David Bowie
David Bowie Biography
David Bowie was an actor, songwriter, singer, and master of the stage, but more than any of these things, it was his deep and abiding love of innovation in his music that set his musical career apart from all others. It was these innovations that do and will continue to carry on long after his passing.
Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in Brixton, South London, David Bowie began to develop his musical talents as a young child. He went on to study both music and art during his higher education years, which eventually led him to choose music as a professional career in 1963. For anyone who has ever struggled in music or art, it’s worth noting that even David Bowie took six years between the beginning of his professional career in 1963 and the release of his first significant hit, “Space Oddity”, in 1969. It became the first of his entries in the UK singles charts, but it would not be his last, as his career, which spanned five decades, would include multiple awards and continue the innovative music that he began as a young man.
Always the artist as well as the musician, David Bowie began to experiment for the next three years between the success of his album in 1969 and his re-emergence in 1972 with his wildly popular “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”, which for many people was their first introduction to the music they would love for the rest of their lives by David Bowie.
At around the same time, on 19 March 1970, David Bowie married Mary Angela Barnett at the Bromley Registry Office. They had a son named Duncan, who was born on May 30, 1971. Although he would later describe himself as a closet heterosexual, it is at around this time that Bowie began to also experiment with his sexuality, declaring himself gay in an interview with Melody Maker in 1972 and bisexual in an interview with Playboy magazine in 1976. David and Angela would be together for a decade and ultimately divorced in 1980.
Never content to be a one-hit wonder, though, David Bowie went on another period of experimentation before he totally shifted his musical genre to something he referred to as “plastic soul.” In 1975, he released a brand-new album that utilised this new style of music he was creating. At first, the radical shift in style was met with disapproval by some of his earlier fans; however, it ultimately led to his first major success in the United States with the hit song “Fame” on his “Young Americans” album.
Having studied art as well as music and honed the craft of showmanship through his years of professional work, David Bowie went on to add acting to his career. He starred in his first film, the cult classic “The Man Who Fell to Earth” in 1976. As if a professional musician starring in a cult movie wasn’t enough to continue to garner scrutiny from both critics and fans, David Bowie then would emerge again in 1977 with a shifted style in his album “Low” which had a strong electronic feel to it.
Like all great artists, David Bowie knew that true success was not about riding on one’s achievements and coasting from one to the next until they eventually peter out. He did what he did for his love of music and innovation, and because of this particular love of innovation, David Bowie continued to reinvent himself over the decades as an actor and as a musical innovator, often changing styles to stay current with the times instead of trying to produce music solely for an earlier era.
Some of these changes met with significant success, while others received mixed and uneven reception, a trend that continued throughout the end of his career in the 1970s. Not one to be daunted by mixed results or even negative reception, Bowie went on to win another #1 UK top spot with his single “Ashes to Ashes.” The extraordinary success of this song helped massively boost the sales of its correlating album, “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps),” as well as “Under Pressure” in 1981.
However, despite 30 years of reinvention and innovation, all artists finally hit their zenith. For David Bowie, this success came in the early 1980s and would never be truly repeated for the rest of his life, although he would go on to win many awards for his service to the music industry and for his songs themselves.
David Bowie’s last major musical flair came in 1983 with “Let’s Dance”. This particular song topped the charts both in the UK and in the United States, where Bowie had gained considerable popularity since the release of the album “Young Americans”.
In 1992, on 24 April, David Bowie married again, this time to the model Iman. This marriage lasted until Bowie’s death and produced a daughter named Alexandria, who was born in August 2000.
For the remainder of the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, David Bowie never achieved the same level of success as he had in his earlier years, although he continued to innovate musically and starred in major movies such as The Prestige, The Last Temptation of Christ, Labyrinth, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Playing important roles in these movies bolstered his earlier love of drama, which was evident in his first cult film.
Retiring permanently from public life with one last live performance in 2006, David Bowie then spent the next decade in quiet retirement, spending time with his family while also continuing to make music.
Unknown to anyone but those closest to him, in 2014, David Bowie was diagnosed with liver cancer. He continued to work up until the end, and his final album was released on his 69th birthday. Two days later, on 10 January 2016, David Bowie died.
Although he spent many years retired, his achievements in music cannot be overstated. He sold over 140 million albums and had 11 number 1 hits, with five of his albums going platinum in the United States and nine of them going platinum in the UK. He won an Ivor Novello award for Space Oddity and a Saturn award for his performance in the Man Who Fell to Earth. He won six Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards. He was offered but turned down both an OBE and a Knighthood, saying that he didn’t really know what they were for. He has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 201,6, Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed him “the greatest rock star ever”.
David Bowie FAQ
David Bowie was a British singer, songwriter, and actor known for his groundbreaking contributions to music, fashion, and pop culture. He was celebrated for his constant reinvention, from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke and beyond.
Some of Bowie’s most famous tracks include Space Oddity, Heroes, Life on Mars?, Starman, Changes, Let’s Dance, and Ashes to Ashes. His genre-blending style influenced generations of artists.
Yes, Bowie acted in several films, including The Man Who Fell to Earth, Labyrinth, The Prestige, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, showcasing his unique presence beyond music.
David Bowie is remembered as a visionary artist who challenged norms around identity, gender, and artistry. His influence spans music, fashion, performance, and visual art, making him a true cultural icon.
[this article originally appeared on 5MinuteBiographies.com on 20 December 2018]
