Bernard Sumner biography
Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956 in Lower Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester, England) is a British singer, guitarist and keyboardist. He is best known as a founding member of two highly influential bands, Joy Division and New Order.
Joy Division
Sumner was a founding member of Joy Division, a post-punk band formed in 1976. The band enjoyed moderate commercial success, and is widely considered one of the most influential bands of the era. Primarily known as the band's lead guitarist (his main guitars were a Gibson SG and a Shergold Custom Masquerader) Sumner also played keyboards for synth parts and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "They Walked In Line" on the Warsaw album. In May 1980 the band's vocalist, Ian Curtis, committed suicide; soon after, Joy Division broke up.
New Order
Sumner and remaining bandmates Peter Hook and Stephen Morris started a new band named New Order, taking in Gillian Gilbert. Though Hook, Morris and Gilbert also contributed vocals on some early tracks, Sumner emerged as the band's permanent lead vocalist and lyricist.
Other music
In 1981, Pauline Murray And The Invisible Girls released their last single
Searching For Heaven, whose main song featured Sumner on guitar, although he wasn't credited in the sleeves of its 7" and 10" edition at the time.
In 1983 Sumner co-produced, with Donald Johnson, the band Foreign Press and 'The Great Divide'/'Love in a Strange Place'. EMI 5430 (12" 12EMI5430) Foreign Press (aka Emergency) had had a long history with Sumner through both Joy Division and New Order.
In 1989, Sumner joined up with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, the Kraftwerk's Karl Bartos and the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant to form Electronic. In 1990 he worked with former Factory Records labelmates 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 a guest vocalist (alongside Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie) on The Chemical Brothers' 1999 album Surrender, on the track "Out of Control", and in the 2005 Chemical Brothers show at the Brixton Academy, Sumner appeared live on stage as a special guest on this track. He recently lent vocals to a track ("Miracle Cure") on German trance outfit Blank & Jones 2008 release, "The Logic of Pleasure."
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