From Davie Jones to Stardust: How David Bowie Launched His Career
David Bowie was an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, and audio engineer.
His extravagant career began under the name Davie Jones with the King Bees, releasing the single Liza Jane. Sales were modest, and to avoid confusion with The Monkees‘ lead singer Davy Jones, he soon adopted the name Bowie instead.
His self-titled debut album arrived in 1967 and featured the single Love You Till Tuesday. Although it received positive reviews, it failed to chart.
Two years later, Bowie’s second album brought his first major hit, Space Oddity—a stroke of genius, as Neil Armstrong had just become the first man on the moon and the world was caught up in space mania.
In 1970, Bowie released The Man Who Sold The World. Although no singles were initially released, the title track would go on to become one of his best-known songs, thanks in part to Nirvana’s 1995 MTV Unplugged cover.
The following year, Hunky Dory marked a shift, with most of the songs composed on piano rather than guitar. It featured three standout tracks: Changes, Oh! You Pretty Things, and the epic Life On Mars?
Then came the landmark 1972 release The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Inspired by the life of Jimi Hendrix, it included the legendary Starman and Ziggy Stardust—a career-defining album that propelled Bowie to global superstardom.
Following this enormous success, Bowie released Aladdin Sane in 1973. While the album title may be less well-known, it included two more hits: The Jean Genie and a cover of Let’s Spend the Night Together. That same year, he also released Pin Ups, a covers album that contained no major hits.
In 1974, Bowie continued to release music at a rapid pace. Diamond Dogs included the unforgettable Rebel Rebel, and he also dropped a live album featuring a cover of Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd.
Another year, another David Bowie album—this time Young Americans, featuring another hit as its lead single. The album also included a Beatles cover, Across the Universe.
Another Bowie persona, another era of hits!
In 1976 and ’77, Bowie introduced a new persona: The Thin White Duke. This character, particularly referenced in the title track Station to Station, marked a darker period, with Bowie struggling with cocaine addiction and drawing inspiration from German bands like Kraftwerk. The following album, Low, contained no major hits.
In 1978, he returned with a new release and another hit, Heroes, as its lead single. The following year saw the release of Lodger, which produced no notable singles. In 1980, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) included the standout track Ashes to Ashes.
Bowie’s commercial peak arguably came in 1983 when he teamed up with Nile Rodgers for Let’s Dance. The title track became one of his biggest hits, helped by a cameo from Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was also enjoying his breakthrough that year. The album also included China Girl.
Although Bowie went on to release 11 more studio albums between Let’s Dance and his death in 2016, none featured major new hits.
However, he still found success outside his main albums. In 1985, he joined Mick Jagger for a hit cover of the Motown classic Dancing in the Street. The following year, Absolute Beginners, featured on the soundtrack of the film of the same name, also charted well.
In 1997, Bowie contributed to the Perfect Day charity single for Children in Need—a cover of Lou Reed’s 1972 song.
From his 1967 debut through to his final album Blackstar, released just before his death in 2016, David Bowie sold 140 million albums, securing his legacy as one of the greatest British artists of all time.
David Bowie Tunes | Related Pages
Dancing In The Street | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Dancing In The Street by Martha and the Vandellas using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E7 | E7 (D/E) | E7 | E7 (D/E) |
Callin’ out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Dancing In The Street – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Knock On Wood | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, the original recording, and cover versions.
| A6 | A6 | A6 | A6 |
I don’t want to lose, this good thing, that I got…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Let’s Dance | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Let’s Dance by David Bowie using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bb7sus4 | N.C | Bbm6 | N.C |
Let’s dance. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Let’s Dance (David Bowie) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Starman | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Starman by David Bowie using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| Gm | Gm |
Didn’t know what time it was and the lights were low…
Start learning with the full lesson series: Starman – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
David Bowie on the web
