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David Robert Jones came into the world on December 8, 1947, in the south London suburb of Brixton. He fell in love with the sound and energy of American R&B and rock 'n' roll at an early age, and was especially inspired by the flamboyant, makeup-wearing Little Richard. Young David took up the saxophone, and eventually learned to play guitar. A teenage fight over a girl resulted in a blow to the eye that left his left eye paralyzed. The eye remained permanently dilated, leaving him with two different colored eyes.
By age 16, he was fronting an R&B outfit known as Davie Jones and the King Bees. They released the single "Liza Jane" in 1964. The record flopped, and David joined the Manish Boys. Their 1965 single, "I Pity The Fool," also went nowhere, and David was soon fronting a mod band called Davie Jones and the Lower Third. In 1966, he changed his name to David Bowie, so as not be confused with another singer named Davy Jones, who would soon find worldwide fame as a member of The Monkees.
In June 1967, his solo debut album, simply entitled David Bowie, was released on Deram Records. The record created a bit of a buzz in underground circles, but failed to make much of an impact otherwise. Bowie became a student of mime Lindsay Kemp, who studied under French mime maestro Marcel Marceau. Through Kemp, Bowie learned movement, as well as the benefits of experimentation and shock value. In 1969, he formed a mime/experimental company called Feathers.
This proved to be a breakthrough year for Bowie. Inspired by the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, he recorded the single "Space Oddity." The song was released on Mercury Records, just prior to the first moon landing, and made it to #5 on the British singles chart. That same year, Bowie met model/actress Angela Barnett. The couple married in March 1970, and welcomed son Zowie into the world, in 1971.
Bowie appeared on the cover of The Man Who Sold The World (1970), sprawled out on a couch, wearing what he referred to as his "man's dress"; this move allowed for plenty of coverage in the pop music press, but the album failed to live up to sales expectations. The photo was replaced with a cartoon of a cowboy for the U.S. market.
Bowie made his first trip to the States, and became enamored with New York City, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground. Meanwhile, in Texas, an outraged redneck pulled a gun on him when he saw Bowie in his "livelier clothes." Later that year, he signed with RCA, and released Hunky Dory in 1971. The LP contained what would become one of several signature tunes, "Changes," and was his first album to chart in the U.S.
In 1972, he introduced his latest incarnation -- the persona of a rock 'n' roll alien from a distant world named "Ziggy Stardust." In June, The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars was released. The album cracked the UK top five, and became his first gold disc in the US. Bowie became a hot commodity for the underground crowd. He kept busy writing and/or producing tracks for Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed, and Iggy Pop and the Stooges.
1973 saw the release of his first #1, as Aladdin Sane topped the British album charts, and became his first American top twenty. On July 3, before a packed audience at London's Hammersmith Odeon, Bowie announced that he'll no longer perform live concerts. As fans gasped in disbelief, he launched into "Rock 'N' Roll Suicide."
Diamond Dogs (1974), inspired by George Orwell's futuristic-nightmare novel 1984, included the hit "Rebel Rebel." His retirement from the stage didn't last too long, as he embarked upon another world tour in 1974. Sporting sleek suits and brushed back hair, he entered what he referred to as his "Plastic Soul" period; his take on contemporary American R&B music.
Now residing in L.A., Bowie released Young Americans in the spring of 1975. The album contained his first #1 single; "Fame," co-written by John Lennon, topped the Billboard charts in September. Just a few weeks later, Bowie topped the UK singles chart with a reissued version of his first hit, "Space Oddity."
In 1976, now referring to himself as the "Thin White Duke," Station To Station continued his streak of top selling albums. Bowie also made his first appearance in a major motion picture, playing a space traveler in The Man Who Fell to Earth.
He left the "plastic" world of L.A. (and his easy access to cocaine) for the more austere reality of Berlin in late 1976. There, he co-wrote and produced Iggy Pop's first solo albums, The Idiot and Lust for Life (both in 1977). Collaborating with Brian Eno, Bowie co-produced the decidedly non-commercial Low (1977). He moved to Switzerland, where he and Eno finished production on Heroes (1977). Following the release of his second feature film, Just a Gigolo (1979), Bowie and Eno finished work on the album, Lodger.
In February 1980, he divorced Angie and got custody of son Zowie (now "Joe"). Later that year, he moved to New York to star in a stage production of The Elephant Man on Broadway, and received glowing reviews. Scary Monsters entered the UK charts at #1 in September 1980. The single, "Ashes To Ashes," also topped the UK charts. In the fall of 1981, "Under Pressure," Bowie's collaboration with Queen, became his third #1 smash back home. He also contributed the title track to the feline horror flick, Cat People (1982).
In 1983, newly signed to the EMI label, Bowie released his most commercially successful album to date. Let's Dance, produced by Nile Rodgers of Chic fame, included the title track, which became his second American #1. The videos for "Let's Dance" and "China Girl" received heavy rotation, making him a star for the MTV generation. The "Serious Moonlight" tour sold out stadiums around the world.
Bowie's visibility increased with appearances in two motion pictures in 1983. He played a vampire in The Hunger and a POW in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence.
1984's Tonight included the hit "Blue Jean," but received mixed reviews. He performed at Live Aid in July 1985, where he teamed up with Mick Jagger for a remake of "Dancing In The Street"; a charity single that was Bowie's last American top ten. 1986 saw him back on the silver screen with roles in Absolute Beginners and Labyrinth, co-starring a teenage Jennifer Connelly.
Never Let Me Down (1987), his third album for EMI, was promoted by the logistically ambitious "Glass Spider" world tour. The concerts were commercially successful, but savaged by the critics. Bowie next appeared as Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988). He formed a new band called Tin Machine, whose self-titled debut was released in 1989. Tin Machine II appeared two years later.
In 1990, Bowie met Somalian supermodel Iman, and they were married in the spring of 1992. Later that year, Bowie made a cameo in David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. He returned in 1993 with Black Tie White Noise, which topped the British album charts. He recorded the music for The Buddha Of Suburbia, a BBC-TV miniseries that aired in November. The soundtrack became his 22nd album, and was nominated for a BAFTA Award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) as Best Original Television Music.
In 1994, Bowie focused on the fine arts, as he joined the editorial board of Modern Painters. With Brian Eno, he staged the War Child: Little Pieces From Big Stars exhibition in London. Bowie exhibited his own prints in the autumn, and some of his paintings, drawings and sculptures at his first solo art showing early in 1995.
Outside, co-produced with Brian Eno, was released in September 1995, and Bowie embarked upon his first world tour since 1990. He played Andy Warhol in Basquiat (1996), and celebrated his 50th birthday in January 1997 before 17,000 people at a special birthday show at Madison Square Garden. Earthling was released in February, in which the ever-changing "Chameleon of Pop" embraced the drum 'n' bass grooves emerging from the clubs. Hours... (1999) was mainly promoted through television appearances in the U.S. and Europe.
On August 15th, 2000, daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones was born. The album, All Saints: Collected Instrumentals 1977 - 1999 was released in July 2001. Returning to film, he appeared in Mr. Rice's Secret in 2000 and had a cameo in Zoolander the following year.
In December 2001, Bowie left Virgin to start his own label, ISO, distributed through Sony Music. Heathen, released in June 2002, entered Billboard's album charts at #14, and received some of his best reviews in years, as a new chapter opened in the ever-changing world that is David Bowie. |
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