David Bowie

The microwave oven is invented

8 January 1947

David Bowie is born David Robert Jones at Brixton, London. His father is from Yorkshire and his mother is originally Irish.

Playboy magazine hits newsstands

1953

When Bowie is six, the family move to Bromley in Kent. He is educated at Bromley Technical High School.

Alaska and Hawaii Admitted to the Union

1959 - 1962

Bowie's interest in music is sparked at the age of nine when his father introduces him to records by Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. His mother gives him a plastic saxophone for Christmas in 1959. Bowie learns how to play a real saxophone and forms a band in 1962, the Kon-rads. He then plays with various blues groups and releases his first record the single "Liza Jane", with the King Bees in 1964.

first American to orbit Earth

1962

When David is fifteen his friend George Underwood punches him in the eye whilst wearing a ring. He is taken out of school for eight months in order to have operations. As a result of the damage Bowie has faulty depth perception and colour vision. The pupil of this left eye is dilated and the colour of the eye is often mistaken to be different. He remains good friends with Underwood, who later creates artwork for Bowie's earlier albums.

The Beatles In America

1964

Influenced by the dramatic arts, David studies with the teacher Lindsay Kemp — from avant-garde theatre and mime to Commedia dell'arte. The aspiring rock star needs to use a different stage name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees, so he chooses his last name after the Alamo hero Jim Bowie and his famous Bowie knife.

Che Guevera Killed in Bolivia

1967

Bowie releases his first album "David Bowie" in 1967 with the record label Deram. It is a mixture of pop, psychedelia and music hall. Around the same time he issues a novelty single using speeded-up Chipmunk-style vocals, "The Laughing Gnome", with the B-side "The Gospel According to Tony Day". These do not manage to chart, and he will not release another record for two years.

first walk on the Moon

1969

Bowie's first real fame comes in 1969 with his single "Space Oddity", written the previous year but recorded and released to coincide with the first moon landing. This ballad tells the story of Major Tom, an astronaut who becomes lost in space. It becomes a Top 5 UK hit record. Its corresponding album, his second, is originally also titled "David Bowie", which causes some confusion in the UK (in the US the second album is called "Man of Words, Man of Music"). It is re-released in 1972 as "Space Oddity".

Salvador Allende becomes President of Chile

1970

Later in 1970, Bowie releases his third album, "The Man Who Sold the World", replacing the acoustic guitar sound of the previous album with the heavy rock backing provided by Mick Ronson, who would be a major collaborator through to 1973. The title track provides a hit for UK pop singer Lulu and will be performed by many groups over the years, including Nirvana. The cover of the first release of this album, on which Bowie is seen posing in a dress, is an early sign of his interest in exploiting his androgynous appearance.
He marries his first wife Angela on 19 March 1970 at Bromley Registry Office in Beckenham Lane, Kent, England. She permanently takes his adopted last name.

Bangladesh is created

1971

His next record is "Hunky Dory". The young songwriter pays direct homage to his influences e.g. "Song for Bob Dylan", "Andy Warhol", and "Queen Bitch". As with the single "Changes", Hunky Dory is not a big hit but it lays the groundwork for his future stardom.
His son is born on 30 May 1971 and named Zowie (Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones).

Britain Takes Control of Northern Ireland

1972

Bowie's androgynous image is taken a step further in 1972 with the Ziggy Stardust character becoming the basis for Bowie's first large-scale tour, where he performs with his famous flaming red hair and wild outfits. The tour features a three-piece band representing the 'Spiders from Mars': Mick Ronson on guitar, Trevor Bolder on bass, and Mick Woodmansey on drums.

Around the same time Bowie begins promoting and producing other 'stars'. Former Velvet Underground singer Lou Reed's solo breakthrough "Transformer" is produced by Bowie and Ronson. Iggy Pop and his band The Stooges sign with Bowie's management, MainMan Productions.

1972

In June 1972, the concept album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars", presents the story of a world destined to end in five years and the ultimate rock star, 'Ziggy Stardust'. The album's sound combines hard rock elements of "The Man Who Sold the World" with the lighter pop of "Hunky Dory" and the fast-paced 'glam rock' first discovered by Marc Bolan's band "T.Rex". Many of the album's songs become rock classics, including "Ziggy Stardust".
Bowie 'outs' himself as bisexual in an interview with Melody Maker in January 1972. This coincides with the first shots in his campaign for stardom as Ziggy Stardust.

Chile's president Allende is overthrown

April 1973

The Spiders From Mars release "Aladdin Sane", in April 1973, his first no 1 album in the UK. All the new songs are written on ship, bus or trains during the first leg of his US Ziggy Stardust tour. The album's cover, featuring Bowie shirtless with Ziggy hair and a red, black, and blue lightning bolt across his face, is considered shocking.

3 July 1973

Bowie tours and gives press conferences as Ziggy before a dramatic and surprising on-stage "withdrawal" at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973.
Bowie breaks up the Spiders from Mars and moves on from his Ziggy persona. Many of his previous songs and albums are re-released at this time and do well in the charts. "Pin Ups", a collection of covers of 1960s favourites, is released in October 1973, and peaks at no 1 in the UK.

President Nixon Resigns

1974

Another ambitious album, "Diamond Dogs" is released. It is the product of two ideas: a musical based on a futuristic post-apocalyptic city, and setting George Orwell's 1984 to music.

The album demonstrates Bowie headed towards soul/disco music, the track "1984" being a prime example. The album includes the hits "Rebel Rebel" (UK no 5) and "Diamond Dogs" (UK no 21), and itself goes to no 1 in the UK, making him the best-selling act of that country for the second year in a row. In the US, Bowie achieves his first major commercial hit when the album goes to no 5.

June 1974 - December 1974

To follow on from the release of the album, Bowie launches a massive Diamond Dogs tour of North America, lasting from June to December 1974. Choreographed by Toni Basil, and produced with lavish theatrical special effects, it is a high-budget stage production. It is filmed by Alan Yentob for the documentary Cracked Actor which confirm the rumours of his cocaine abuse.

Civil War In Lebanon

1975

Bowie cancels tour dates and returns to the road in October as the "Philly Dogs" tour. "Young Americans" is the album which makes Bowie's stardom concrete in the US. Though only peaking at no 9, as opposed to "Diamond Dogs", which reached no 5, the album stays in the charts for almost twice as long. At the same time the album goes to no 2 in the UK, and a re-issue of his old single "Space Oddity" becomes his first no 1 hit in the UK. Only a few months before, "Fame" had done the same in the US. "Fame" is co-written with John Lennon (who also contributes backing vocals) and a new band member, guitarist Carlos Alomar. A young Luther Vandross, is also a backing vocalist and co-writes some of the material. This work is Bowie's exploration of Philly soul — though he calls the sound "plastic soul".

1.5 million year old Homo erectus skull discoved

1976

Nonetheless, there is another World Tour, which features an extravagantly lit set and highlights new songs such as the dramatic ballad "Wild is the Wind". The core band for this album and tour consists of rhythm guitarist Alomar, bassist George Murray, and drummer Dennis Davis. They will remain together until the 1980s. Guest players include lead guitarist Earl Slick and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan.

1976

The album "Station to Station" features a darker version of his persona, called "The Thin White Duke". Visually the figure is an extension of Thomas Jerome Newton, the character Bowie plays in the film "The Man Who Fell to Earth". "Station to Station" is a transitional album. By this time Bowie is heavily addicted to drugs, especially cocaine, and many critics have attributed the disturbed chopped rhythms and emotional detachment of the record to the mental state resulting from the drug.

US gives up Panama Canal

1977

The next record is "Heroes". The title track beomes one of Bowie's best known. It is the story about two lovers who meet at the Berlin Wall.
Also in 1977, Bowie appears on the Granada music show "Marc", hosted by his friend Marc Bolan of T. Rex, who he knew and played with since before either became famous. Bowie turns out to be the show's final guest, as Bolan is killed in a car crash shortly afterwards.

At Christmas time, Bowie joins Bing Crosby, of whom he is an ardent admirer, in order to record a version of "Little Drummer Boy", with new lyrics added. One month after the record is completed, Crosby dies. Five years later, the song proves to be a worldwide festive hit, reaching no 3 in the U.K charts on Christmas Day 1982.

First test-tube baby is born, in London

1978

Bowie launches an extensive world tour in 1978 which features the music of both "Low" and "Heroes". A live album of this tour is released, known as "Stage". Songs from both albums are later used for symphonies by the minimalist composer Phillip Glass. Also during 1978 Bowie narrates Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which will be regarded as one of the best recordings of the work.

Shah of Iran Ousted

1979

The album "Lodger" (1979) is the final album in Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" or 'triptych' as Tony Visconti says Bowie called it. It features the singles "Boys Keep Swinging", "DJ" and "Look Back in Anger" and, unlike the two previous ones, it does not contain any instrumentals.

8-year Iran-Iraq War begins

1980

The album "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)" includes the no 1 hit "Ashes to Ashes" and features the work of guitar-synthesist Chuck Hammer. It revisits the character of Major Tom from "Space Oddity".
The imagery Bowie uses in the song's music video is inspired by the underground New Romantic movement. The video is regarded as particularly innovative and includes guitar parts by "King Crimson's" Robert Fripp and "The Who"'s Pete Townshend. Ast the same time as "Ashes to Ashes" hits no 1 spot in the UK charts, Bowie stars in the title role in the Broadway production of "The Elephant Man" (1980 - 1981).
Bowie and Angie separate after eight years of marriage and divorce on 8 February 1980, in Switzerland.

First woman on US Supreme Court

1981

The Queen song "Under Pressure", is co-written by and performed with Bowie. The song is a hit and becomes Bowie's 3rd and Queen's 2nd no 1 single.

Death of Tennessee Williams

1983

Bowie achieves his first truly commercial blockbuster with "Let's Dance" in 1983, a dance album co-produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers. The title track goes to no 1 in the US and in the UK.

Indira Ghandi Murdered

1984

The follow-up album "Tonight" is also dance-related, featuring collaborations with Tina Turner and a cover of The Beach Boys' song "God Only Knows". HOwever, critics label it a lazy effort, with Bowie simply wanting to recapture previous success. Despite this, the album bears the transatlantic Top Ten hit "Blue Jean" whose video, directed by Julien Temple, wins Bowie a Grammy, for Best Short-Form Music Video.

Rainbow Warrior Sunk

1985

Bowie performs several of his greatest hits at Wembley for Live Aid.

Nuclear Disaster At Chernobyl

1986

Bowie creates the theme song to the film "Absolute Beginners". The movie is not well reviewed but Bowie maintains that the song, a UK no 2 hit, is one of the best he's ever written.
He takes a role in the 1986 Jim Henson film "Labyrinth" as Jareth, the Goblin King. Bowie also composes songs for the film, some of which became singles.

Intifada Begins

1987

Bowie's final dance album "Never Let Me Down", is a mixture of harder rock with a dance edge. The album, which 'only' scrapes to no 6 on the UK charts, along with the Glass Spider Tour marketing the album, attract some of the harshest criticism of Bowie's career. He publicly apologises for the album's quality during an interview.

In August of 1988, Bowie stars as Pontius Pilate in the Martin Scorsese film "The Last Temptation of Christ".

Berlin Wall Comes Down

1989

For the first time since the early 1970s, Bowie forms a regular band, "Tin Machine", a hard-rock quartet, consisting of Reeves Gabrels, Tony Sales, and Hunt Sales.
Their first album, "Tin Machine" (1989), is a success but after the less successful second album "Tin Machine II" and the complete failure of live album "Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby", Bowie disbands the band to work on his own.

1992 - 1997

Bowie marries his second wife, the Somali-born supermodel Iman Abdulmajid, in 1992. Bowie has a stepdaughter, Zulekha, by Iman's first marriage and the couple will have a daughter, Alexandria Zahra Jones (known as Lexi).
The soul, jazz and hip-hop influenced "Black Tie White Noise", is released in 1993 and reunites Bowie with "Let's Dance" producer Nile Rodgers. It reaches number one in the UK charts.
Release of the album "Outside" (1995), puts Bowie back into the mainstream scene of rock music with the singles "Hallo Spaceboy" and "The Hearts Filthy Lesson".
Receiving some of the strongest critical response since "Let's Dance" is "Earthling", released in 1997, which incorporates British jungle and drum and bass and includes a single released over the Internet, called "Telling Lies".

2001 - 2002

In 2001, Bowie appears as himself in the film Zoolander. The 2002 album "Heathen", is Bowie's largest chart success in recent years.

2006

Bowie stars in The Prestige (2006), directed by Christopher Nolan.
David Bowie is awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award on 8th February 2006.

Major Tom Lyrics

Young Americans Lyrics

Starman Lyrics

La biographie de David Bowie (partie 1)

La Biographie de David Bowie (partie 2)