With the legendary post-punk outfit
Joy Division, guitarist
Bernard Sumner stood behind the formidable shadow of singer/songwriter
Ian Curtis. After
Curtis hanged himself on May 18, 1980, the future of
Joy Division seemed to have followed
Curtis into the grave. However, it was actually another beginning for the band. Dumping the name
Joy Division, the group reformed several months later as
New Order with
Sumner filling in the vacancy for vocalist. At first,
Sumner sang with
Curtis' brooding tone, but by the time
New Order recorded 1983's
Power, Corruption and Lies,
Sumner formed his own icy, detached style of singing that was still mimicked by synth pop acts decades later.
New Order, like
Joy Division, became one of new wave's most influential bands. In 1991,
Sumner and former
Smiths guitarist
Johnny Marr collaborated as
Electronic. Originally intended to be a
Sumner solo effort,
Electronic's self-titled debut unreeled four hits on alternative radio -- "Getting Away With It," "Get the Message," "Tighten Up," and "Feel Every Beat." On "Feel Every Beat,"
Sumner even rapped for the first time; it was an artistic risk, and fans either applauded it or condemned it.
Sumner and
Marr recorded two more albums as
Electronic, but fickle music buyers largely ignored them. After a long hiatus in the '90s,
New Order completed a new album in 2001. ~ Michael Sutton