David Bowie

United Kingdom, 1962–2016

English singer and songwriter who worked through a sequence of distinct personae and styles, from glam rock to soul to the electronic Berlin albums, changing the expectation that a pop artist keeps one identity.

MusicRoots documents 10 artists who influenced David Bowie and 32 artists David Bowie influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced David Bowie?

• Nile Rodgers — Rodgers produced and co-shaped Let's Dance (1983), the funk-pop reinvention that gave Bowie the biggest commercial success of his career.
• Kraftwerk — Bowie's Berlin Trilogy ('Low', 'Heroes', 'Lodger') was directly triggered by hearing Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn' on tour.
• The Velvet Underground — Bowie worshipped the Velvet Underground and performed 'I'm Waiting for the Man' from his earliest days.
• Nina Simone — Bowie recorded his version of 'Wild Is the Wind' under the impression of Nina Simone's reading.
• Little Richard — Bowie's father brought home a batch of American 45s when Bowie was nine, and hearing 'Tutti Frutti' among them is what turned him toward music; he took up the saxophone with the ambition of playing in Little Richard's horn section.
• Elvis Presley — Presley was in the same batch of records and stayed with Bowie, who shared his 8 January birthday: the early rock and roll performing takes directly from him, and Bowie later covered 'One Night'.
• John Lennon — The two wrote 'Fame' together at Electric Lady in January 1975 and cut 'Across the Universe' at the same sessions; Bowie afterwards named Lennon the mentor who taught him to say a thing plainly.
• John Coltrane — Bowie's half-brother Terry Burns brought modern jazz into the house, and enthusiasm for Coltrane is what put a saxophone in Bowie's hands: a Grafton alto in 1961, then lessons with Ronnie Ross.
• Neu! — Bowie championed Neu! during the Berlin years — he publicly praised Rother and Dinger and invited Rother to the "Heroes" sessions.
• Lou Reed — Bowie named Reed personally and not only the band; he performed 'I'm Waiting for the Man' from his earliest days and later produced Transformer.

Which artists did David Bowie influence?

• Blur — David Bowie's art-pop reinvention shaped Blur's later, more experimental records.
• Boris Grebenshchikov — David Bowie's art-rock reinvention is among the Western influences Grebenshchikov absorbed into Aquarium.
• Lady Gaga — David Bowie's shape-shifting personae are a touchstone for Gaga's theatrical reinvention; she paid tribute to him at the 2016 Grammys.
• Arctic Monkeys — Turner is drawn to artists who reinvented themselves — 'The Beatles, David Bowie… the big ones' — a model for Arctic Monkeys' restless stylistic shifts.
• Dua Lipa — Her father's records rather than her own — Dukagjin Lipa sang in the Kosovar rock band Oda — and she has said she loved that music because she sang it in the car with him.
• Madonna — Bowie was Madonna's first concert and a transformative revelation — the art of reinvention and persona she built a career on.
• Queen — Bowie's glam theatricality and persona-driven artistry shaped Queen's visual identity and Freddie Mercury's stage presence.
• Joy Division — Bowie's Berlin Trilogy provided the sonic and emotional blueprint for Joy Division's atmosphere and production approach.
• Kate Bush — One of Bush's teenage heroes — she was in the audience for the last Ziggy Stardust show in 1973, and took from Bowie the licence to be theatrical and strange rather than any particular sound.
• Moby — Moby has called Bowie his all-time favourite musician and personal hero; they were neighbours, friends and toured together in 2002, duetting on 'Heroes'.
• Alphaville — Marian Gold has cited Bowie's art-pop romanticism as Alphaville's guiding star — audible across 'Forever Young'.
• Nine Inch Nails — Reznor has named Low the direct model for The Downward Spiral; Bowie and NIN toured together in 1995.
• The Cure — Smith has cited Low-era Bowie as the record that shaped The Cure's early atmospheric direction.
• U2 — Bowie's Berlin trilogy reshaped U2 — he pointed them toward Berlin, Hansa Studios and Brian Eno for Achtung Baby; Bono has repeatedly named Bowie a defining influence.
• Siouxsie and the Banshees — Siouxsie has named Bowie her teenage revelation — the glam theatricality beneath the Banshees' ice.
• Simple Minds — Jim Kerr named Bowie first among the band's origins: 'Simple Minds came out on a basis of listening to David Bowie, Roxy Music, Peter Gabriel and of course, Lou Reed.'
• Pet Shop Boys — Tennant has cited Bowie's art-pop reinvention and irony as a guiding model — the pop intelligence the duo built on.
• The Human League — Bowie's Berlin-era electronic reinvention was a documented model for the Human League's synth pop.
• Tubeway Army — Numan's whole persona and sound descend from Bowie — the Low-era alienation and character-play he made his own.
• Duran Duran — Bowie's reinventions and glamour were a documented model for the band's image and ambition.
• Def Leppard — David Bowie was among the glam-era acts feeding Def Leppard's pop instincts.
• Kim Wilde — Bowie is among her named influences - and had himself come up on the British rock and roll her father was making.
• Marilyn Manson — Manson derived the concept for Antichrist Superstar from concept albums such as David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.
• Placebo — Bowie's glam androgyny was a template for Placebo; Bowie took the band under his wing, inviting them to open his 1996 shows and his 50th-birthday concert.
• Arcade Fire — David Bowie was a hero and later a collaborator — his 'Queen Bitch' filtered into their songs, and he sang on Reflektor.
• TV on the Radio — David Bowie's art-rock is a touchstone for TV on the Radio — he was a vocal fan and sang backing vocals on 'Province' from Return to Cookie Mountain.
• Empire of the Sun — David Bowie's glam theatricality and costumed personas are a clear influence on Luke Steele's flamboyant Empire of the Sun.
• Pulp — David Bowie's glam theatricality and art-pop reinvention are a core influence on Jarvis Cocker's dramatic, character-driven Pulp.
• Suede — Suede revived Bowie-esque glam — Brett Anderson's androgynous drama and vocal phrasing are steeped in David Bowie.
• Supergrass — David Bowie's Ziggy-era glam is woven into Supergrass's brighter, glammier moments.
• Bastille — David Bowie's boundless pop reinvention is among the influences Bastille's Dan Smith names behind the band's dramatic, eclectic songs.
• Roxette — Named by Per Gessle among his influences, with the Beatles and T. Rex.