Was David Bowie In A Band?

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David Bowie was in eight bands in total. He formed many bands and was part of other bands too.

The bands he was engaged in during his lifetime including other backing bands too are as follows :

David Bowie First Band, The Konrads, was formed by Bowie at age 15. In the band, his name was David or Davy Jones.

This band includes David on lead vocals and tenor saxophone, Neville Wills as lead guitarist, George Underwood on lead vocals, and Dave Crook on drums. They played rock and roll at local events including weddings.

George Underwood was his childhood friend. The group had different line-ups ranging between four to eight members. It was David's first experience playing along with other musicians.

It inspired him to make the big band. The desire to make the first band a big band led to leaving the Konrads.

He also believed that there was a lack of musical abilities which led to frustration. He left the band because of disagreements while recording.

After leaving the first band, David Bowie Cover Band was the next in number. David engaged himself in lots of cover bands with different musicians.

David joined a new band known as The King Bees. He released his first single Liza Jane under David Jones and The King Bees. It could not be a commercial success.

He did Howlin' Wolf covers then quit the ensemble to join The Manish Boys. The Boys then released a cover I Pity The Fool by Bobby Bland which was again a disappointment.

After change in two band, he again moved to another band named The Lower Third. He stayed with this band for a longer time than before.

He got tired of his name Davy Jones. Later, he changed his name from David Jones to David Bowie.

Members from The Spiders From Mars Band consisted of David Bowie, Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder, and Mick "Woody" Woodmansey. They were primary lineups.

The group started from 1970 to 1973 and again reunion in 1975 till 1976. This group's label was Castle Music Limited.

Their touring musicians include Nicky Graham, Robin Lumley, Matthew Fisher, John Hutchinson, Ken Fordham, Brian Wilshaw, Aynsley Dunbar, and Warren Peace. They have their own timeline in this group.

Below are three other primary band members except David. They are:

1. Mick Ronson

Michael Ronson well known as Mick was a musician, songwriter, and producer. He also known as Ronno and died at the age of 46.

He is the blend of rock and glam rock genre elements. His specific instruments are guitar and piano.

He had the following albums with David Bowie:

• The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
• Hunky Dory (1971)
• The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
• Aladdin Sane (1973)
• Pin Ups (1973)
• Black Tie White Noise (1993) - lead guitar on "I Feel Free"
• Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983)
• Bowie at the Beeb (2000)
• Live Santa Monica '72 (2008)

He got critical and commercial success while working with David as a guitarist in this group.

2. Trevor Bolder

Trevor was a musician, songwriter, and record producer. His main elements were Hard Rock, Glam Rock, Heavy Metal, R&B, and Progressive Rock.

He was born in Kingston Upon Hill, England, and died at age 62 in Cottingham, England. His main instruments were bass and trumpet.

His musical journey began when he played cornet during his school days. He started his journey as a spider in this group in 1971. However, his active years in the music industry started in 1963 to 2013.

His debut band was The Rats (1963) then the David Bowie Band and then The Spiders from Mars. There are other groups too.

3. Mick Woodmansey

Michael "Woody" Woodmansey is a drummer born in Driffield, England. He was a core backing band member and the last surviving member of the Spiders.

Mick played for albums Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). He also joined in Ziggy Stardust Tour.

He was dismissed by Bowie because of compensation disputes. He was a major part of the lineup of Bowie.

David Bowie Live Aid Band in 1985 where he performed and dedicated to his young son. His best live show was Ziggy Stardust.

The Ziggy Stardust was Bowie's extraterrestrial rockstar innovation. It was one of the most spectacular live stage shows to date.

His other live shows are recorded at Philadelphia's Tower Theatre.

David Bowie Tin Machine was formed in 1988 and dissolved in 1992. This band recorded two studio albums and one live album.

Bowie started his solo career after disbanding this group. The group consisted of Bowie as lead vocalist, saxophonist, and guitarist.

Other members were Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals, Tony Fox Sales on bass and vocals, and Hunt Sales on drums and vocals. The band was formed with the intention of making the kind of music they enjoy listening to.

Tin Machine helped him to rejuvenate himself in an artistic way. They released 2 studio albums, 2 live albums, and 7 singles. The following are the group members:

1. Reeves Gabrels

Reeves is a musician and songwriter born in Staten Island, New York. He is part of the Tin Machine and is popular for his versatility.

He is well known as one of the most daring rock-guitar improvisers. He met David in 1987 and performed together in the rearrangement of the song Look Back In Anger.

He joined the team from 1989 to 1992. He was noted on albums - Outside in 1995, Earthling in 1997, and Hours in 1999. The last two were co-produced by him.

The albums with Tim Machine are Tin Machine, Tin Machine II, and Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby. In addition, studio albums with David include Black Tie White Noise, Earthling in the City, LiveandWell.com, and VH1 Storytellers.

2. Tony Fox Sales

Tony is a rock and hard rock musician and composer. He was born in 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio.

His instrument includes bass guitar and he is also a vocalist. Tony's first musical group was Tony and the Tigers where he played drums. He joined Tin in 1988.

The band broke up after recording three albums and two tours. Tin appeared on Saturday Night Live too.

3. Hunt Sales

Hunt is an American drummer born on March 2, 1954. His father was television comedian Soupy Sales.

He played with Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, and Tin Machine with David Bowie. He joined Tin in the late 1980s.

He performed on movie soundtracks, movies, and TV series too. Some of his performances are as follows:

• 1992 Dr. Giggles
• 1989 Slaves of New York
• 1988 Tapeheads
• 1987 American Ninja 2: The Confrontation

David Bowie Backing Band for his last album consisted of:

1. David Bowie on vocals, acoustic guitar, fender guitar, harmonica, string arrangement
2. Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone and flute
3. Mark Guiliana on drums and percussion
4. Jason Lindner on piano, Wurlitzer organ and keyboards
5. Tim Lefebvre on bass
6. Ben Monder on guitar
7. Tony Visconti on strings
8. James Murphy on percussion

Blackstar is the final studio album by him. Its length is 41 minutes and 14 seconds. This Blackstar track list has 7 tracks with one bonus content of 10 minutes.

It was released on 8 January 2016 by The Magic Shop and Human Worldwide (New York City). Two days after its release, David died because of liver cancer.