David Bowie

Singer

• Born: January 8, 1947
• Birthplace: London, England
• Died: January 10, 2016

English rock-pop singer and songwriter

Throughout his career, Bowie presented completely new stage personas and fresh compositional styles—encompassing folk rock, glam rock, psychedelia, soul, disco, heavy metal, hip-hop, avant-garde, electronic, and other subgenres.

The Life

Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in London, England, David Bowie was the son of Heywood Stenton Jones and Margret Burns, who married in September, 1947. Bowie grew up with a half sister, Annette, and a stepbrother, Terry. As a youngster, he learned to play saxophone. In Bromley, Kent, he attended a technical boys’ high school, where a fistfight with a classmate left him with a permanently dilated left pupil.

Leaving school at age sixteen, Bowie worked briefly as a commercial artist. He meanwhile performed with a succession of rock and roll and pop bands: the Konrads, King-Bees, Manish Boys, Lower Third, and Riot Squad. By 1966, to avoid being mistaken for Davy Jones of the Monkees, he changed his name to David Bowie.

Bowie released his debut self-titled album in 1967, the first of more than twenty-five records, most of which charted well, especially in England, and made him one of the best-selling musicians of the time. Bowie added acting to his repertoire with the lead role in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), and he appeared in other films, such as The Hunger (1983), Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence (1983), Labyrinth (1986), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Prestige (2006), and he appeared on Broadway in The Elephant Man (1979). Bowie also served as producer on acclaimed albums from Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and others. Ever the innovator, in the late 1990s he launched BowieNet, an Internet service provider, and established celebrity bonds known as Bowie Bonds.

An androgynous, highly visible, controversial figure, Bowie in the early 1970s publicly declared his bisexuality, but he later admitted it was a temporary lifestyle choice. He married his first wife, Angela Barnett, in 1970, and they had a son, Duncan Zowie Heywood Jones, born in 1971, before they divorced in 1980. After extended periods of drug abuse during the 1970s and 1980s, Bowie married for a second time, to Somali supermodel Iman (Abdulmajid) in 1992, and they had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones, in 2000. The family divided time between homes in New York and London. After undergoing an angioplasty in 2004 to open blocked arteries, Bowie resumed a restrained tour schedule. He was also involved in a variety of other activities, including writing the sound track for a video game and contributing to other musicians’ albums. He composed the lyrics and music for stage musical Lazarus, which premiered in late 2015 and continued the story of Bowie's character from The Man Who Fell to Earth.

On January 10, 2016, two days after turning sixty-nine and releasing his album Blackstar, Bowie died of liver cancer. Doctors had made the diagnosis eighteen months prior, but the artist kept the news from everyone but his closest circle of family and friends. His death brought an outpouring of commemorations and acknowledgements of his influence spanning the realms of music, art, fashion, and pop culture.

The Music

The lyrics of an early Bowie single, "Changes," encapsulate his entire musical career. Extreme change—in the form of wildly different onstage personas and musical styles—characterized Bowie’s work from when he first began writing and performing in the 1960s.

Early Works. Bowie began with little clear musical direction. His self-titled debut album in 1967 mixed pop songs, psychedelic-influenced tunes, and novelty numbers, and it drew scant attention. He injected theatrical elements into his performances, and he began creating characters to lend visual interest to his music. His first hit, the single "Space Oddity," released in 1969 to coincide with the Apollo moon landing, rocketed to the top of the charts in England and brought him mainstream attention. A second self-titled release, also distributed under the title Space Oddity, followed in 1969.

Glam Rock. After moderately successful albums spanning heavy rock (The Man Who Sold the World, 1970) and more acoustic, folk-influenced material (Hunky Dory, 1971), Bowie made a major impact with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), a glam rock concept album that produced hits such as "Moonage Daydream," "Starman," and "Suffragette City." Adopting the title character’s persona, Bowie toured in support of the album, sporting a wild mane of red hair and outrageous costumes influenced avante-garde art and theater. At the same time, Bowie established Main Man Productions, which produced breakthrough albums for Lou Reed and the Stooges.

Bowie’s follow-up album, Aladdin Sane (1973), added to his star allure, rising to number one on charts in England and yielding such hits as "The Jean Genie" and "Drive-in Saturday." Pin Ups (1973), featuring Bowie’s covers of 1960s standards, also hit number one in England. In 1974 Bowie switched to pop-oriented music, releasing the rhythm-and-blues- and disco-heavy Diamond Dogs. The album claimed the top spot on British charts, and it reached number five in the United States, with hit singles such as the title cut and "Rebel Rebel." The funky, soulful album Young Americans (1975) solidified Bowie’s foothold in the United States with the hit single "Fame."

The Thin White Duke. By the release of the U.S. number-three-ranked Station to Station (1976), in which the soul music theme, though choppy and disjointed, was still prominent, Bowie—now in the alter ego of the Thin White Duke, an emotionless, alienated figure similar to his extraterrestrial character in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth, released the same year—was a star in America. Nevertheless, at the peak of his popularity, Bowie moved to West Berlin to combat his cocaine addiction after his character appeared to supplant his own personality and he found himself paranoid and criticized for alleged pro-fascist statements. During a four-year sojourn, he discovered electronics and minimalism, producing three experimental albums that incorporated world-beat rhythms and groundbreaking sound treatments—Low, Heroes, and Lodger—and yielded the hits "Sound and Vision" and "Heroes." The albums were also notable for his collaboration with fellow experimental musician Brian Eno and longtime producer Tony Visconti.

In 1980 Bowie again shifted direction and released the hard-edged Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), which generated a top single, "Ashes to Ashes." Let’s Dance (1983) built upon that momentum but brought yet another new sound with the hits "Modern Love," "China Girl," and the title track; it led to the hugely popular Serious Moonlight tour, featuring elaborate sets. A second dance album, Tonight (1984), featured several cover songs, a duet with singer Tina Turner, and the hit "Blue Jean." Never Let Me Down (1987) switched to a harder sound, though critics and Bowie himself would come to view it as one of his weakest offerings. Following a two-year, two-album stint with Tin Machine, a new band that allowed Bowie to experiment in a group setting and introduce more political songwriting but did little to enhance his reputation, Bowie changed direction with Black Tie, White Noise (1993), focusing on soul, jazz, and hip-hop.

Later Work. After veering into alternative and electronic music with Outside (1995)—a reunion with Eno—and exploring jungle music and the drum 'n' bass subgenre on Earthling (1997), Bowie returned to an emphasis on live instrumentation and on a softer, introspective sound with Hours (1999). Heathen (2002), featuring darker material, charted fairly well with singles such as "Slow Burn" and "I’ve Been Waiting for You," and was followed by the similar Reality (2003). While on tour in 2004 he suffered a blocked artery and subsequently withdrew somewhat from music, releasing only a few one-off tracks during the next decade. Then in 2013, after a surprise announcement, Bowie released The Next Day to widespread critical acclaim. It featured references to the styles of his so-called Berlin trilogy of albums mixed with the sound of his twenty-first century works. His final album, Blackstar (2016), came out just two days before his death and also received strong reviews. With lyrics focusing on his impending death and a musical style influenced by contemporary jazz, rap, and experimental music rather than rock and roll, collaborators such as Visconti noted that Bowie intended Blackstar as a final statement to his fans.

Musical Legacy

An original, much-emulated, gender-bending theatrical stage presence, Bowie demonstrated an uncanny ability to anticipate and capitalize on trends. Performing in an amazing range of genres, he remained at the cutting edge of music throughout his career and also produced well-received performances on film and stage. In addition he demonstrated excellent skills as a sound and video producer, helping to shape the careers of other artists he collaborated with.

Bowie received many honors during his lifetime, including Grammy Awards (in 1984 for Best Video Short Form and in 2006 for lifetime achievement), BRIT Awards (in 1984 and 2014 for best British Male Solo Artist, in 1996 for outstanding contributions to music, and in 2016 with the posthumous Icon Award), and Webby Awards (in 2007 for outstanding contributions to music). Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and in 1997 was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He refused knighthood in 2003. He even had a species of spider and an asteroid named after him, reflecting his almost unparalleled influence spanning all corners of culture. Bowie and his final album Blackstar were honored with five posthumous Grammy nominations, winning all five categories. The album won Best Recording Package, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), and Best Alternative Rock Album. The album's title track won Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

Principal Recordings

albums:David Bowie, 1967; Space Oddity, 1969; Hunky Dory, 1971; The Man Who Sold the World, 1971; The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972; Aladdin Sane, 1973; Pin Ups, 1973; Diamond Dogs, 1974; Young Americans, 1975; Station to Station, 1976; Heroes, 1977; Low, 1977; Lodger, 1979; Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), 1980; Let’s Dance, 1983; Tonight, 1984; Never Let Me Down, 1987; Black Tie, White Noise, 1993; Outside, 1995; Earthling, 1997; Hours, 1999; Heathen, 2002; Reality, 2003; The Next Day, 2013; Blackstar, 2016.

Bibliography

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Buckley, David. Strange Fascination: David Bowie: The Definitive Story. London: Virgin, 2001. Print.

Cook-Wilson, Winston. "Grammys 2017: David Bowie Won His First Real Grammys." Spin, 13 Feb. 2017, www.spin.com/2017/02/grammys-2017-david-bowie-gets-his-first-real-grammys-wins-all-5-awards-he-was-nominated-for/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

Hiatt, Brian. "Inside David Bowie's Final Years." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2016. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

Pareles, Jon. "David Bowie Dies at 69; Star Transcended Music, Art and Fashion." New York Times. New York Times, 11 Jan. 2016.Web. 8 Mar. 2016.

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