David Bowie Biography

David Robert Jones, known as David Bowie, was a British singer, songwriter and actor. He became a quintessential artist, due to a 5-decade career marked by musical innovations, mostly during the 70s. He demonstrated versatility and uniqueness, thus making it into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, in 1996. Bowie was one of the highest-selling musicians in the world, having sold over 140 million albums. He died two days after releasing his final album, Blackstar, in 2016.

Early Life & Career

David Bowie was born in London, in 1947. At the age of 13, he started playing the saxophone. He left Bromley Technical High School to pursue a music career, initially playing in a few bands. In 1966, he released his first 3 solo singles and, one year later, his debut album, The World of David Bowie. However, his breakthrough came with Space Oddity, his first internationally recognised song. It topped the UK Singles chart and, ulteriorly, it reached number 15 the US Billboard Hot 100. After that, Bowie’s life changed completely.

Changes & Ascension

In 1970 and 1971 he released two legendary albums, The Man Who Sold the World and Hunky Dory. Both made a huge impact all over the globe and spawned the iconic singles The Man Who Sold the World and Changes. The first album included All the Madmen, inspired by Bowie’s own institutionalised brother. The second one came with tributes to Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan. For his next album, Bowie created the alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a rock star who communicates with aliens. The album is considered one of the greatest albums of all time, additionally spawning controversy with the single Starman.

In 1973, Bowie recorded a mix of covers from pop and rock artists, such as Easybeats and Pink Floyd. Furthermore, he created a musical adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984 but was denied the rights to it. In 1974 he rewrote the material as Diamond Dogs. After a while, he entered Sigma Sound Studios, which had a major effect on the artist. He changes his look, his sets and pretty much everything around it. He recorded some of his best songs, creating the album Young Americans (1975). Most noteworthy, the single Fame (1975) became his first number 1 in the US. One year later he released his best-charting album, Station to Station. During the next few years, he experimented with avant-garde electronic music. Moreover, he revitalised Iggy Pop’s career.

Acting

In the early 80s, Bowie also picked up acting, playing The Elephant Man in the theatrical production and later, an old vampire in the movie The Hunger. As an actor, he is mostly known for his appearance in Labyrinth (1986). However, he returned to his first love, music, and released the album Let’s Dance, to critical acclaim. It spawned 3 Top 20 singles, which received highly praised music videos.

Later Years

However, in comparison with his previous hits, these were considered mediocre. In 1980, he formed the band Tim Machine, releasing with them a couple of albums, to moderate success. In 1993 the artist remarried and, as a present to his wife, released Black Tie White Noise. The album didn’t create much hype, but Bowie still managed to perform sold-out concerts. However, in 2002, Bowie changed his luck and released Heathen, another beloved album produced by Tony Visconti. Furthermore, he received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2013, he topped the charts again with his album The Next Day.

Photo source: Discogs