Bowie plays guitar on eve of 60th birthday

Features

Thursday, January 04, 2007

By Maureen Coleman

Grammy-winning musician, actor and producer David Bowie is to celebrate his 60th birthday next week.

The London-born superstar, who launched his musical career exactly 40 years ago, is planning to mark his milestone birthday with a massive outdoor gig in New York later this year.

It will be the first time in nearly three years that Bowie has played such a concert.

To celebrate his 50th birthday 10 years ago, the multi-talented music maker staged a concert at Madison Square Gardens in the city. Guest performers included Lou Reed and Sonic Youth.

Bowie was born in London on January 8, 1947, as David Robert Jones. He released his first solo album in 1967 and two years later, achieved UK stardom with the space-age mini melodrama Space Oddity, which went top five in the singles charts.

In the early 70s, Bowie emerged as a key figure in the glam rock era, with his androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. He achieved US fame with the hit album Young Americans in 1975.

He also landed his first major film role in the critically acclaimed The Man Who Fell To Earth.

The late 70s saw a period of uneven commercial success, although his 1977 collaborations with Brian Eno were considered as rock/pop milestones.

The 1983 album Let's Dance, which spawned singles China Girl and Modern Love, brought him huge success and in 1985 he performed at Wembley Arena for Live Aid.

In 2004, the star was forced to cut short a tour after suffering a minor heart attack. He hasn't played a major show since then.

Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The superstar, who is one of the richest entertainers in the UK, is married to supermodel Iman, with whom he has one daughter, Lexi.

He also has a son, Duncan Jones, from his first marriage.