Before Ziggy played guitar and before the Thin White Duke lit cigarettes in the Berlin shadows, David Bowie was just David Jones, a restless teenager with a saxophone and a suitcase full of personas waiting to be born.
We trace back to Bowie’s early evolution, from schoolboy charm to alien glam god, capturing the metamorphosis of a man who refused to stay still and always kept us surprised and amazed. With every image, we take a glimpse into his process; the ambition, the bold fashion, the changing masks, and the quiet moments in between.
These 20 photos tell the story of how a curious London kid became one of music’s most fearless icons.
1
A young David Jones in all his schoolboy glory.
2
Before he was Bowie, he was a saxophonist for The Kon-rads.
3
Started experimenting with theatrical pop and trying to find his own voice.
4
The BBC turned down some of his early work but he was persistent.
5
He'd release his self-titled debut in 1967 and by 1969 Space Oddity would break through.
6
Back when Bowie lived at Haddon Hall in Beckenham, the seeds of his work where taking root.
7
He was influenced by Warhol, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.
8
In 1972 Ziggy Stardust (Bowie's alter ego) emerges, changing pop forever.
9
Peak Ziggy, theatrical, gender-bending and musically daring.
10
Mick Ronson was his right-hand man during this era, bringing the glam to every show.
11
With David Johansen in 1973, both rewriting the rules.
12
His wardrobe took inspiration from japanese theater and futuristic fantasy.
13
The man who sold the world.
14
With Lou Reed and Mick Jagger, changing music as we knew it.
15
Off-duty in 1974 with his son Zowie (now Duncan Jones.)
16
The alien messiah blurring identity and persona.
17
In Paris in 1977 shifting into art rock and more ambient experimentation.
18
During the Heroes period in the Japan subway, moving through the world like a chameleon in motion.
19
The refined post-Ziggy Bowie, retreating from the chaos and looking for reinvention.
20
David Bowie, a global symbol of transformation.
