David Bowie would turn 75: the genius behind music

The man who sold the World

Born on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, England, grew up in a humble family, listening to artists like The Platters, Fats Domino, Elvis presley Y Little Richard. Bowie would say of the latter “The first time I listened to Tutti Frutti I felt that I had heard God”.

At 16 years old, a blow received in a school fight left the pupil of his left eye permanently dilated, giving him a strange look that would become a hallmark for the rest of his life.. It is at this stage that he began his musical career, integrating bands such as The King Bees, The Manish Boys Y Lower Third, marked by a rock and blues sound that failed to satisfy David’s artistic concerns.

In the mid-1960s it changed its name to David Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones, group member The Monkees. He began his solo stage at the end of the decade, where two albums stood out that would put him on the musical map of the time: “Space Oddity” (1969) and “The Man Who Sold the World” (1970). The homonymous songs on each album are the ones that would gain the greatest notoriety and would become classics in his repertoire.

Ziggy Stardust, the White Duke and the Berlin Trilogy

“The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” (1972) is his first concept album: it tells the story of Ziggy Stardust, a bisexual alien with an androgynous image who becomes a rock star. An album that became essential within the glam rock scene, being his first single “Starman” the most popular song and one that would enter Bowie’s greatest hits.

According to his biographer David Buckley, “Bowie challenged the core of what was supposed to be rock music of the time” and “created possibly the largest cult in popular culture.”. It was his new alter ego “Ziggy Stardust” the one that catapulted him to stardom within the United Kingdom. “It didn’t leave me alone for years, when everything started to go sour … My whole person was affected. It became dangerous. I really had doubts about my sanity. ” Bowie came to testify years later about Stardust.

Already in 1974 he moved to the U.S, where recorded the disc “Diamond Dogs” which maintains the glam sound, but to a lesser extent than its predecessors, giving more room to soul and funk. “Rebel Rebel” Y “Diamond Dogs” would be the singles and the most prominent songs on the album. “Young Americans” (1975) is one of the most successful albums of Bowie’s career, being the song of the same name to the album and “Fame” those with the greatest impact. It would also have the collaboration of John Lennon. His next album “Station to Station” It is where another of its emblematic characters would see life, The Thin White Duke. It was a time marked by a serious addiction to cocaine and other drugs, and accompanied by pro-fascist statements, which Bowie himself would later recognize as “consequences of his addictions and his character.”

By 1977 and after going through a period of personal instability, it was established in Berlin where would he collaborate with the musician Brian Eno. There they would shape what would become known as the “Berlin Trilogy”: the discs “Low”, “Heroes” Y “Lodger”. Of great artistic relevance, this string of records was not characterized by its commercial impact. Songs like “Sound and Vision”, “Heroes” Y “Fantastic Voyage” are some of those that stand out from this stage.

David Bowie

Barnbrook

From world recognition to eternity

The 1980s found Bowie reinventing himself once again and adapting to a new sound. In 1983 saw the light “Let´s Dance”, co-produced by Nile Rodgers and accompanied by a young man Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitars. The album contains three of his most successful singles: the title track, “Let’s Dance” (No. 1 in UK, US and various other countries), “Modern Love” Y “China Girl”. This album was undoubtedly the most commercially successful and the one that elevated him to the status of a world star. From then on, he would alternate with albums that were well received by critics, as well as other less celebrated ones, but always maintaining the search to expand his musical horizons.

In 1986 he performed and composed the soundtrack for “Labyrinth” fantastic genre film directed by Jim Henson which would become a cult film. His acting facet continued with appearances in films such as: “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988) from Martin Scorsese, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me” (1991) from David Lynch, “Zoolander” (2000) of Ben Stiller (remembered scene where he interprets himself), and “The Prestige” (2006) from Christopher Nolan where he put himself in the skin of Nikola Tesla.

A stroke in July 2004 forced him to take a long break that kept him away from the stage. His public appearances were sporadic, highlighting presentations with other artists such as The Arcade Fire, Alicia Keys The David Gilmour.

Finally, on January 10, 2016, two days after turning 69 and having released what would be his last album in life “Blackstar”, David Bowie died of liver cancer. They were eighteen months of battling in silence before a cursed disease that extinguished the life of a musical genius. Today David Robert Jones would be turning 75 and his legend continues and will continue to grow, that of a certain David Bowie, who was born, lived and died destined to be a star.