This musical glam rock oddity has been a trend-setting force in music for five decades, although his career has zigged in different directions. He has co-written songs with John Lennon; collaborated on several albums with Brian Eno; joined with Queen for a hit single; shared an apartment with Iggy Pop; starred in Elephant Man on Broadway; and recorded a duet with Bing Crosby a month before the crooner passed away. With his original stage name he was often confused with one of the Monkees, but remembered to Alamo for inspiration. He's sold over 100 million records, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, but only has one Grammy.
David Robert Jones performed under the name “Davy Jones” but changed it to avoid confusion with the Monkee of the same name. He chose the name Bowie after the knife wielding hero of the Alamo. All told he has sold an estimated 136 million albums and growing. In 1996 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His “Jazzin' for Blue Jean” video would win him his only Grammy (for Best Short Form Music Video).
Among his many collaborations wwas the number-one single “Fame”, co-written with John Lennon. He shared an apartment in Berlin with Iggy Pop, with whom he produced two albums. Under Pressure was recorded with Queen.
He had a number of stage and film roles, from the lead in the Broadway Elephant Man to a fashion judge in Zoolander and Pontius Pilate in the Last Temptation of Christ.
His unlikely duet with Bing Crosby, Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy, became a major success. It was recorded just a month before Crosby died in 1977.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.