Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member of both Joy Division, for whom he was the lead guitarist and keyboardist, and New Order, for whom he is the lead vocalist and guitarist. He has also been credited with advancing UK dance music and popularising the use of sequencers. In the early 1990s, he formed the duo Electronic alongside The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr.
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![]() Sumner performing with New Order in September 2012 | |
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Born | Broughton, Lancashire, England | 4 January 1956
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Years active | 1973–present |
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Early life
Sumner was born on 4 January 1956 in Broughton, Lancashire.[4][5][6] He attended Salford Grammar School and later worked for a company that created animations for television cartoons.[7]
Career
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Joy Division
Sumner was a founding member of Joy Division, a Salford band formed 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 were inspired to form a band.[8] The band is widely considered one of the most influential of the era. Primarily known as the band's lead guitarist (his main guitars were a Gibson SG and a custom Shergold Masquerader), Sumner also played keyboards for synthesizer parts[9] and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "Walked In Line" on the Warsaw album. In May 1980, the band's singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide, resulting in Joy Division's end.[10]
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.[11] 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.
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.
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.
On 2 July 2009, Sumner confirmed that the single "Sink or Swim" would be released on 28 September 2009 and would be the first off their album Never Cry Another Tear. The single was hosted for free on the band's website prior to its physical release. It was followed by a digital bundle release with remixes of the song by Mark Reeder, James Bright and Teenagers.[12][13] As a result of the 2011 reformation of New Order, Bad Lieutenant are on hiatus.
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. 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.[7] He is a fan of Manchester United FC.[16]
In the media
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
- Unknown Pleasures (1979)
- Closer (1980)
New Order
- Movement (1981)
- Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
- Low-Life (1985)
- Substance 1987 (1987)
- Brotherhood (1986)
- Technique (1989)
- Republic (1993)
- Get Ready (2001)
- Waiting for the Sirens' Call (2005)
- Lost Sirens (2013)
- Music Complete (2015)
Electronic
- Electronic (1991)
- Raise the Pressure (1996)
- Twisted Tenderness (1999)
Bad Lieutenant
- Never Cry Another Tear (2009)
Guest appearances
- A Certain Ratio - "Good Together" (backing vocals, 1989)
- The Beat Club – "Security (Remix" (vocals, 1990)
- 808 State – "Spanish Heart" (vocals, 1991)
- Sub Sub feat: Bernard Sumner – "This Time I'm Not Wrong" (vocals, guitar, 1997)
- The Chemical Brothers – "Out of Control" (vocals, guitar, the Winnet 1999)
- Primal Scream – "Shoot Speed Kill Light" (guitar, 2000)
- Blank & Jones feat. Bernard Sumner – "Miracle Cure" (vocals, guitar, 2008)
- Hot Chip, Bernard Sumner & Hot City – "Didn't Know What Love Was" (vocals, keyboards, production, 2010)
- Zachery Allan Starkey ft. Bernard Sumner – "Force" (keyboards, synthesizer, production, 2020)
Bibliography
- Curtis, Deborah (1995). Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division. London: Faber. ISBN 0-5711-7445-0.
- Bernard Sumner: Confusion – Joy Division, Electronic and New Order Versus the World, David Nolan, 2007
- Chapter and Verse - New Order, Joy Division and Me, Bernard Sumner, 2014
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bernard Sumner. |
- 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.
- Sutton, Michael. "Bernard Sumner". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- 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.
- "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.
- "Bernard Sumner Biography - the early years". www.joydiv.org. Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- "Search Results for England & Wales Births 1837-2006 - findmypast.co.uk". Findmypast. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- "Short bio at JoyDiv.org". Joydiv.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- Savage, Jon (July 1994). "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away". Mojo.
- Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-303672-6, p. 115
- Curtis 1995, p. 132.
- Savage, Jon. "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away." Mojo. July 1994.
- Bad Lieutenant "Sink Or Swim" remixes by Mark Reeder, James Bright, Teenagers Archived 28 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- "Sink Or Swim Reeder". Band Weblogs. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- "Pauline Murray And Invisible Girls, The – Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- Nice, James (September 2014). "Pauline Murray \ Biography". Les Disques du Crépuscule. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- "Bernard Sumner interview". RedCafe.net. Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
External links
- Bernard Sumner at AllMusic
- Bernard Sumner discography at Discogs
- Bernard Sumner on IMDb
- New Order Online – semi-official website, endorsed by the band