David Robert Jones, professionally known as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter famous for his ability to adapt and change his musical style and personal image. Bowie's visionary pursuit of original, cutting-edge rock styles kept him at the top for over 35 years, selling over 136 million albums. Prior to making it big, Bowie experimented with numerous, innovative styles - even getting a minor novelty hit with 'Laughing Gnome' - before his breakthrough 1969 hit 'Space Oddity'. He defined the glam rock era of the 1970s with the creation of his flamboyant, androgynous alter ego and celebrated stage character Ziggy Stardust. Subsequently, his changes of direction incorporated genres such as soul, minimalism, funk, dance, techno and electronica.From 1989-91 he went back to his roots, forming alternative rock touring band Tin Machine and also took up acting, appearing on stage as The Elephant Man (1980) and starring in movies such as 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (1976) and 'Absolute Beginners' (1986).Bowie's notable album releases include 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' (1972), of which the alter ego of the same name was born, and 'Aladdin Sane', which peaked at number one on the UK albums chart and was certified gold in the UK, USA and France. 'Young Americans' in 1975 included the title track and the hit 'Fame', 'Let's Dance' in 1983 hit number one in countries around the world including the UK and his final work, 'Blackstar', was released two days prior to his death on 10th January 2016 after battling liver cancer.After several live albums and previously unheard demos were released following Bowie's death, in 2019, 'Space Oddity' was given a new lease of life as it was released on its 50th anniversary.
Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
