David Bowie Biography

Bowie attempted a novelty number "The Laughing Gnome", but the charts remained quiet to his every move. Bowie persisted with mime classes, which paid off in the long term. For a time, the star performed in cabarets and retained vocal inflexions.

As the 60's drew to a close, Bowie seemed one of the least likely pop idols of the new decade. He was known only because of numerous advertisements in the British music press and was regarded as an artist who had released many records for many labels without success. The possibility of reinventing himself as a 70's pop star seemed remote at the least, but in the autumn of 1969 he finally broke through with "Space Oddity". Major Tom was a very much a Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately Bowie seemed unable to follow up the single with anything, until "The Prettiest Star" was released in the early 70's it was just a big flop, he was then critiscised as a one-hit wonder.

The remarkable series of changes in Bowie's life, both personal and professional, occurred in the 1970's. His brother Terry was committed into a mental institution and then his father Heywood Stenton Jones died soon after.

David married Angela Barnett (an art student) and finally departed his ways with the services of his loyal manager Kenneth Pitt, who was later replaced by the more strident Tony De Fries. Amid this period of flux, Bowie completed his first major work; an extraordinary album titled "The Man Who Sold the World", written by and sung by Lulu - Bowie backs on vocals and plays the sax. With musical assistance from guitarist Mick Ronson, Drummer Mick (Woody) Woodmansey and producer Tony Visconti on bass, Bowie employed and arrestingly heavy sound.

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