The world was devastated two weeks ago, January 10th, by the death of the legendary musician David Bowie. At the age of 69, Bowie lost his battle to cancer, an illness which had been diagnosed eighteen months prior but had not been made public. Bowie’s death followed just two days after the release of his new album Blackstar; this last release marks an end to the massive accumulation of music, plays, movies, and paintings that were created by the superstar.
Born in the London, England on January 8th, 1947, Bowie began his musical career at an early age drawing inspiration from early rock and roll stars among the likes of Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. These idols were Bowie’s first exposure to the energetic stage presence he would later come to embody himself. It was also in his earlier years that Bowie suffered a severe injury to his left eye as a result of a fight. This injury left Bowie with his iconic dilated pupil.
As Bowie grew and changed, so did his music. Beginning his professional career performing small gigs in pubs around London, Bowie jumped from band to band playing a mix of folk and blues revivalism. During this phase in his life Bowie released a number of commercially unsuccessful singles, including his debut “Liza Jane,” followed by “I pity the fool”.
It was at this time that Bowie officially adopted his stage name and began to transition from folk and blues to rock ‘n’ roll. He also started to appear in an increasing number of low-budget short films, often co-starring his then girlfriend Lindsay Kemp. Bowie’s big commercial breakthrough came in 1969 with the release of “Space Oddity.” The release came 5-days before the Apollo 11 launch and shot up to top 5 in the UK charts.
It was from this point on that Bowie began to experiment more and developed his unique, iconic style. Striving for more commercial success, Bowie explored the extremes of artistic creativity. Adorned with colourful lightning bolts, dyeing his hair reddish-brown, and wearing women’s clothing, “Ziggy Stardust” would tour the US and UK attracting attention wherever he went. Bowie’s commitment to this character heavily impacted his mental health, bringing with it a cocaine addiction.
From Ziggy Stardust, Bowie morphed and changed into the “Thin White Duke,” paralleling his deteriorating state. Fortunately, with time and a hiatus from the entertainment business, Bowie was able to kick his addiction and started making music again.
Bowie’s life was an exciting evolution of genius, inspiring many other artists, both big and small. David Bowie will be missed.
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