David Bowie was an English singer-songwriter and a leading figure in the music industry and is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
He was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, with his music and stagecraft having a significant impact on popular music.
During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 100+ million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum albums, eleven gold and eight silver, and released eleven number-one albums.
In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold records.
'Space Oddity" became his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart after its release in July 1969.
After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of his single 'Starman' and album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars', which won him widespread popularity.
My personal favourite from the Album was 'Is there Life on Mars?'
With the 'death' of Ziggy Stardust, Bowie re-generated for the album 'Aladdin Sane' as a character with the same name. Best track from this outing was 'The Jean Genie'
The third of his Glam Rock period albums was 'Pin-Ups' which was probably the weakest of the three gave us 'Sorrow'
The 1974 album, 'Diamond Dogs' gave us a track of the same name and the classic 'Rebel Rebel' teenage anthem.
Somewhere in here is also found 'Suffragette City' another of my personal favourites.
In 1975, Bowie's style shifted radically towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK devotees but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single 'Fame' and the album 'Young Americans'.
The 1976 follow-up album, 'Station to Station', gave us 'Golden Years'
In 1977, he further confounded musical expectations with the electronic-inflected album 'Low', the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". 'Heroes' (1977) and 'Lodger' (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise.'Sound and Vision' from album 'Low'
'Heroes' from the album of the same name.
After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its parent album 'Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)', and 'Under Pressure', a 1981 collaboration with Queen.
He reached his commercial peak in 1983 with 'Let's Dance'; the album's title track topped both UK and US charts.
With the title hit...
And 'China Girl'
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle.
He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with 'The Next Day'. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, 'Blackstar' (2016).
Another one worth mentioning - just for completeness is 'Friday on my Mind', Bowie's cover of The Easybeat's track of the same title.