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Ian Curtis

File:Ian_Curtis_Joy_Division_1979.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Ian Curtis

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Also known as Ian Kevin Curtis

British musician (1956–1980)

OverviewAI-generated

Ian Kevin Curtis (1956–1980) was a British singer, composer, and songwriter. Born in Stretford, he worked in the rock, gothic rock, dark wave, and post-punk genres from 1976 to 1980. Curtis performed as a baritone or bass-baritone and played guitar, keyboard instruments, and melodica. He was affiliated with Factory Records.

Curtis died in Macclesfield on May 18, 1980, by hanging. He had a medical condition of epilepsy. His birth name was Ian Kevin Curtis, and he spoke English.

Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 6 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Works
9

Top works

  • Dragonfyre
  • Canticles of Andurun
  • Touching from a Distance
  • You Are Not Special
  • En cuerpo y alma

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Gender
Male
Origin
United States
Active from
1956
Active to
1980
americanchicago soulcroonersfunkpsychedelic soulr&b

Member of

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
1,665
Total plays
5,600

Tags

geniuspost-punksuicidegodsuicidal idols

Ian Curtis was the lead singer of post-punk band, Joy Division, until he commited suicide in May of 1980. The band later reformed as New Order. Early Life Curtis was born in the Memorial Hospital, Old Trafford, Stretford, in Manchester, Lancashire in 1956. He grew up in Hurdsfield, but would live most of his adult life in nearby Macclesfield. It was apparent from a young age that Curtis was a talented poet and songwriter. Although being awarded a scholarship to attend the The King's School <a

via Last.fm · Ian Curtis

Key facts

Born
( 1956-07-15 ) 15 July 1956, Stretford , Lancashire , England
Died
18 May 1980 (1980-05-18) (aged 23), Macclesfield , Cheshire , England
Genres
Gothic rock post-punk
Occupations
Singer songwriter musician
Instruments
Vocals guitar melodica
Years active
1976–1980
Label
Factory
Formerly of
Joy Division
Website
joydivisionofficial .com
Spouse
Deborah Woodruff ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1975 ) ​

via Wikipedia infobox

~27 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead vocalist, songwriter, and occasional guitarist of the band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980).

Curtis had severe epilepsy and depression and died by suicide on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour, shortly before the release of Closer. Shortly after his death, the three surviving members of the band renamed themselves New Order. Despite their short career, Joy Division exerted a wide-reaching influence. John Bush of AllMusic argues that they "became the first band in the post-punk movement emphasizing not anger and energy but mood and expression, pointing ahead to the rise of melancholy alternative music in the '80s". According to critic Simon Reynolds, Joy Division's influence has extended from contemporaries such as U2 and the Cure to later acts including Interpol, Bloc Party and Editors, as well as rappers including Danny Brown and Vince Staples.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ian Curtis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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