David Bowie

**David Robert Jones** (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as **David Bowie**, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music.

Bowie developed an interest in music as a child. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. Later he would find initial success as a member of the underground group *Rubber Band*, between 1967 and 1968. *In the Heat of the Morning*, released in 1968, would be his first solo success, followed by *Space Oddity*, released in 1969, becoming his first chart-topping hit in the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego *Ziggy Stardust* and album *The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars* (1972), which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as *plastic soul* garnering him his first major US crossover success with the album *Young Americans*. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film *The Man Who Fell to Earth* and released *Station to Station*. In 1977, he again changed direction with the *Berlin Trilogy*.

After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single *Ashes to Ashes*, its album *Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)*, and *Under Pressure* (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He reached his peak commercial success in 1983 with *Let's Dance*: its title track topped both the UK and US charts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with *The Next Day*. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, *Blackstar* (2016).

During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. *Rolling Stone* named him among the greatest artists in history and—after his death—the "greatest rock star ever".

## Discography

* *Cygnet Committee* (1968)
* *An Occasional Dream* (1969)
* *Metrobolist* (with Hype; 1970)
* *Hunky Dory* (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)
* *Low* (1977)
* *"Heroes"* (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)
* *The Buddha of Suburbia* (1993)
* *Outside* (1995)
* *Earthling* (1997)
* *Hours* (1999)
* *Heathen* (2002)
* *Reality* (2003)
* *The Next Day* (2013)
* *Blackstar* (2016)