David Bowie was a popular figure in rock music for over four decades with an estimated 100 million albums sold worldwide. His first hit was “Space Oddity”, which was a top 5 hit in the U.K. in 1969. The classic album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars came in 1972 and introduced the world to Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust. He hit No. 1 in the U.S. 1975 with his first major American crossover hit “Fame” from the album Young Americans. Success would continue throughout the 70’s and into the 80’s, achieving his most commercial success with the 1983 album Let’s Dance. He experimented with different musical styles throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s, and released his last album Blackstar on his birthday in 2016. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
David Bowie died just days after his birthday last year on Jan. 10 after a battle with liver cancer. He was 69. I once had the opportunity to see a David Bowie in concert at a rare club show. It was a warm up show for his 2003 A Reality Tour at The Chance in Poughkeepsie. It was so cool seeing the rock legend in such an intimate venue and what a show I'll never forget. Crank up some David Bowie tunes today in his memory!
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