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Bernard Sumner
Sumner performing live with New Order at the Fête de l'Humanité near Paris, France, in 2012
Background information
Also known as	Bernard Albrecht, Bernard Dicken, Barney
Born	(1956-01-04) 4 January 1956 (age 63) Broughton, Salford, England[1][2][3]
Genres	Rock[4] post-punk new wave synthpop[5] electronica[6]
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter musician record producer remixer
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards synthesiser melodica
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Factory London Warner Bros. Parlophone Mute Triple Echo
Associated acts	Joy Division New Order Electronic Bad Lieutenant Homemade Powertran sequencer[7]

Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is a founding member of both Joy Division and New Order, and is widely credited with the latter band's move towards electronica and synthpop.^{[citation needed]}

Sumner is widely credited in advancing UK dance music, and the popularisation and technological advancement of sequencers. In the early 1990s, he collaborated with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as Electronic.

Personal life

Sumner was educated at Salford Grammar School.^{[citation needed]} From 1976 to 1979, Sumner was employed at the animation studio Cosgrove Hall Films as an artist on Jamie and the Magic Torch.^{[citation needed]}

He married Sue Barlow (born 1956) on 28 October 1978.^[8] They have a son James Christopher (born 1983).^{[citation needed]} The couple divorced in 1989,^{[citation needed]} just before the release of Technique, an experience reflected in the song "Round & Round".^{[citation needed]}

Sumner lives with his second wife, Sarah Dalton. They have three children: Dylan Christian (born 1992), Tess Iona (born 1994) and Finley Emil (born 2003).^{[citation needed]} He is a fan of the football club Manchester United.^[9]

He is commonly known as "Barney", although he is reportedly not fond of the name.^{[citation needed]} An early Joy Division bootleg credited him as "Barney Rubble". Brandon Flowers (of the Killers) has dubbed him the "Chairman of the Beat".^[10] Sumner's autobiography Chapter and Verse was published in 2014.^{[citation needed]}

Musical career

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 July 20, 1976 and were inspired to form a band.^[11] 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 Shergold Custom Masquerader),^{[citation needed]} Sumner also played keyboards for synthesizer parts^[12] and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "Walked In Line" on the Warsaw album.^{[citation needed]} In May 1980, the band's singer, Ian Curtis, committed suicide, resulting in Joy Division's end.^[13]

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.^[14] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Electronic

In 1989, Sumner joined up with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to form Electronic.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Bad Lieutenant

Bad Lieutenant included fellow New Order member Phil Cunningham and Jake Evans of Rambo & Leroy.^{[who?][citation needed]} Stephen Morris of New Order and Blur bassist Alex James also performed on the band's debut album. Sumner provided vocals, guitar and lyrics.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[15][16] As a result of the 2011 reformation of New Order, Bad Lieutenant are on hiatus.^{[citation needed]}

Other projects

Sumner performing with New Order in 2005

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.^[17][18] 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.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, he worked with former Factory Records label sharers 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";^{[citation needed]} and in a 2005 Chemical Brothers show at the Brixton Academy, Sumner appeared live onstage as a special guest on this track.^{[citation needed]} He has also lent vocals and guitar to a track ("Miracle Cure") on German trance outfit Blank & Jones 2008 release, "The Logic of Pleasure".^{[citation needed]} Sumner also appeared on the Primal Scream track "Shoot Speed Kill Light" from their 2000 album XTRMNTR.^{[citation needed]}

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)^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Film portrayals

Sumner has been portrayed on film twice. John Simm played him in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People,^{[citation needed]} which focused on Factory Records. In the Ian Curtis biopic, Control, he is played by James Anthony Pearson.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

with Joy Division

• 
  Unknown Pleasures (1979)


• 
  Closer (1980)

with New Order

• 
  Movement (1981)


• 
  Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)


• 
  Low-Life (1985)


• 
  Brotherhood (1986)


• 
  Technique (1989)


• 
  Republic (1993)


• 
  Get Ready (2001)


• 
  Waiting for the Sirens' Call (2005)


• 
  Lost Sirens (2013)


• 
  Music Complete (2015)

with Electronic

• 
  Electronic (1991)


• 
  Raise the Pressure (1996)


• 
  Twisted Tenderness (1999)

with Bad Lieutenant

• 
  Never Cry Another Tear (2009)

Guest appearances

• 
  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)

Bibliography

• Curtis, Deborah (1995). Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division. London: Faber. .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
  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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bernard Sumner.

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