Biography of David Bowie

Musical aristocracy

January 8, 1947
January 10, 2016
Charismatic figure and multifaceted, versatile and provocative, David Bowie is unique not only in strictly musical sense, but also how to act onstage, for the use of theatricality and artifice and for his ability to blend musical influences, very different Visual and narrative: from science fiction to comic books, from Japanese to MIME, from cabaret to Burroughs. Born on January 8, 1947 day in Brixton (London) as David Robert Jones, recorded first album in 1964 and lives for three years in small groups, R & b. The popularity comes, unexpectedly, with the single "Space Oddity", vaguely psychedelic science fiction song arrangement. His real career began with the album "Hunky dory" of 1971 (eleven months earlier there had been "The man who sold the world" but the year of triumph is the next, the album "Ziggy Stardust", punctuated by songs like "Rock 'n' roll suicide", "Starman," "Suffragette city" or "Five years"). In Britain the album comes in fifth place on the charts.

In the history of pop music

"Aladdin sane" (April 1973) is instead transition album, considered by some a little subdued although featuring tracks like "Panic in Detroit", "The Jean genie" and "Time". In the same year also comes out "Pin-ups", an album of covers. In May 1974 the first change, the epic "Diamond dogs", futuristic and decadent album, dotted with post-apocalyptic visions and inspired by the novel "1984" by George Orwell. Memorable the title track, "Rebel Rebel", "Rock 'n' roll with me" and "1984". After a "David live", Bowie Young Americans in May 1975 to "pass", other change. And another, with the epic "Low", is waiting for him in January 1977. Half of the heyday of punk (summer 1976-Summer 1977) David Bowie comes out with an electronic album, sombre, recorded in Berlin, fractured, environment before the term became in use twenty years later. "Low", according to the critics the most accepted, remains perhaps his latest work of central importance with songs like "Be my wife", "Speed of life" or "Always crashing in the same car" to act as pillars. The difficult work, certainly not within the reach of all ears, earns second place in England. The next "Heroes", played on the same atmosphere but less claustrophobic, is very successful. Now he is considered a master of the genre and a strong name to aim to achieve success with the mark of quality. Although some of his subsequent works (such as "let's dance") will sell even better than "Heroes", the parable descendant is, according to some (including one counts the most hardened fan), now being traced. The breakthrough of Bowie to the dance, to the music trade, seen as a smokescreen by fan historians, seems irreversible. The interlude "Tin machine", which is the group in which Dave Jones declares that he wanted to exhibit all his life, he made his debut in a promising, but stores about three years later. "Earthling", with deviations "jungle" and sounds, even with good reviews failed on an attempt to bring it most appreciated artists. The Decade record deal ends positively with the album "Hours", a reassuring return to song in his classic style. The new millennium is represented by "Heathen", 2002 work of "thin white Duke" (as it is called often the singer because of his elegant bearing and aloof).

David Bowie at the cinema

The multi-talented David Bowie has also stood out for its positive investments in several films, such as "the last temptation of Christ" (1988) by master Martin Scorsese, with Willem Dafoe and Harvey Keitel. In 2006 she starred in the film by Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" (with Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson) as Nikola Tesla. But not to forget even "the man who fell to Earth" (his first film, 1976), "into the night" (1985, by John Landis), Labyrinth (1986), "Basquiat" (by Julian Schnabel, 1996, on the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat), "Il mio West" (the Italian Giovanni Veronesi, 1998), and the cameo in "Zoolander" (Ben Stiller, 2001).

The last years

Bowie has positively shocked the years ' 70, survived the brackets made of 80 's look, but in ' 90 has found a decade hostile towards him. In the following decades publishes three discs: "Heathen" (2002), "Reality" (2003), "The Next Day" (2013). In January 2016, he released his latest album titled "Blackstar". Cancer patient for over 18 months, died in New York on January 10, 2016, just days after his 69 years.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.