BIOGRAPHY:

David Bowie is a famous British singer who has been involved in musical creativity for more than 50 years. The “Chameleon of Rock” became a cult figure in the world of show business and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century due to constant innovative transformations. Effectively alternating between folk singer and alien characters, he has won the title of one of the most successful performers in the history of the British charts.

Childhood and youth:

David Robert Jones (later David Bowie) was born on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London, to an Irish woman, Margaret Mary Peguy, who worked as a cinema cashier, and Hayward Stanton John Jones, an Englishman who was a clerk in the human resources department of a charity.

At the time of the birth of their son, David’s parents lived in a civil marriage; only after 8 months they legalized their relationship. From early childhood, the future rock musician showed his interest in music, and in preparatory school he established himself as a talented, purposeful and intelligent boy. At the same time, he was a rather naughty child with a cocky character, which did not prevent him from getting high marks at school.

In 1953, David Jones’s family moved to Bromley, where he attended Burnt Ash Primary School. During his school years, he began to study music, attending a choir and a music club, where teachers noted his phenomenal ability to interpret.

After David first heard the compositions of Elvis Presley, he decided that he must become a pop star. He persuaded his father to buy him a ukulele and built his own bass so that he could participate in skill sessions with friends. His passion for music negatively affected his performance at school, as a result of which Bowie failed his final exam and went to study at a technical college.

In college, the future rock star discovered modern jazz an became obsessed with the idea of ​​becoming a saxophonist. Then David had to work as a loader in a local butcher shop to buy his first pink plastic Selmer saxophone, and a year later his mother gave him a white alto saxophone for Christmas.

At the age of 15, Jones had an accident: he got into a fight with his friend in college and suffered a serious injury to his left eye. The musician spent the next four months in the hospital, where doctors performed a series of operations to prevent his blindness. Alas, they were unable to completely restore his vision, as a result of which the guy partially lost his perception of color: after the transformation, the eye began to see everything in brown, but the pupil remained enlarged.

By the time he graduated from college, the future rock music legend could play many musical instruments, including guitar, saxophone, keyboards, harpsichord, electric guitar, vibraphone, ukulele, harmonica, piano, koto and percussion. Considering that the singer was left-handed from birth, he uses musical instruments as a right-hander and plays a right-handed guitar.

Music:

David Bowie’s musical career began with the creation of his own band, The Kon-rads, with whom he played rock and roll at local concerts, weddings and parties. But the ambitions of the aspiring musician did not allow him to stay in its lineup, and he moved to The King Bees. Working with the new team, David Jones wrote a bold letter to millionaire John Bloom, inviting the oligarch to become his producer and earn another million. But Bloom ignored the aspiring musician’s offer and handed over his letter to one of the Beatles’ song publishers, Leslie Conn, who became interested in Bowie and signed his first contract.

Even in his youth, David took the pseudonym Bowie to avoid confusion with Davey Johnson from The Monkees, who was gaining popularity in those years. The star under the name David Bowie was born on January 14, 1966. Then he began performing at the famous club “Marks” as part of the group The Lower Third. The singer’s first few recorded singles were complete failures, which led to the termination of his contract with Conn. Bowie then released his debut album and recorded a sixth single, which also failed to chart.

David Bowie’s first success in music came only 7 years after the start of his career. His single Space Oddity reached the top five of the British charts in 1969, after which he released an album of the same name, which became successful throughout Europe. The musician shook up the rock culture that existed at that time, giving this genre of music progressiveness.

In 1970, Bowie released his third album, The Man Who Sold the World, in which he switched to heavy rock. Critics called this work by the musician “the beginning of the glam rock era.” After this, the singer creates the group Hype, in which he gives his first big concert, performing under the pseudonym Ziggy Stardust. He created a real sensation in the music world and elevated the musician to the pinnacle of fame.

The appearance on British television with the composition Starman turned Bowie into a real legend, and his image in a bright jumpsuit with an unusual hairstyle began to be associated by the public with the name of the outrageous musician.

David Bowie gained worldwide fame in 1975 after the release of the album Young Americans, which included the musical work Fame, which became his first hit in the United States. During that period, he performed on stage as the Gaunt White Duke, performing rock ballads.

In 1980, Bowie once again blew up the music world with the album Scary Monsters, which brought the musician not only fame and recognition, but also enormous profit. Then he began collaborating with the popular group Queen, with whom he recorded the song Under Pressure, which became a No. 1 hit in the British charts. In 1983, the musician released another album with dance music, Let’s Dance, which became a bestseller – its sales reached 14 million copies.

David Bowie’s last album was Blackstar, which he released on January 8, 2016, his 69th birthday. It included 7 compositions, some of which would later be used in the musical “Lazarus” and the TV series “The Last Panthers”. The last two video clips, created for the songs The Stars and The Next Day, featured famous artists – Tilda Swinton, Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard. The singer’s last appearance on screen was a video for the musical composition “Lazarus,” in which David appeared in the role of a dying old man.

The artist’s discography includes 27 studio and 9 live albums, 49 collections. David Bowie also has 121 singles and 59 videos. The rock legend was included in the 100 Greatest Britons list in 2002 and named the most popular singer of all time. In 2006, he was awarded a Grammy Award for his contribution to the development of world music.

Before his death, the singer managed to celebrate his 69th birthday, marking it with the release of a new album, Blackstar. He left behind a rich musical legacy around the world, having sold more than 136 million of his records and discs.

In Russia:

It’s interesting that David Bowie visited Russia three times. The musician’s first tour took place in the 70s, when David crossed 1/6 of the land from the Far East to Moscow. The second appearance in the Russian capital took place a year later. This time the artist was accompanied by his friend and colleague Iggy Pop.

Well, in the late 90s, the rock star was already expected to give a concert in the Grand Kremlin Palace, which he performed brilliantly, although he himself was dissatisfied with the performance. According to the recollections of the audience, the artist brought a program consisting of songs from his new album Outside, written in the style of industrial rock. Few in the hall understood heavy music; most of those who arrived were only interested in the name of the star, and not in his work. Feeling a blank wall between himself and the audience, the performer refused to give concerts in Russia in the future.

The first failures in the music arena forced the musician to give up realizing his dream for several years. He plunged into the world of theatrical performances and joined the circus. While studying dramatic art, Bowie became completely immersed in creating images, characters and characters with which he later captivated the whole world.

He was first fascinated by the London fashion style, which he promoted back in the early 60s. Soon the artist switched to hippie culture, and then completely created an independent image of Ziggy Stardust. Under the character’s name, he performed glam rock music.

Bowie’s kaleidoscope of heroes was expanded to include Aladdin Sane and One-Eyed Jack Halloween. And in 1976, The Gaunt White Duke appeared on the screens. David’s collection of heroes includes the sad Pierrot, the brutal heartthrob, and the baroque legend.

In the early 90s, the singer began to experiment with genres, securing his status as a “chameleon of rock music.” He, deftly maintaining an individual image, constantly changes musical directions and themes of songs, appearing on stage in different images. He demonstrated a simple and elegant image only in 2013.

Movies:

In addition to music, David Bowie actively acted in films. During his creative biography, Bowie managed to transform from an actor who transforms himself mainly into the images of rebel musicians, into a versatile master of disguise. The musician’s credits include the role of an alien in the science fiction film “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” the goblin king in the American children’s film “Labyrinth,” and work in the drama “Beautiful Gigolo, Poor Gigolo.”

Together with Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon, David Bowie appeared in the erotic-vampire horror film “The Hunger” as a 200-year-old vampire. No less significant work was the role of Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese’s film “The Last Temptation of Christ.” In the image of an FSB agent, the singer starred in the prequel to the cult mystical series of the 90s – Twin Peaks: Walk Through the Fire.

In the drama “Basquiat” about the artist of African descent, David Bowie took on the role of Andy Warhol. The last film role of the rock music legend was the main character of the film “Prestige” Nikola Tesla, in which he played along with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.

Social activity:

Repeatedly, Bowie’s statements caused mixed reactions from society. Thus, in one of his early interviews, David called Adolf Hitler one of the first rock stars and called on Britain to use the experience of the German leader. Subsequently, the artist retracted his own words, saying that he opposed the fascist regime.

Bowie later expressed his support for the black population by donating to the human rights foundation Jena Six, which is working on the case of colored teenagers accused of attacking a white guy.

Among the high-profile events in which the musician participated was the stars’ appeal to UN representatives on the issue of climate change on the planet. The artists called for the creation of a coordination council to prevent global warming.

Personal life:

David Bowie’s personal life has always interested his fans. This is due to the fact that in the mid-70s he announced his bisexuality in an interview. Since then, David Bowie’s sexual orientation has been widely discussed in society, despite the fact that in 1993 he denied these frank confessions, calling them the biggest mistake of his life.

The rock musician associated his past interest in homosexuality and bisexuality with fashion trends of the time, and not with manifestations of his true feelings. At the same time, he emphasized that by creating the image of a bisexual, he achieved fame and realized his dreams.

The rock musician was married twice and has two children. Bowie first married in 1970 to model Angela Barnett, who gave birth to his son Duncan Zoe Heywood Jones in 1971. Since David Bowie had a strong friendship with Mick Jagger in those years, fans assume that the rocker wrote the romantic ballad Angie in honor of Barnett, although Jagger himself does not confirm this information.

Bowie’s first marriage broke up after 10 years of marriage. David’s son later became famous in the film industry, directing the films Moon 2112 and Source Code. These same years marked the time of close collaboration with Iggy Pop, the godfather of grunge and punk rock, about which the biographical documentary film “Lust for Life” was later created.

In 1992, David Bowie walked down the aisle again. His second chosen one was the model from Somalia Iman Abdulmajid. Before the wedding, the girl became famous for starring as Nefertiti in the Michael Jackson video Remember the Time. In 2000, the couple had a daughter, Alexandria Zahra. When choosing models as wives, Bowie could afford this, because his height was 178 cm and his weight was 74 kg. The tall, athletic singer looked harmonious in the photo next to each of the chosen ones.

In 2004, Bowie underwent major heart surgery due to a blocked heart artery. He underwent angioplasty, after which he needed time to recover. Then he began to rarely appear on stage and reduced the number of performances. In 2011, information appeared that the Chameleon of rock music had finished his singing career, but in 2013 he again began to delight fans with the release of new albums.

Death:

On January 10, 2016, David Bowie died in London. The cause of death of the rock music legend was complications from cancer. He fought cancer for 1.5 years. During this time, in addition to his main illness, the artist was attacked by heart problems – he suffered 6 heart attacks. The singer’s health problems began in the mid-70s, when he became addicted to drugs.

Although the singer managed to get rid of drug addiction, it left an indelible mark on his health: Bowie suffered from memory loss and compared his brain to “holy Swiss cheese.”

David Bowie died surrounded by loved ones. According to the singer’s will, his body was cremated and his ashes were buried in a secret place on the island of Bali. Following the example of his friend and colleague Freddie Mercury, David Bowie did not want to worship his monument, so he insisted on a modest burial, which only his relatives know about.

Memory:

The death of the musician did not reduce interest in his personality. In 2017, he was awarded the BRIT Awards in the category “Best British Act”. Such an award had never before been awarded posthumously. Using the Internet, a fundraiser began to raise money for the installation of a monument in honor of David Bowie, but it was not possible to collect the required amount. And only in 2018, a bronze sculpture appeared in Aylesbury, which was called “Earthly Messenger”.

After the death of the star, some fans named his successor Brian Molko, the leader of the group Placebo, a charismatic musician with an androgynous appearance, with whom David Bowie maintained friendly relations.

5 years after the musician’s death, the BBC made a statement about the release of an unreleased Bowie album, which was written back in 2001. The disc entitled Toy was included in a special box set David Bowie 5: Brilliant Adventure and a collection dedicated to the artist’s birthday. The first song on the album to appear on the artist’s official YouTube channel was the track Youʼve Got A Habit Of Leaving.

Discography:

1967 – David Bowie
1969 – Space Oddity
1973 – Aladdin Sane
1974 – Diamond Dogs
1975 – Young Americans
1977 – Heroes
1983 – Let’s Dance
1995 – 1.Outside
2002 – Heathen
2003 – Reality
2013 – The Next Day
2016 – Blackstar

Filmography:

1976 — “The Man Who Fell to Earth”
1978 – “Beautiful Gigolo, Poor Gigolo”
1981 — “We, the children of Zoo station”
1983 — “Hunger”
1983 – “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”
1986 — “Labyrinth”
1988 — “The Last Temptation of Christ”
1992 – Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
1996 — “Basquiat”
1999 — “Show off”
2000 — “The Mystery of Mr. Rise”
2001 — “Zoolander”
2006 — “Prestige”
2017 — “Twin Peaks”

Interesting Facts:

David was born on the same day as his idol Elvis Presley, exactly 12 years after him. According to their zodiac sign, both musicians turned out to be Capricorns, and according to Chinese astrology, their patron was the Pig.
The artist’s close friends included rock musician Peter Frampton and the king of the pop scene, Elton John.
The hit Space Oddity was used as the soundtrack to footage of the Apollo 11 landing on the surface of the moon during a BBC broadcast.