Background and career
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. He and drummer Stephen Morris are the only two continuous members of New Order, who have also appeared on all the band's albums. 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, synthesisers, 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. In 2026, Sumner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Joy Division/New Order after two previous nominations.
Bernard Sumner was born on 4 January 1956 in Crumpsall Hospital (now North Manchester General Hospital) in Manchester, England. He has also used the surnames Dicken (similar to his stepfather's name Dickin) and Albrecht. He lived at his grandparents’ house with his mother, who had cerebral palsy. Sumner was educated at Salford Grammar School, before joining Cosgrove Hall Productions as a paint and trace artist for cartoon animations for television.
Through his long career, Sumner has played music in many overlapping genres, including rock, synth-pop electronica, post-punk, and new wave.
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. Joy Division was 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), as well as playing electronic keyboards and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "Walked in Line" on the Warsaw album. In May 1980, after the suicide of its lead singer, Ian Curtis, Joy Division disbanded. Sumner said he didn't want to see the body of Curtis because, "I wanted to remember him as he was when he was alive."
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. 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.
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.
