Did you know that David Bowie once had his own band? And not just one either, but several? The diehards might know this, but others might not be aware that Bowie got his start in a couple of group outfits. They were certainly something, and about as far from what you’d imagine an enigma like Bowie being a part of. Let’s take a look at a bit of music history, shall we?
David Bowie’s First Band The Konrads Had Bowie Playing The Saxophone
David Bowie first arrived at the attention of the music industry with the 1969 hit “Space Oddity”. It was just a preview of Bowie’s incredible talent, and he went on to produce incredible music and aesthetics for decades. Believe it or not, Bowie was not always the enigma he is known as today. He was once a young British man attempting to get into music the more traditional way.
David Bowie’s first band was called The Konrads. In that particular outfit, Bowie went by his real name David Jones. And it was just the first of six bands that Bowie joined that never quite propelled him to fame the way he was able to do all on his own as a solo artist.
Bowie formed The Konrads back in 1962 at the tender age of 15 years old. The lineup had a bit of a revolving door going on, at times ranging from four members to upwards of eight. They were your typical local London band that played rock music at weddings and similar small events.
The Konrads didn’t last long, and Bowie ended up bouncing to a few additional bands before making it big as a solo artist.
What Were David Bowie’s Other Bands?
After The Konrads, Bowie joined a group called The King Bees. With them, he received his very first contract with manager Lesley Conn. The group released one somewhat memorable single titled “Liza Jane”.
Sadly, the song wasn’t an enormous hit, so Bowie then joined a blues band called The Manish Boys. They didn’t do much but cover “I Pity The Fool” by Bobby Bland, but Bowie’s time with them did give him the opportunity to meet Jimmy Page pre-Led Zeppelin.
From there, Bowie joined The Lower Third, which earned a bit of commercial success. While with that outfit, he adopted his now-famous stage name. Bowie went on to join The Buzz, known for the single “Do Anything You Say”. His final band was The Riot Squad, an outfit that recorded some material that never got released.
After his time in bands came to a conclusion, Bowie eventually made it big with “Space Oddity” as a solo artist. And the rest is history!
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