The first time I ever heard of David Bowie was in his and Jen Henson’s 1986 film Labyrinth, a well renowned art piece of Bowie’s, detailing characters like Jareth, the goblin king, and starring Jennifer Connelly. I was far too young to have experienced David Bowie in his prime but this fantasy film was an unforgettable introduction to the star David Bowie.
Born in 1947, David R. Jones was already on his pathway to stardom. Throughout Bowie’s childhood, he was always musically inclined. Humming tunes as a baby, to singing in church choirs, to forming bands. When Bowie was in his teens, he was in a band called the King Bees, however remorsefully unknown, and he released his debut single, Liza Jane.
However, the King Bees weren’t so successful and Bowie didn’t fit right with them, eventually leaving the band. This was only the beginning of his story. Bowie would eventually lead to lose the name Davie Jones, not wanting to be confused with Davy Jones, an even older singer-songwriter, and would come to the stage name David Bowie, paying homage to James Jim Bowie and the Bowie knife.
David Bowie was more than a singer. He was a star. Singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, film producer, artist, manufacturer, proficient in many instruments, and so much more. David Bowie was never just alive, he lived his life with great purpose. There’s a website, supbowie.com, that details every year that Bowie was alive and what he was doing that year. What was Bowie doing at your age?
Bowie’s ultimate success was in his music, his art. David Bowie (1969), The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars are a few of his most popular albums. Tracks like ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ would go on to be largely influential in the music industry. Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the band Nirvana, covered it on their MTV Unplugged in New York live album. But they weren’t the only ones. Artists and bands like the Talking Heads, Blondie, Micheal Jackson, Madonna, the Killers, and Lady Gaga have spoken on David Bowie in the trajectory of their careers.
David Bowie published his twenty-sixth studio album on January 8th, 2016, the same day as his birthday. Two days later, David Bowie passed away from cancer. The album, Blackstar, makes for some insane outro music. On January 10th, 2016, David R. Jones died, but David Bowie will live on forever; eternally capsulated in legacy.
