David Bowie

David Robert Jones, born 8 January 1947 and died 10 January 2016, performed and recorded as David Bowie. He was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Often called the "chameleon of rock," he is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, known for constantly reinventing himself and his visual style. His music, stage performances, and fashion left a deep mark on popular culture.

After studying art, music, and design, he started his music career in 1962. Early singles with local bands and a self-titled solo album failed to catch on. His first success came in 1969 with "Space Oddity," a UK number-five single from his second album. He broke through commercially in 1972 during the glam rock era, creating the character Ziggy Stardust for the album *The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars*. In 1974, he shifted direction with the persona Halloween Jack for *Diamond Dogs*. The soul-influenced *Young Americans* (1975) led to *Station to Station* (1976), where he adopted the Thin White Duke persona and moved toward art rock, electronica, and ambient music. He explored these styles most fully in the Berlin Trilogy: *Low*, *"Heroes"* (both 1977), and *Lodger* (1979). His biggest commercial success came with *Let's Dance* in 1983. From 1988 to 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine. He returned to solo work in 1993 and kept experimenting with styles like industrial, jungle, and drum and bass.

Outside music, Bowie was recognized for acting, usually in smaller parts and cameos rather than lead roles. His best-known films include *The Man Who Fell to Earth* (1976), *Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence* (1983), *Absolute Beginners* and *Labyrinth* (both 1986), *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me* (1992), *Basquiat* (1996), and *The Prestige* (2006). He also painted and wrote, created the first modern celebrity bond ("Bowie Bonds"), and was one of the first artists to connect directly with fans online through his website BowieNet. He performed live regularly until retiring from touring in 2004; his last live show was at a charity event in 2006. After a decade-long recording break, he released *The Next Day* in 2013. His final studio album, *Blackstar*, came out two days before his death in 2016 and was seen as a powerful farewell to his fans.

During his lifetime, his record sales were estimated at over 100 million worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians ever. He had eleven UK number-one albums, including *Aladdin Sane* (1973) and *Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)* (1980). His UK or US number-one singles include "Space Oddity" (which reached number-one in the UK on reissue in 1975), "Fame," "Ashes to Ashes," "Under Pressure" (with Queen), "Let's Dance," and "Dancing in the Street" (with Mick Jagger). He won six Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. *Rolling Stone* ranked him among the greatest singers, songwriters, and artists of all time. Though his sexuality is debated, he is seen as an influential figure in the LGBTQ community.

**Early life** David Robert Jones was born on 8 January 1947 in Brixton, London. His mother, Margaret Mary "Peggy" (née Burns), was born at Shorncliffe Army Camp, Kent, and worked as a waitress at a cinema in Royal Tunbridge Wells. His father, Haywood Stenton "John" Jones, came from Doncaster, Yorkshire, and was a promotions officer for the children's charity Barnardo's. The family lived at 40 Stansfield Road in Lambeth. Bowie attended Stockwell Infants School until age six, gaining a reputation as a gifted, single-minded child and a defiant brawler.

In 1953, his family moved to Bickley, then Bromley Common, and finally settled in Sundridge Park in 1955, where he attended Burnt Ash Junior School. The school choir found his voice "adequate," and he showed above-average skill on the recorder. At age nine, his dancing was strikingly imaginative; teachers called his interpretations "vividly artistic" and his poise "astonishing" for a child. That same year, his father brought home a collection of American 45s by artists including the Teenagers, the Platters, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard. After hearing Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," Bowie later said he had "heard God."

Bowie was first impressed by Presley when he saw his cousin Kristina dance to "Hound Dog" soon after its 1956 release. According to Kristina, she and David "danced like possessed elves" to various records. By the end of the following year, Bowie had taken up the ukulele and tea-chest bass, joined skiffle sessions with friends, and started playing piano. His stage presentation of numbers by Presley and Chuck Berry—complete with gyrations in tribute—to his local Wolf Cub group was described as "mesmerizing … like someone from another planet." Since Bowie was a toddler, his father encouraged him to follow his dreams of being an entertainer; in the late 1950s, he took David to meet performers preparing for the Royal Variety Performance, introducing him to Alma Cogan and Tommy Steele. After passing his eleven-plus exam, Bowie attended Bromley Technical High School, which biographer Christopher Sandford described as "rich in arcane ritual as any [English] public school."

Bowie's maternal half-brother, Terry Burns, was a major influence on his early life. Burns, ten years older, had schizophrenia and seizures, living alternately at home and in psychiatric wards. While living with Bowie, he introduced him to many lifelong influences, including modern jazz, Buddhism, Beat poetry, and the occult.