David Robert Jones OAL was an English singer-songwriter and actor who went by the stage name David Bowie. Bowie is considered as one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century and a major figure in the music industry. Critics and musicians praised him, particularly for his groundbreaking work in the 1970s. His music and stagecraft had a huge impact on popular music, and his career was distinguished by reinvention and visual display.
David Bowie Music Career:
As a child, David Bowie had a passion for music. Before beginning a professional career as a musician in 1963, he studied art, music, and design. His first top-five single on the UK Singles Chart, “Space Oddity,” was published in 1969. He resurfaced in 1972, amid the glam rock era, with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust, after a period of experimentation. The character was propelled forward by the worldwide success of David Bowie’s single “Starman” and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With the number-one song “Fame” and the album Young Americans, Bowie’s approach altered to a sound he described as “plastic soul,” first upsetting many of his UK followers but bringing him his first major US crossover success. In 1976, Bowie starred in Nicolas Roeg’s iconic film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that became known as the “Berlin Trilogy,” was released in 1977, and it further surprised expectations. Following that came “Heroes” (1977) and Lodger (1979), both of which charted in the UK top five and gained widespread critical acclaim.
Bowie earned UK number ones with the 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes,” the album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and “Under Pressure,” a 1981 duet with Queen, following mixed economic success in the late 1970s. Let’s Dance, released in 1983, was his commercial apex, with the title hit topping both the UK and US charts. Bowie experimented with several musical styles, including industrial and jungle, throughout the 1990s and 2000s. He continues to act in films and television shows, including Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among others. After 2004, he quit touring, and his last live performance was in 2006 at a charity event. With The Next Day, Bowie returned after a decade-long recording break in 2013. He remained musically engaged until his death from liver cancer two days after his 69th birthday and the publication of his final album, Blackstar, at his home in New York City (2016).
During his lifetime, he sold over 100 million records globally, making him one of the most successful musicians of all time. He has ten platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and eleven number-one albums in the United Kingdom. He was awarded five platinum and nine gold certifications in the United States. In 1996, he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After his death in 2016, Rolling Stone labeled him one of the greatest artists of all time and the “greatest rock star ever.”
Death and Legacy
Two days after his 69th birthday, the music legend died on January 10, 2016. “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a heroic 18-month battle with cancer,” according to a message on his Facebook page.
His wife Iman, son Duncan Jones and daughter Alexandria, as well as stepdaughter Zulekha Haywood, all survive him. Bowie also left a significant musical legacy, with 26 albums to his credit. His last album, Blackstar, was “his farewell gift,” according to producer and friend Tony Visconti, who commented on Facebook.
His death was a shock to his friends and admirers. “David’s friendship was the joy of my existence,” Iggy Pop tweeted on Twitter. “I’ve never met somebody so bright.” On Twitter, the Rolling Stones described him as “a great and loving man” who was “a true original.” His work had an impact on even people who did not know him personally. “One of my most crucial inspirations was David Bowie,” Kanye West tweeted. “This amazing artist has changed my life!” Madonna wrote on Instagram.
Bowie won Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Rock Album, Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), Best Recording Package, Best Rock Performance, and Best Rock Song in February 2017, recognizing the success of his final album.
Late last year, HBO published a trailer for David Bowie: The Last Five Years, a documentary that looks at the time between the artist’s final two albums and the production of his stage musical. The documentary, which premiered on what would have been Bowie’s 71st birthday, includes never-before-seen footage of the performer as well as interviews with the musicians, producers, and music video directors who worked with him on his final tour.
The “David Bowie Subway Takeover” by Spotify debuted in New York City’s connecting Broadway-Lafayette and Bleecker Street stations in the spring of 2018. The subway displays were a continuation of the Brooklyn Museum’s “David Bowie Is” exhibit, which featured colorful images, fan artwork, and comments from the performer, with each significant piece including a Spotify code for audio accompaniment.
That July, the first known studio recording of Bowie, from 1963, was put up for auction. Bowie recorded lead vocals on a song called “I Never Dreamed” as part of his audition for Decca Records while still known by his birth name of David Jones and a member of a band named The Konrads. The demo was discovered in the home of the band’s former drummer and manager, and was never released.
David Bowie Net Worth
Bowie left behind an estate estimated to be worth over $230 million – a huge figure for any singer, let alone one who went out of his way to make music that wasn’t always mainstream or popular.