David Bowie is said to be one of the most compelling writers of popular music.
Born David Robert Jones and known by his stage name David Bowie, which he changed to differentiate himself from the then well-known singer of The Monkeys, Davy Jones. Bowie is known for his unique sound and the intellectual depth and diversity of his work.
Bowie studied music, art and design, including typesetting and layout at Bromley Technical High School. His career launched in London 1969 with his song “Space Oddity”, which reached the top five of the UK Singles Chart.
In 1972 during the glam rock era, Bowie re-emerged as the flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust with his album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The Ziggy persona was relatively short-lived and proved to be merely one facet of a career marked by musical innovation, continual reinvention and striking visual presentation. Later he made an impact on the larger international tradition of twentieth-century experimental art and fashion.
“Bowie challenged the core belief of the rock music of his day” and “created perhaps the biggest cult in popular culture.” Says biographer Davis Buckley.
April 1969, Bowie met Angela Barnett and the couple married within a year. Angie had an immediate impact on him and was very much involved in his career. They had a son together, Zowie Bowie – a film director, now known as Duncan Jones.
American success and fame was achieved in 1975 with the number-one hit single “Fame” and the album Young Americans, characterized by Bowie as “plastic soul”. His sound had radically shifted in style. He then collaborated with likes of Brian Eno and the Berlin Trilogy albums reached the UK top five and have received lasting significant praise.
“Offstage I’m a robot. Onstage I achieve emotion. It’s probably why I prefer dressing up as Ziggy to being David.”
In the 80’s Bowie enjoyed UK number ones with the 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes”, its parent album Scary Monsters and his collaboration with Queen, “Under Pressure”. He reached a new commercial peak in 1983 with several hit singles that yielded from the album, Let’s Dance. Bowie continued to experiment with a variety of musical styles during the1990s and 2000s, which included blue-eyed soul, adult contemporary, industrial and jungle.
In October 1990, a decade after his divorce from Angela, Bowie and Somali-born supermodel Iman met through a mutual friend and later married in 1992. They have a daughter named Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones who was born in August 2000.
Bowie was placed 29th in the BBC’s 2002 poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. He has been awarded 11 Gold, eight Silver and nine Platinum album certifications in the UK and in the US, seven Gold and five Platinum certifications.
Rolling Stone ranked him 39th on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”, and 23rd on their list of the best singers of all time in 2014. Since the ‘2003–04 Reality Tour’ he has not toured and has not performed live since 2006.
Bowie’s latest studio album, was released in March 2013, which came as a wonderful surprise to his fans and those close to him. His website announced the new album, titled The Next Day on the 8th of January, his 66th birthday.
The announcement accompanied the immediate release of a single, “Where Are We Now?” written and recorded by Bowie in New York and produced by long-time collaborator Tony Visconti. The single debuted in the UK singles and topped the UK iTunes Chart within hours of its release.
Bowie’s career has encompassed nearly 50 years and has indeed brought him international applaud. The English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and arranger, sold over 140 million albums and is cited as a major inspiration for designers in the creative arts and contemporary artists.
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