Peter Hook
The post-punk bassist who rewrote the rulebook, playing melodic, high-register hooks that drove the sound of Joy Division and New Order.
Born 1956 (age 70)·British bassist·Birthday: February 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Peter Hook picked up a bass guitar because it was the only instrument left when his band formed in Salford, England. That accident of fate led to a seismic shift in how the instrument could be used. In Joy Division, he rejected traditional basslines, instead crafting mournful, melodic leads that soared over the drums, giving songs like 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' their haunting, melodic spine. After the band’s tragic end, he co-founded New Order, where his bright, chorused bass became the driving, danceable force behind electronic anthems like 'Blue Monday' and 'True Faith.' His partnership with Bernard Sumner defined two of the most influential groups in alternative music. In later years, as a performer and author, Hook has fiercely guarded the legacy of that era, touring the classic albums and offering a candid, often combative perspective on the history he helped create.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Peter was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Peter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Peter's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the seminal post-punk band Joy Division and, after its end, the pioneering electronic group New Order.
- Developed a signature bass style using the high strings and heavy chorus effects, making the bass a lead instrument in both bands.
- Performed on and co-wrote landmark tracks including 'Love Will Tear Us Apart,' 'Blue Monday,' and 'Bizarre Love Triangle.'
- Founded the bands Monaco and Peter Hook and The Light, with the latter performing classic Joy Division and New Order albums live.
Did You Know?
He bought his first bass, a copy of a Gibson SG, for £40 in 1976.
Hook is an avid motorcyclist and has written about his passion for bikes.
He published two candid memoirs, 'Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division' and 'Substance: Inside New Order.'
After a bitter split from New Order, he toured performing their album 'Movement' and Joy Division's 'Closer' in full with his band The Light.
“The bass is the basis of modern music, and if you get a good bassline, everything else falls into place.”
