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 David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.
Bio:
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest collections of 20th century art.Born David Jones, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees). The 1960s were not a happy period for Bowie, who remained a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and play-writing. He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity", which was released at the time of the moon landing. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success. The album, which followed "Space Oddity", and the two, which followed (one of which included the song "The Man Who Sold The World", covered by Lulu and Nirvana) failed to produce another hit single, and Bowie's career appeared to be in decline.However, he made the first of many successful "comebacks" in 1972 with "Ziggy Stardust", a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship. In the mid-1970s, Bowie was a heavy cocaine abuser and sometime heroin user.In 1975, he changed tack. Musically, he released "Young Americans", a soul (or plastic soul as he later referred to it) album. This produced his first number one hit in the US, "Fame". He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). With a permanently-dilated pupil and skeletal frame, he certainly looked the part of an alien. The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). As his drug problem heightened, his behavior became more erratic. Reports of his insanity started to appear, and he continued to waste away physically. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger". Towards the end of the 1970s, he finally kicked his drug habit, and recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters". Around this time, he appeared in the title role of the Broadway drama The Elephant Man, and to considerable acclaim.The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). In 1983, he released "Let's Dance," an album which proved an unexpected massive commercial success, and produced his second #1 hit single in the United States. According to producer Nile Rodgers, the album was made in just 17 days and was "the easiest album" he'd ever made in his life. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight", was his most successful ever. Faced with this success on a massive scale, Bowie apparently attempted to "repeat the formula" in the next two albums, with less success (and to critical scorn). Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal. By now, his acting career was in decline. After the comparative failure of Labyrinth (1986), the movie industry appears to have decided that Bowie was not a sufficient name to be a lead actor in a major movie, and since that date, most of his roles have been cameos or glorified cameos. Tin Machine toured extensively and released two albums, with little critical or commercial success.In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise", a wedding album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. He released three albums to considerable critical acclaim and reasonable commercial success. In 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside." After an initial hostile reaction from the critics, this album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In 2003, Bowie released an album entitled 'Reality.' The Reality Tour began in November 2003 and, after great commercial success, was extended into July 2004. In June 2004, Bowie suffered a heart attack and the tour did not finish its scheduled run.After recovering, Bowie gave what turned out to be his final live performance in a three-song set with Alicia Keys at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in November 2006. He also returned to acting. He played Tesla in The Prestige (2006) and had a small cameo in the comedy David Bowie (2006) for fan Ricky Gervais. In 2007, he did a cartoon voice in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) playing Lord Royal Highness. He had a brief cameo in the movie ''Bandslam'' released in 2009; after a ten year hiatus from recording, he released a new album called 'The Next Day', featuring a homage cover to his earlier work ''Heroes''. The music video of ''Stars are Out Tonight'' premiered on 25 February 2013. It consists of other songs like ''Where Are We Now?", "Valentine's Day", "Love is Lost", "The Next Day", etc.In 2014, Bowie won British Male Solo Artist at the 2014 Brit Awards, 30 years since last winning it, and became the oldest ever Brit winner. Bowie wrote and recorded the opening title song to the television miniseries The Last Panthers (2015), which aired in November 2015. The theme used for The Last Panthers (2015) was also the title track for his January 2016 release, ''Blackstar" (released on 8 January 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday) was met with critical acclaim. Following Bowie's death two days later, on 10 January 2016, producer Tony Visconti revealed Bowie had planned the album to be his swan song, and a "parting gift" for his fans before his death. An EP, No Plan, was released on 8 January 2017, which would have been Bowie's 70th birthday. The day following his death, online viewing of Bowie's music skyrocketed, breaking the record for Vevo's most viewed artist in a single day.On 15 January, "Blackstar" debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart; nineteen of his albums were in the UK Top 100 Albums Chart, and thirteen singles were in the UK Top 100 Singles Chart. The song also debuted at #1 on album charts around the world, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the US Billboard 200. At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Bowie won all five nominated awards: Best Rock Performance; Best Alternative Music Album; Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical; Best Recording Package; and Best Rock Song. The wins marked Bowie's first ever in musical categories. David Bowie influenced the course of popular music several times and had an effect on several generations of musicians.
Tivia:
His eyes were both blue. However, one pupil was permanently dilated due to an incident when he was punched by a school friend, George Underwood, when he was 15, and as a result, one eye looked darker than the other. Underwood became a successful artist and remained a friend of Bowie's for the rest of his life; in fact, Underwood designed artwork for him.Took the pseudonym "David Bowie" to keep himself from being confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.Was the first major recording artist to release a song only on the Internet.Was one of the first artists to pay tribute to Freddie Mercury following his death in 1991 and performed at The Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert for AIDS Awareness (1992). Bowie was also a friend of his glam-rock contemporary Marc Bolan, whose funeral he attended in 1977. Elton John revealed in an interview with T"he Evening Standard" following Bowie's death that he had been close to Bowie during their early careers, they had spent time together at music venues and gay clubs, but they had also fallen out back in the 1970s due to comments Bowie made about John to "Rolling Stone" magazine. He said they were never close again after that. Nevertheless, John performed a version of "Space Oddity" in a concert as a tribute to Bowie following his death.Declined the royal honor of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000, and turned down a knighthood in 2003.Was the first sexually ambiguous British pop star, declaring himself "gay" in 1972 (before contemporaries such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John made declarations that they were bisexual) and only five years since male homosexuality had been decriminalized in the UK. In a magazine interview, he stated that he met his first wife when they were in a relationship with the same man. Whether this was true or a joke has been the subject of much speculation. His appearance on Top of the Pops (1964) in 1972 with "Starman", when he put his arm around guitarist Mick Ronson, has been cited by many as a key moment for gay liberation in Britain and described by journalist Caitlin Moran as "the gay moon landing". In a 1983 interview with "Rolling Stone", Bowie stated that his bisexuality was really a sham. He claimed he made the story up to create more mystery about himself and defined himself as a "closet heterosexual". In later years he would neither confirm nor deny he had engaged in gay relationships, merely admitting (in a 2002 interview by Jonathan Ross) that he'd been "incredibly promiscuous". Dancer Lindsay Kemp has often claimed in interviews that he slept with Bowie.Inducted into the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in June 2013.Early in his career he was once snubbed by The Beatles' Apple record label.Had one son in 1971 with his then-wife Angie Bowie, originally named Zowie, who later changed it to Joe and who is known as Duncan Jones. Duncan was Bowie's best man at his 1992 wedding to Iman. He studied at a film school in London and became a successful writer and director.In July 2004 he underwent triple heart bypass surgery following a heart attack. He also gave up his 50-cigarettes-a-day smoking habit in the same year.Met wife-to-be Iman in October 1990 through mutual hairstylist Teddy Antolin after Bowie had earlier 'discovered' the supermodel in the pages of a fashion magazine aboard a plane between tour gigs. He proposed to her under the Pont Neuf bridge on the River Seine while serenading her with the love song "April in Paris".On 6/25/04 had an emergency angioplasty in Germany while on tour. The remainder of the tour was canceled.Bob Geldof envisaged him as singing the first line on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid. However, Bowie was unavailable for the recording, so Paul Young sang it instead, as it was felt he had the closest voice to Bowie of all the performers participating. Bowie did get to eventually sing the opening of the song at the Live Aid (1985) finale at Wembley Stadium.Shortly after his passing, fans from Berlin, Germany, started a petition to change the name of the "Hauptstra?e" in Berlin Sch?neberg into "David-Bowie-Stra?e" (David Bowie Street). The reason behind it was that he lived there from 1976-78, a time that is not only credited for saving his career, but for saving his life, as he was still fighting his drug addiction at the time. During that period he produced three of his most successful albums, "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger", which are collectively known as the Berlin Trilogy.Often said he was ''a collector'', and people close to him said he rarely threw anything away. He made remarks in his 20s that sounded megalomaniacal at the time, saying that he envisioned collecting everything he did in his life and organizing it all meticulously in archives. He wasn't kidding: he did make good on his intent. He saved all his handwritten lyrics, all his stage outfits once he retired them, paintings and art pieces he made, and everything else he valued that he created during his life's work, and had them stored under meticulous security in Switzerland, organized and archived as he said he would.Appeared in Bing Crosby's last television show before his death, a Christmas special taped in London that aired after Crosby's death in December 1977. It is memorable for Crosby and Bowie singing a duet of "The Little Drummer Boy": Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas (1977).Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 (by Madonna) and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.Played 14 different instruments. The first one he learned was the saxophone at the age of 12, and played it on several of his own songs. Although a talented rhythm guitarist (he played the famous riff of "Rebel Rebel"), he found himself lacking in ability as a lead guitarist.Born and raised in London. His father, Haywood Stenton Jones, was originally from Yorkshire but of Welsh descent. His mother, Margaret Mary Jones, was from Kent and of Irish ancestry. Haywood Stenton Jones was from an affluent family who were partners in the Public Benefit Boot Co. Bowie resided in New York City from 1992 until his death.Was the winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1984 following the success of his multi-million-selling album "Let's Dance". He was also the winner of the 1996 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. In 2014, He became the oldest person to date to win the British Male Solo Artist award following the success of his comeback album "The Next Day". He was more than 40 years older than the other nominees. In 2017 he became the first posthumous winner of the British Male Solo Artist award following the success of his final album, "Blackstar".Known for his sense of style, he has been described by director Geoff Wonfor as "one of only three people in music who really looked good in a suit. The others are Bryan Ferry and Robert Palmer".Awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. on 2/12/97.Was a major influence on Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks of the progressive rock band Genesis, who both followed his career from the early days in the 1960s. Banks became a fan from buying a copy of his 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me", which he loved for its unusual chords. His song "Heroes" was recorded by Gabriel on his album "Scratch My Back", released in 2010. It was a very different arrangement from Bowie's original, with Gabriel's voice accompanied only by orchestral instruments.On 5/12/13 NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield paid tribute to Bowie by singing the song "Space Oddity", which he did inside the ISS before returning to Earth. He uploaded the video on YouTube, which became a huge success. The video was taken down because of copyright infringement. When Bowie found out about this, he personally contacted YouTube, saying that he gave full permission for his song to be used. It took several hours before YouTube realized that it was Bowie himself who called them, and they put the video back within minutes.Went through a heroin addiction, which resulted in him blacking out and unable to account for his own behavior for much of the mid-'70s. His song "Ashes to Ashes" documents his struggles with drugs.Performed (on separate occasions) with Queen, Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Al B. Sure!, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Nine Inch Nails and Bing Crosby.His daughter, with Iman, Alexandria Zahra Jones, was born on 8/15/2000.Cited Little Richard as his first musical influence, hearing him at the age of eight,and, according to producer Nile Rodgers, he was a key influence on Bowie's most commercially successful album, "Let's Dance". He drew from a wide range of musical influences from his earliest days. In 2015 British music publication "Mojo" released a compilation album of 15 tracks by his earliest influences. It comprised tracks by Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bobby Bland, Ronnie Ross, Frank Sinatra, Jacques Brel, Lotte Lenya, Nina Simone, Nat 'King' Cole, Billy Fury, Anthony Newley, The Flares, Vince Taylor, The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things.Loosely the basis for the film Velvet Goldmine (1998).Was consistently listed in later life as one of the wealthiest British music stars in the world. In November 1997 "Business Age" magazine inaccurately reported his net worth as being over $900 million, surpassing even that of fellow British musician Paul McCartney, making him Britain's richest rock star. In 1999 Reuters mistakenly approximated his net worth at roughly $917 million. In 2003 the "Sunday Express" also mistakenly cited his net worth as in the $900-million (��510-million) range, but that placed him second to Paul McCartney. However, in 2005 the "Sunday Times" Rich List re-estimated his fortune at $185 million (��100 million). Following his death in 2016 at age 69, his estate, which was mainly bequeathed to his widow and two children, was valued at "a mere" $100 million (��70 million).Was Denis Villeneuve first choice for the role of Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) but passed away before the start of the production. The role went to Jared Leto.In 1968 while he was still a struggling artist, he wrote some English lyrics to a French song titled "Comme d'Habitude" ("As Usual"). His version, "Even a Fool Learns to Love", never did get recorded, but when the French melody caught the attention of Paul Anka, he reworked the lyrics and the song became "My Way". Of course, when Frank Sinatra recorded "My Way" his way, it turned to gold.Revealed that he turned down a lucrative opportunity to record a theme song for a James Bond film because he didn't like the franchise. He was also originally approached to play Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (1985), but turned it down citing his lack of enthusiasm for the script. The role went to Christopher Walken instead. He was also considered for the role of The Joker in Batman (1989) and Max Shreck in Batman Returns (1992), but turned down the latter to appear in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He turned down the role of Captain Hook in Hook (1991), which went to Dustin Hoffman. He was also seriously considered for the role of Sharaz Jek in The Caves of Androzani: Part One (1984).Was a big fan of The Velvet Underground. He later recorded with and produced the band's songwriter Lou Reed. He also frequently collaborated as a songwriter with Iggy Pop from The Stooges. Bowie, Reed and Pop are all considered to be among the most influential rock musicians of all time. Bowie included a version of "China Girl", which he had written with Pop in the 1970s (and had been recorded by Pop on his 1977 album "The Idiot"), on his 1983 album "Let's Dance" in order to help Pop financially. The song became one of Bowie's biggest international hits. Following Bowie's death, Pop described Bowie's friendship as "the light of my life".In March 2003 his 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" came eighth in "Classic Rock Magazine"'s list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time.Was credited as himself in Zoolander (2001). He was the judge of the fashion "walk-off" between Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller.Voted the 39th Greatest Artist in Rock 'n' Roll by "Rolling Stone".When he was just a child--perhaps two to four years old--his parents enrolled him in what is called "infant's school" in Britain (in the US it would be considered "nursery school" or "preschool"). His teachers said that during the music and dance parts of the days, he astonished them with his grace and poise of movement. They said they had never witnessed a child so young able to move like that.Considered "Tonight" (released in 1984) and "Never Let Me Down" (released in 1987) to be his weakest albums. Both were critically panned and led to Bowie forming the group Tin Machine in an attempt to shed his mainstream audience and reinvent himself as a creative force. Despite his low opinion of these albums, he did later choose a song from each album ("Loving the Alien" from "Tonight" and "Time Will Crawl" from "Never Let Me Down") as among his 15 favorite tracks from his own career for the 2008 compilation album "iSelect".Asked Stevie Ray Vaughan to play guitar on the album "Let's Dance" after seeing Double Trouble perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival.Awarded Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Catherine Trautmann in 1999.Was naturally left-handed but chose to play a right-handed guitar. He taught himself to play right-handed as there simply weren't enough left-handed guitars in the shops in post-war Great Britain.Was the main inspiration for Tilda Swinton's character in A Bigger Splash (2015), rock musician Marianne Lane. Swinton appeared next to Bowie on the music video for his song "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".In 2005 he sang a duet with Kasper Eistrup on the album "No Balance Palace" by the Danish rock band Kashmir.Played Serbian/American scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006).Mentioned in the lyrics of the theme tune for Only Fools and Horses (1981), one of the UK's most popular sitcoms of all time.British singer-songwriter Paul Weller named one of his children "Bowie" after the musician. Weller cited "Low" as "one of [his] favourite records".His first four albums--"David Bowie" (1967), "David Bowie" (1969) (also subsequently titled "Space Oddity"), "The Man Who Sold the World" (1970) and "Hunky Dory" (1971)--all failed to chart in the UK on their initial release. He first entered the album chart with "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" in 1972.Ranked #12 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists and #7 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.In his composition "Slip Away", on his album "Heathen", he makes cryptic references to The Uncle Floyd Show (1974), a program popular in the late 1970s and 1980s in the New York City area. Broadcast on a local television station, it featured two puppets, "Oogie" and "Bones Boy", mentioned in the song, as well as the host, "Uncle" Floyd Vivino. |
| Name: |
David Bowie |
Type: |
Music Artist,Composer,Actor (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Music Artist,Composer,Actor |
| Products for sale: |
Music Artist,Composer,Actor |
| Model rank: |
826 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:47:31 |
| Height: |
5' 9?' (1.77 m) |
| Biography: |
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge |
| Trivia: |
His eyes were both blue. However, one pupil was permanently dilated due to an incident when he was punched by a school friend, George Underwood, when he was 15, and as a result, one eye looked darker than the other. Underwood became a successful artist and remained a friend of Bowie's for the rest of his life; in fact, Underwood designed artwork for him.Took the pseudonym "David Bowie" to keep himself from being confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees.Was the first major recording artist to release a song only on the Internet.Was one of the first artists to pay tribute to Freddie Mercury following his death in 1991 and performed at The Freddie Mercury Tribute: Concert for AIDS Awareness (1992). Bowie was also a friend of his glam-rock contemporary Marc Bolan, whose funeral he attended in 1977. Elton John revealed in an interview with T"he Evening Standard" following Bowie's death that he had been close to Bowie during their early careers, they had spent time together at music venues and gay clubs, but they had also fallen out back in the 1970s due to comments Bowie made about John to "Rolling Stone" magazine. He said they were never close again after that. Nevertheless, John performed a version of "Space Oddity" in a concert as a tribute to Bowie following his death.Declined the royal honor of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000, and turned down a knighthood in 2003.Was the first sexually ambiguous British pop star, declaring himself "gay" in 1972 (before contemporaries such as Freddie Mercury and Elton John made declarations that they were bisexual) and only five years since male homosexuality had been decriminalized in the UK. In a magazine interview, he stated that he met his first wife when they were in a relationship with the same man. Whether this was true or a joke has been the subject of much speculation. His appearance on Top of the Pops (1964) in 1972 with "Starman", when he put his arm around guitarist Mick Ronson, has been cited by many as a key moment for gay liberation in Britain and described by journalist Caitlin Moran as "the gay moon landing". In a 1983 interview with "Rolling Stone", Bowie stated that his bisexuality was really a sham. He claimed he made the story up to create more mystery about himself and defined himself as a "closet heterosexual". In later years he would neither confirm nor deny he had engaged in gay relationships, merely admitting (in a 2002 interview by Jonathan Ross) that he'd been "incredibly promiscuous". Dancer Lindsay Kemp has often claimed in interviews that he slept with Bowie.Inducted into the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in June 2013.Early in his career he was once snubbed by The Beatles' Apple record label.Had one son in 1971 with his then-wife Angie Bowie, originally named Zowie, who later changed it to Joe and who is known as Duncan Jones. Duncan was Bowie's best man at his 1992 wedding to Iman. He studied at a film school in London and became a successful writer and director.In July 2004 he underwent triple heart bypass surgery following a heart attack. He also gave up his 50-cigarettes-a-day smoking habit in the same year.Met wife-to-be Iman in October 1990 through mutual hairstylist Teddy Antolin after Bowie had earlier 'discovered' the supermodel in the pages of a fashion magazine aboard a plane between tour gigs. He proposed to her under the Pont Neuf bridge on the River Seine while serenading her with the love song "April in Paris".On 6/25/04 had an emergency angioplasty in Germany while on tour. The remainder of the tour was canceled.Bob Geldof envisaged him as singing the first line on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid. However, Bowie was unavailable for the recording, so Paul Young sang it instead, as it was felt he had the closest voice to Bowie of all the performers participating. Bowie did get to eventually sing the opening of the song at the Live Aid (1985) finale at Wembley Stadium.Shortly after his passing, fans from Berlin, Germany, started a petition to change the name of the "Hauptstra?e" in Berlin Sch?neberg into "David-Bowie-Stra?e" (David Bowie Street). The reason behind it was that he lived there from 1976-78, a time that is not only credited for saving his career, but for saving his life, as he was still fighting his drug addiction at the time. During that period he produced three of his most successful albums, "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger", which are collectively known as the Berlin Trilogy.Often said he was ''a collector'', and people close to him said he rarely threw anything away. He made remarks in his 20s that sounded megalomaniacal at the time, saying that he envisioned collecting everything he did in his life and organizing it all meticulously in archives. He wasn't kidding: he did make good on his intent. He saved all his handwritten lyrics, all his stage outfits once he retired them, paintings and art pieces he made, and everything else he valued that he created during his life's work, and had them stored under meticulous security in Switzerland, organized and archived as he said he would.Appeared in Bing Crosby's last television show before his death, a Christmas special taped in London that aired after Crosby's death in December 1977. It is memorable for Crosby and Bowie singing a duet of "The Little Drummer Boy": Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas (1977).Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 (by Madonna) and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.Played 14 different instruments. The first one he learned was the saxophone at the age of 12, and played it on several of his own songs. Although a talented rhythm guitarist (he played the famous riff of "Rebel Rebel"), he found himself lacking in ability as a lead guitarist.Born and raised in London. His father, Haywood Stenton Jones, was originally from Yorkshire but of Welsh descent. His mother, Margaret Mary Jones, was from Kent and of Irish ancestry. Haywood Stenton Jones was from an affluent family who were partners in the Public Benefit Boot Co. Bowie resided in New York City from 1992 until his death.Was the winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1984 following the success of his multi-million-selling album "Let's Dance". He was also the winner of the 1996 Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution. In 2014, He became the oldest person to date to win the British Male Solo Artist award following the success of his comeback album "The Next Day". He was more than 40 years older than the other nominees. In 2017 he became the first posthumous winner of the British Male Solo Artist award following the success of his final album, "Blackstar".Known for his sense of style, he has been described by director Geoff Wonfor as "one of only three people in music who really looked good in a suit. The others are Bryan Ferry and Robert Palmer".Awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. on 2/12/97.Was a major influence on Peter Gabriel and Tony Banks of the progressive rock band Genesis, who both followed his career from the early days in the 1960s. Banks became a fan from buying a copy of his 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me", which he loved for its unusual chords. His song "Heroes" was recorded by Gabriel on his album "Scratch My Back", released in 2010. It was a very different arrangement from Bowie's original, with Gabriel's voice accompanied only by orchestral instruments.On 5/12/13 NASA astronaut Chris Hadfield paid tribute to Bowie by singing the song "Space Oddity", which he did inside the ISS before returning to Earth. He uploaded the video on YouTube, which became a huge success. The video was taken down because of copyright infringement. When Bowie found out about this, he personally contacted YouTube, saying that he gave full permission for his song to be used. It took several hours before YouTube realized that it was Bowie himself who called them, and they put the video back within minutes.Went through a heroin addiction, which resulted in him blacking out and unable to account for his own behavior for much of the mid-'70s. His song "Ashes to Ashes" documents his struggles with drugs.Performed (on separate occasions) with Queen, Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Al B. Sure!, Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Nine Inch Nails and Bing Crosby.His daughter, with Iman, Alexandria Zahra Jones, was born on 8/15/2000.Cited Little Richard as his first musical influence, hearing him at the age of eight,and, according to producer Nile Rodgers, he was a key influence on Bowie's most commercially successful album, "Let's Dance". He drew from a wide range of musical influences from his earliest days. In 2015 British music publication "Mojo" released a compilation album of 15 tracks by his earliest influences. It comprised tracks by Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bobby Bland, Ronnie Ross, Frank Sinatra, Jacques Brel, Lotte Lenya, Nina Simone, Nat 'King' Cole, Billy Fury, Anthony Newley, The Flares, Vince Taylor, The Yardbirds and The Pretty Things.Loosely the basis for the film Velvet Goldmine (1998).Was consistently listed in later life as one of the wealthiest British music stars in the world. In November 1997 "Business Age" magazine inaccurately reported his net worth as being over $900 million, surpassing even that of fellow British musician Paul McCartney, making him Britain's richest rock star. In 1999 Reuters mistakenly approximated his net worth at roughly $917 million. In 2003 the "Sunday Express" also mistakenly cited his net worth as in the $900-million (��510-million) range, but that placed him second to Paul McCartney. However, in 2005 the "Sunday Times" Rich List re-estimated his fortune at $185 million (��100 million). Following his death in 2016 at age 69, his estate, which was mainly bequeathed to his widow and two children, was valued at "a mere" $100 million (��70 million).Was Denis Villeneuve first choice for the role of Niander Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) but passed away before the start of the production. The role went to Jared Leto.In 1968 while he was still a struggling artist, he wrote some English lyrics to a French song titled "Comme d'Habitude" ("As Usual"). His version, "Even a Fool Learns to Love", never did get recorded, but when the French melody caught the attention of Paul Anka, he reworked the lyrics and the song became "My Way". Of course, when Frank Sinatra recorded "My Way" his way, it turned to gold.Revealed that he turned down a lucrative opportunity to record a theme song for a James Bond film because he didn't like the franchise. He was also originally approached to play Max Zorin in A View to a Kill (1985), but turned it down citing his lack of enthusiasm for the script. The role went to Christopher Walken instead. He was also considered for the role of The Joker in Batman (1989) and Max Shreck in Batman Returns (1992), but turned down the latter to appear in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He turned down the role of Captain Hook in Hook (1991), which went to Dustin Hoffman. He was also seriously considered for the role of Sharaz Jek in The Caves of Androzani: Part One (1984).Was a big fan of The Velvet Underground. He later recorded with and produced the band's songwriter Lou Reed. He also frequently collaborated as a songwriter with Iggy Pop from The Stooges. Bowie, Reed and Pop are all considered to be among the most influential rock musicians of all time. Bowie included a version of "China Girl", which he had written with Pop in the 1970s (and had been recorded by Pop on his 1977 album "The Idiot"), on his 1983 album "Let's Dance" in order to help Pop financially. The song became one of Bowie's biggest international hits. Following Bowie's death, Pop described Bowie's friendship as "the light of my life".In March 2003 his 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" came eighth in "Classic Rock Magazine"'s list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time.Was credited as himself in Zoolander (2001). He was the judge of the fashion "walk-off" between Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller.Voted the 39th Greatest Artist in Rock 'n' Roll by "Rolling Stone".When he was just a child--perhaps two to four years old--his parents enrolled him in what is called "infant's school" in Britain (in the US it would be considered "nursery school" or "preschool"). His teachers said that during the music and dance parts of the days, he astonished them with his grace and poise of movement. They said they had never witnessed a child so young able to move like that.Considered "Tonight" (released in 1984) and "Never Let Me Down" (released in 1987) to be his weakest albums. Both were critically panned and led to Bowie forming the group Tin Machine in an attempt to shed his mainstream audience and reinvent himself as a creative force. Despite his low opinion of these albums, he did later choose a song from each album ("Loving the Alien" from "Tonight" and "Time Will Crawl" from "Never Let Me Down") as among his 15 favorite tracks from his own career for the 2008 compilation album "iSelect".Asked Stevie Ray Vaughan to play guitar on the album "Let's Dance" after seeing Double Trouble perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival.Awarded Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Catherine Trautmann in 1999.Was naturally left-handed but chose to play a right-handed guitar. He taught himself to play right-handed as there simply weren't enough left-handed guitars in the shops in post-war Great Britain.Was the main inspiration for Tilda Swinton's character in A Bigger Splash (2015), rock musician Marianne Lane. Swinton appeared next to Bowie on the music video for his song "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".In 2005 he sang a duet with Kasper Eistrup on the album "No Balance Palace" by the Danish rock band Kashmir.Played Serbian/American scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006).Mentioned in the lyrics of the theme tune for Only Fools and Horses (1981), one of the UK's most popular sitcoms of all time.British singer-songwriter Paul Weller named one of his children "Bowie" after the musician. Weller cited "Low" as "one of [his] favourite records".His first four albums--"David Bowie" (1967), "David Bowie" (1969) (also subsequently titled "Space Oddity"), "The Man Who Sold the World" (1970) and "Hunky Dory" (1971)--all failed to chart in the UK on their initial release. He first entered the album chart with "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" in 1972.Ranked #12 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists and #7 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.In his composition "Slip Away", on his album "Heathen", he makes cryptic references to The Uncle Floyd Show (1974), a program popular in the late 1970s and 1980s in the New York City area. Broadcast on a local television station, it featured two puppets, "Oogie" and "Bones Boy", mentioned in the song, as well as the host, "Uncle" Floyd Vivino. |
| Trademarks: |
Sexual androgyny
His distinctive and idiosyncratic singing style, wide ranging vocals and rich baritone
One permanently dilated pupil which gave him the appearance of having two different colored eyes (a condition known as Heterochromia iridum)
Known for having a different theme on almost every album
Lyrics with science fiction or fantasy themes |
| Quotes: |
[on whether he thinks he is a good actor] I took you in, didn't I? I rest my make-up case.
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[during an interview about his new album in 1999] I have nothing to say about the new album. Can I go now?
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Talking about art is like dancing about architecture.
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I rate Morrissey as one of the best lyricists in Britain. For me, he's up there with Bryan Ferry.
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[on receiving an honorary degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music] Any list of advice I have to offer to a musician always ends with, "If it itches, go and see a doctor.". |
| Job title: |
Music Artist,Composer,Actor |
| Others works: |
(1981) Single (UK #1): "Under Pressure" (recorded with Queen).
(2002) TV commercial: XM Satellite Radio.
(2003) TV commercial: Vittel.
(1997) Contributed vocals to an all-star version of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" for the BBC |
| Spouse: |
Iman (April 24, 1992 - January 10, 2016) (his death, 1 child)Angie Bowie (March 19, 1970 - February 8, 1980) (divorced, 1 child) |
| Children: |
Duncan Jones |
| Parents: |
Margaret Mary Jones
Haywood Stenton Jones |
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