Background and career
Peter Hook (né Woodhead; born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He is the former bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings with a signature heavy chorus effect. Along with Bernard Sumner, Hook formed the band which was to become Joy Division in 1976. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the band reformed as New Order; Hook played bass with the band until 2007. In 2026, Hook was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Joy Division/New Order after two previous nominations. Hook has recorded one album with Revenge (One True Passion), two albums with Monaco (Music for Pleasure and Monaco) and one album with Freebass (It's a Beautiful Life), serving as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist. He is currently the lead singer and one of the bassists for Peter Hook & the Light.
Hook was born Peter Woodhead on 13 February 1956, in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire, to Irene (née Acton), and John Woodhead. His parents divorced in 1959 when he was three years old. He and his brother Christopher were brought up by his maternal grandmother Alicia Acton (née Chapman) until 1962, when his mother remarried Ernest William Hook. Like his bandmate Bernard Sumner, he took his stepfather's surname, although in contrast to his friend he kept it, even creating his nickname, "Hooky", from it. Because of his stepfather's work, he spent part of his childhood in Jamaica before returning to Salford, where he attended Salford Grammar School.
On 4 June and 20 July 1976, childhood friends Bernard Sumner and Hook attended a Sex Pistols show at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. Hook borrowed £35 from his mother to buy his first bass guitar. Inspired by what they had seen, Sumner and Hook formed a band with their friend Terry Mason, who had also attended the shows. Their band, originally called Warsaw, debuted on 29 May 1977 at the Electric Circus, supporting Buzzcocks, Penetration and John Cooper Clarke. The band played their first gig as Joy Division on 25 January 1978 at Pip's Disco in Manchester.
In 1980, after Joy Division, the remaining members formed New Order. The band continued until they first broke up in 1993. In 1984, Hook recorded the single "Telstar" with the short-lived band Ad Infinitum. In the late 1980s, Hook also worked as a producer for bands such as Inspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses.
In 1995, he toured with the Durutti Column. He has recorded one album with the band Revenge and two with Monaco (both as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist) with David Potts, the latter of which scored a club and alternative radio hit "What Do You Want From Me?" in 1997.
New Order reformed in 1998. Hook contributed to Perry Farrell's Satellite Party. His bass can be heard on "Wish Upon a Dogstar" and "Kinky". Inspired by Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets, he started with the Return to New York nights in London. He contributed a distinctive bassline to Hybrid's 2003 single "True to Form", as well as another track from their Morning Sci-Fi album, "Higher Than a Skyscraper", playing on stage with them on a number of dates of their ensuing tour. Hook also co-owned the Suite Sixteen recording studio, formerly Cargo Studios, which Hook purchased with Chris Hewitt in 1984. Cargo and Suite Sixteen in Kenion Street, Rochdale, were major studios in the history of punk and post-punk music. A blue plaque was unveiled on the Kenion Street music building in Rochdale that used to house the studios in September 2009 and Peter Hook played a special concert in Rochdale on that day with Section 25 donating all proceeds to the Back Door Music Project, a Rochdale youth project for people interested in music. In the mid 2000s, Hook was regularly performing as a DJ, however he was discovered to be playing pre-mixed CDs and only miming the actions of a DJ. He admitted he was only pretending to be a DJ on his Myspace blog, but then removed it due to public backlash.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
