Peter Hook

Peter Hook
Hook performing live with New Order in Manchester, in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Peter Woodhead
Born	(1956-02-13) 13 February 1956 (age 61) Broughton, Salford, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Post-punk new wave alternative rock alternative dance synthpop electronica
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter composer multi-instrumentalist record producer
Instruments	Bass guitar vocals electronic drums synthesizer guitar melodica
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Factory London Warner Bros. Polydor Haçienda 24 Hour Service Station
Associated acts	Joy Division New Order Ad Infinitum Monaco Revenge Freebass Peter Hook and the Light Man Ray
Peter Hook's voice from the BBC programme Great Lives, 6 May 2008.

Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is best known as the bassist and co-founder of English rock bands Joy Division and New Order.

Hook formed the band which was to become Joy Division with Bernard Sumner in 1976. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them until 2007.

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 bassist for Peter Hook and the Light.

He was born Peter Woodhead on 13 February 1956, in Broughton, Salford, England, to Irene Acton (1928–2000; since 1962 Irene Hook), and John Woodhead. When he was three years old, in 1959, his parents divorced. He and his brothers were brought up by his maternal grandmother Alicia Acton (born Chapman; 1896–1968) until 1962, when his mother remarried Ernest W. Hook. Like his band-mate 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.

In 1984, Hook recorded the single "Telstar" with the band Ad Infinitum, which was composed of him and members of the . In the late 1980s, Hook also worked as a producer for bands such as Inspiral Carpets and the Stone Roses. In 2003 he contributed bass to a number of tracks on Hybrid's album Morning Sci-Fi, including the single "True to Form". 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.