Born: January 8, 1947
City and Country of Origin: London, England
Music Training: saxophonist and vocalist with various blues groups
Awards:
Top Recordings: "The Man Who Sold The World," "Blue Jean," "Rebel Rebel"
David Bowie Biography: David Bowie changed his name to avoid being confused with the Monkees Davy Jones. He has been heavily influenced by avant garde theatre which has strongly colored his performance style. He is most known for his ability to adapt to the changing trends in the music industry. He started performing at the age of 13, learning how to play the saxophone at Bromley Technical High School. He finished high school at 16 and worked for a time as a commercial artist while playing the saxophone in a number of mod bands. He changed his name in 1966 after the Monkee craze started and Davy Jones became a huge star. His first 3 singles on Pye Records were ignored. He studied mime with Lindsay Kemp's mime troupe, and formed his own mime company, the Feathers, in 1969. After signing with Mercury Records, he released Man of Words, Man of Music, album featuring the single "Space Oddity." The song became a major hit in the U.K., convincing Bowie to concentrate on music. After 2 follow up albums failed to garner much attention he created his most famous incarnation Ziggy Stardust: an androgynous, bisexual rock star from another planet. To help promote his new image he claimed to be gay and dyed his hair orange and wore women's clothing. Finally, in late 1972, The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was released with much fanfare in England. He has ventured into the motion picture business from time to time most notably in The Man Who Fell To Earth.

Music by the Decade:

Sounds of the Fifties

Sounds of the Sixties

Sounds of the Seventies

Sounds of the Eighties

Sounds of the Nineties