyricist. Electronic released two other albums until a quiet disband in 2001 for Sumner to focus his efforts on New Order. Sumner occasionally appears to sing Electronic songs at Marr's concerts.

Bad Lieutenant

Bad Lieutenant included fellow New Order member Phil Cunningham and Jake Evans of Rambo & Leroy. Stephen Morris of New Order and Blur bassist Alex James also performed on the band's debut album. Sumner provided vocals, guitar and lyrics. Bad Lieutenant disbanded after New Order reformed in 2011.

Other projects

In 1981, Pauline Murray and The Invisible Girls released their last single "Searching for Heaven", which included a guitar solo by Sumner, although he was not credited in the sleeves of its 7" and 10" edition at the time. [14] [15] In 1983, Sumner co-produced, with Donald Johnson, the single "The Great Divide"/"Love in a Strange Place" by the band Foreign Press. Foreign Press (aka Emergency) had had a long history with Sumner through both Joy Division and New Order.

In 1990, he worked with former Factory Records label mates A Certain Ratio, remixing their song "Won't Stop Loving You". He has also recorded tracks with fellow Mancunians 808 State and Sub Sub.[ citation needed ] Sumner appeared as guest singer and guitarist (alongside Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie) on The Chemical Brothers' 1999 album Surrender , on the track "Out of Control"; and in a 2005 Chemical Brothers show at the Brixton Academy, Sumner appeared live onstage as a special guest on this track. He has also lent vocals and guitar to a track ("Miracle Cure") on German trance outfit Blank & Jones 2008 release, "The Logic of Pleasure". Sumner also appeared on the Primal Scream track "Shoot Speed Kill Light" from their 2000 album XTRMNTR .

He has produced several remixes for tracks such as Technotronic's "Rockin' Over the Beat" (which was featured in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III soundtrack) and served as a record producer and/or songwriter for other Factory Records acts including Happy Mondays (whose second single, "Freaky Dancin'," he produced in 1986), Shark Vegas, Abecedarians, 52nd Street and Section 25.

Personal life

Sumner married Sue Barlow on 28 October 1978; they had a son, James (born 1983), before divorcing in 1989. Sumner currently lives with his second wife, Sarah Dalton, and their three children, Dylan (born 1992), Tess (born 1994) and Finley (born 2003). [6]

Sumner was portrayed by John Simm in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People and James Anthony Pearson in the 2007 film Control .

Discography

Joy Division

New Order

Electronic

Bad Lieutenant

Collaborations

Bibliography

Notes

  1. Composer on the tracks "The Process" and "Inspiration".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joy Division</span> English rock band

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Order (band)</span> English rock band

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by vocalist and guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris. The members regrouped after the disbandment of their previous band Joy Division due to the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. They were joined by Gillian Gilbert on keyboards later that year. New Order's integration of post-punk with electronic and dance music made them one of the most acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s. They were the flagship band for Manchester-based independent record label Factory Records and its nightclub The Haçienda, and they worked in long-term collaboration with graphic designer Peter Saville.

<i>Closer</i> (Joy Division album) 1980 studio album by Joy Division

Closer is the second and final studio album by the English rock band Joy Division, released on 18 July 1980 by Factory Records. Produced by Martin Hannett, it was released two months after the suicide of the band's lead singer and lyricist Ian Curtis. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked at No. 3 in New Zealand in September 1981. Closer was also named NME Album of the Year. It was remastered and re-released in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hook</span> English musician

Peter Hook is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings with a signature heavy chorus effect. In New Order, he would do this, leaving the actual basslines to keyboards or sequencers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic (band)</span> English alternative dance group

Electronic were an English alternative dance supergroup formed by singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner and guitarist Johnny Marr. They co-wrote the majority of their output between 1989 and 1998, collaborating with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, of Pet Shop Boys on three tracks in their early years, and former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos on nine songs in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillian Gilbert</span> English musician

Gillian Lesley Gilbert is an English musician and singer, best known as the keyboardist and guitarist of the band New Order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Morris (musician)</span> British drummer

Stephen Paul David Morris is an English drummer who is best known for his work with the rock band New Order and, previously, Joy Division. He also wrote and performed in The Other Two, a band consisting of Morris and his girlfriend and later wife, Gillian Gilbert. Morris also participated in the New Order spin-off band Bad Lieutenant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceremony (New Order song)</span> 1981 single

"Ceremony" is a song written by Joy Division, and first released as New Order's debut single in 1981. The track and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were recorded as Joy Division prior to the death of Ian Curtis. Both were re-recorded and carried over to Joy Division's re-formation as New Order.

<i>Movement</i> (New Order album) 1981 studio album by New Order

Movement is the debut studio album by English rock group New Order, released on 13 November 1981 by Factory Records. Recorded in the wake of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis' suicide the previous year, the album is a continuation of the dark post-punk sound of Joy Division's material, increasing the use of synthesizers while still being predominantly rooted in rock. At the time of its release, the album was not particularly well received by critics or audiences, only peaking at number thirty on the UK Albums Chart; the band would gradually shift to a more electronic sound over the course of the next year.

<i>Substance</i> (Joy Division album) 1988 compilation album by Joy Division

Substance is a singles compilation album by British rock band Joy Division. It was released on 11 July 1988 by Factory Records. It is the companion to a similar singles compilation by their subsequent band New Order, also titled Substance. It peaked at number 7 on the UK Albums Chart and 146 on the Billboard 200, the band's only chart appearance in the United States. It also reached number 15 in New Zealand and number 53 in Australia in August 1988.

Section 25 are an English post-punk and electronic band, best known for the 1984 single "Looking from a Hilltop", associated with Manchester record label Factory Records.

Robert Leo Gretton was the manager of Joy Division and New Order. He was partner in and co-director of Factory Records and a founding partner of The Haçienda. For ten years until his death in 1999, Gretton ran his own label, Rob’s Records.

"Isolation" is a song by English rock band Joy Division. It appears on their second and final studio album Closer (1980). The song is based on an electronic drum beat by Stephen Morris, accompanied by a thin, trebly keyboard part by Bernard Sumner. Midway through the song, a rushing drum and hi-hat motif come in, propelling the song toward its dramatic end.

<i>Raise the Pressure</i> 1996 studio album by Electronic

Raise the Pressure is Electronic's second studio album, released in July 1996.

<i>Twisted Tenderness</i> 1999 studio album by Electronic

Twisted Tenderness is the third and final studio album by British supergroup Electronic, released in April 1999 by Parlophone in the UK and eighteen months later by Koch Records in the USA in 2000. It was re-released in 2001 as Twisted Tenderness::Deluxe by Koch with a second disc of B-sides and remixes added.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Get the Message (song)</span> 1991 single by Electronic

"Get the Message" is a song by Electronic, the English band formed by Bernard Sumner of New Order and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. "Get the Message" was the second single from their 1991 debut album, Electronic, and was a commercial success around the world. It is an example of Marr and Sumner's original concept of mixing the synthesizers of New Order with the Smiths' guitar sound.

<i>A Factory Sample</i> 1979 EP by Various artists

A Factory Sample is a 7-inch double sampler EP released in January 1979 by Factory Records of Manchester, England. Funded by a small inheritance which had recently been bequeathed to Tony Wilson, it was the first vinyl recording to be released by the label. The cover of the EP is made of rice paper, dyed silver and sealed inside a thin plastic bag.

Bad Lieutenant was an English alternative rock supergroup formed following the second breakup of New Order. The band consisted of then-former New Order members Bernard Sumner and Phil Cunningham as well as Rambo & Leroy's Jake Evans.

<i>Ceremony – A New Order Tribute</i> 2010 studio album by various artists

Ceremony – A New Order Tribute is a collection of New Order covers by independent acts from the United States and Europe, compiled into a double CD Digi-pack and two additional digital albums. Produced by Sonshine Ward and Marshall Dickson, it was released in February 2010 by 24 Hour Service Station, with contributions from artists such as Peter Hook, Kites With Lights, and Rabbit in the Moon. The album is dedicated to the founder of Factory Records, Tony Wilson, and it benefits the Salford Foundation Trust's Tony Wilson Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Hook and the Light</span> English rock band

Peter Hook and The Light are an English rock band, formed in May 2010 by bassist and vocalist Peter Hook, formerly of the influential post-punk bands Joy Division and New Order. The band also features Hook's son Jack Bates (bass), as well as Andy Poole (keyboards) and Paul Kehoe (drums), who both played with Hook as part of Monaco, one of Hook's previous groups. From the first gigs in May 2010, Nat Wason was the group's guitarist, however in July 2013 he was replaced by David Potts, another former member of Monaco.

References

  1. Coplan, Chris (10 July 2014). "Joy Division/New Order's Bernard Sumner to release autobiography". Consequence of Sound . Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  2. Sutton, Michael. "Bernard Sumner". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. James, Martin (23 October 2011). "Music: Live: Electronica veterans move with the times". The Independent. ESL Media. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  4. "How we met: Johnny Marr & Bernard Sumner". independent.co.uk. 18 July 1999. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  5. "Bernard Sumner Biography – the early years". www.joydiv.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Short bio at JoyDiv.org". Joydiv.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  7. Savage, Jon (July 1994). "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away". Mojo .
  8. es.gibson.com
  9. www.shergoldguitars.com
  10. Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin. ISBN   0-14-303672-6, p. 115
  11. www.songtexte.com
  12. Curtis 1995, p. 132.
  13. Savage, Jon. "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away." Mojo. July 1994.
  14. "Pauline Murray And Invisible Girls, The – Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls". Discogs.com. August 1993. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  15. Nice, James (September 2014). "Pauline Murray \ Biography". Les Disques du Crépuscule. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

Sources