Biography of David Bowie
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Although he succeeded as a singer, musician, songwriter, and film and stage actor, David Bowie's chief artistic accomplishment may have been his astute manipulation of his own image as a star. When he achieved international fame in the early '70s, Bowie brought a new, highly conscious approach to stardom that involved the frequent creation of new personae. No wonder that when he made his film acting debut in 1976, he seemed so good at it: acting was what a large part of his career was about. Born in Brixton, South London, as David Jones, the singer was already playing in bands by his late teens. He changed his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees. His early-'60s work was rock and blues oriented, then he turned to an Anthony Newley-style expressive show-music approach. But his breakthrough British hit "Space Oddity" (1969) was a folkie ballad about an astronaut who doesn't come home. By the time of Hunky Dory (1971), Bowie had turned again more toward rock, using the first of many strong collaborators, guitarist Mick Ronson.It was Bowie's concept album The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) that made him a giant star in England, where he adopted the image of his fantasy rocker, with bright red hair and futuristic stage suits. In America, "Space Oddity" became a belated hit in 1973, the year Bowie "retired" from stage work only to return in 1974 with an even more elaborate stage show. More an established star than a real record-seller in the U.S., Bowie finally hit #1 with "Fame" (cowritten by John Lennon and Carlos Alomar) in 1975. The late '70s found him collaborating with electronics whiz Brian Eno. He made a major commercial comeback in 1983 with Let's Dance, produced by ex-Chic co-leader Nile Rodgers. Bowie's work in the '80s was inconsistent, but as late as 1990 he was still able to tour the U.S., playing football stadiums. This was supposedly his farewell tour (again) before he turned full attention to a group project, Tin Machine. After releasing two unsuccessful albums with Tin Machine, Bowie returned to his solo career in 1993, with his first solo album since 1987, Black Tie White Noise; although it received favorable reviews, it fell off the charts quickly. In the fall of 1995, Bowie released Outside, his first collaboration with Brian Eno since Lodger. Outside received positive reviews, but it became another commercial disappointment for the singer. ~ William Ruhlmann
![Station to Station [Bonus Tracks]](http://mcsfile-us.s3.amazonaws.com/00000000000007073225/018)
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