• Two more DAVID BOWIE songs have received upgrades in the BRIT Certified Awards Programme. On 3rd January 2025, "Heroes" attained PLATINUM x2 status and Ashes To Ashes attained GOLD status...

• The DAVID BOWIE Legacy album continues its run on the UK Official Album Chart, placed at #57, now with a total of 426 weeks on that chart. Legacy has also re-entered the Official Irish Album Charts at #92, now with a total of 413 weeks on their chart. Also in the UK Vinyl Album Chart, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars re-enters the chart at #40...

• Tune into the two-part DAVID BOWIE AT THE BBC radio biography which broadcasts today on BBC Radio 2. Episode 1 begins at 3.00 and the second continues straight after at 4.00 GMT. This bio is drawn entirely from BBC archive interviews and sessions, including the debut of 'Kooks', played only two days after the song was written. Plus, unique versions of songs from Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, rare covers and extracts from some of the most revealing interviews Bowie ever gave. If you've never heard this bio, you can tune in via the BBC iPlayer. Check out what else is happening in the BW Monthly Planner...

• On this day, 29 years ago, DAVID BOWIE was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Inducted by DAVID BYRNE, with MADONNA accepting the award on his behalf.

Check out their speeches below...

There are two DAVID BOWIE limited edition vinyl releases to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his 1975 album Young Americans.

The half-speed master vinyl LP and picture disc LP are both released in March.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

7th March 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of David Bowie's ninth studio album, YOUNG AMERICANS.

On the exact day of its Golden Jubilee, YOUNG AMERICANS will be issued as a limited edition 50th anniversary half-speed mastered LP and a picture disc LP pressed from the same master. The picture disc comes with a poster of the album cover.

The album saw Bowie broaden his musical horizons once more, embracing what he called 'Plastic Soul' and would give Bowie his first number one single in the U.S., 'FAME', co-written with John Lennon and Bowie's then guitarist, Carlos Alomar.

The album was partly influenced by the 'Philly Sound' and recorded in Philadelphia at Sigma Sound Studios during a break in THE YEAR OF THE DIAMOND DOGS tour with a band that featured amongst others Bowie stalwart Mike Garson on keys, along with the late Luther Vandross on vocals and David Sanborn on saxophone.

During the Tony Visconti produced sessions at Sigma Sound, Bowie immersed himself in soul music and created a new persona called The Gouster, a slang term for a hip street character. An early version of the album using this title was issued on the boxset WHO CAN I BE NOW? (1974-1976).

When the tour recommenced, Bowie radically reworked the setlist to incorporate the new material and stripped the elaborate production of the tour back to reflect a radically new musical direction. At the end of the tour in December '74, sessions continued at The Record Plant and, while recording in New York, Bowie connected with John Lennon, where they recorded a cover of The Beatles 'ACROSS THE UNIVERSE' and a new collaborative composition, 'FAME' at Electric Lady Studios. The New York sessions were co-produced by David and Record Plant engineer Harry Maslin.

Bowie opted not to tour following YOUNG AMERICANS' release, and within nine months, had moved on again, releasing his next album, STATION TO STATION, and reinventing himself once again in the persona of The Thin White Duke.

This new pressing of YOUNG AMERICANS was cut on a customised late Neumann VMS80 lathe with fully recapped electronics from 192kHz restored masters of the original Record Plant master tapes, with no additional processing on transfer. The half-speed was cut by John Webber at AIR Studios.

DAVID BOWIE - YOUNG AMERICANS - TRACKLISTING

SIDE ONE
Young Americans
Win
Fascination
Right

SIDE TWO
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Across The Universe
Can You Hear Me
Fame

YOUNG AMERICANS
50th ANNIVERSARY HALF SPEED MASTERED LP
50th ANNIVERSARY PICTURE DISC LP WITH POSTER

AVAILABLE 7th MARCH, 2025 ON PARLOPHONE

You can pre-order both the limited edition half-speed master vinyl LP and picture disc LP now!

Another DAVID BOWIE studio tape from his recording of his Young Americans album at Sigma Sound Studios has been unearthed.

Check out the video below, which explains the amazing story of how these tapes were discovered.

The Pieces of Vinyl channel interview three of the engineers involved in David Bowie's time at Sigma Sound Studios. Including Dirk Devlin, Peter Humphreys and Jim Gallagher.

They also interview Peter Wertimer, who was the first concert promoter to bring David Bowie to the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, PA during his Ziggy Stardust tour.

The recordings in their possession capture the meeting of Carlos Alomar, Robin Clarke, Luther Vandross and David Bowie for the extraordinary Young Americans album. The discovery of these tapes document the birth of 'Fame' as a composition, and pre-dates the well-known New York City recording session with John Lennon. These tapes are proof that the composition of Fame took place in Philadelphia, home of the Gamble and Huff empire which was the initial reason Bowie chose to record this record here.

An article published in today's THE TELEGRAPH 'This tape sat unwanted and forgotten for decades, before falling into the hands of a music obsessive' explains in further details of the tape discovered. Moments from wiping it, MAX OCHESTER discovered its secret - a never-before-heard David Bowie recording session - [READ HERE].

NACHO has uncovered a previously unseen and unbroadcast DAVID BOWIE song from the Musikladen Extra TV show from 1978.

This video is a recently discovered, previously unbroadcast and apparently unknown, high-quality recording of Bowie and his 1978 Tour band on the German TV show, performing 'Warszawa'.

Check out Nacho's YouTube Channel youtube.com/@NachoVideo

UK gigs have been announced today for TONY VISCONTI and WOODY WOODMANSEY - 'HOLY HOLY' featuring GLENN GREGORY - A Celebration of Bowie.

There are nine gigs at O2 Academy venues in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Bristol, Liverpool, Bournemouth beginning 15th May.

Dates are as follows:

Thu May 15th - LONDON O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Fri May 16th - LEEDS O2 Academy
Sat May 17th - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
Sun May 18th - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Wed May 21st - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy
Thu May 29th - OXFORD O2 Academy
Fri May 30th - BRISTOL O2 Academy
Sat May 31st - LIVERPOOL O2 Academy
Fri June 6th - BOURNEMOUTH O2 Academy

Pre-sale tickets from tomorrow 15th January and general sale at 10am on 17th January.

For more details and ticket information, please visit ticketmaster.co.uk website.

• On this day, 48 years ago, DAVID BOWIE released his Low album. Recorded in France at Chateau d'Herouville studios, located in the Val d'Oise département near Paris, then completed in October 1976 at Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin, Germany. 'New Music: Night And Day' was the original title and initial RCA Canadian cassette tapes (two different versions dated 76 and 77), as well as the rear panel of the German cassette J-card, made it onto the market with that title printed before quickly being pulled. The advertising blurb for the album release stated: 'Two sides of Bowie you've never heard before.'...

• On this day, 51 years ago, DAVID BOWIE was photographed by Kate Simon at Olympic Studios, 117 Church Road, Barnes, West London SW13 9HL in 1974. On this particular day, he records 'Rock & With Me', 'Candidate' and 'Big Brother'...

• On this day, 59 years ago, 'Can't Help Thinking About Me' was the first solo release from DAVID BOWIE after changing his stage name. Released on the Pye label (Pye 7N 17020) it was backed by 'And I Say To Myself', both tracks were produced by Tony Hatch...

• On this day, 59 years ago, DAVID JONES & The Manish Boys audition for Rocky River Promotions at the London Palladium for possible bookings at the Star-Club in Hamburg. Unfortunately, they don't receive an offer to perform there...

Tickets for next month's DUBLIN BOWIE FESTIVAL 2025 are on sale now!

Taking place on 26th February until 2nd March this year's festival celebrates 50 years of Young Americans.

Festival highlights include:

For more details, information and tickets, please visit dublinbowiefestival.ie website.

Besides our DAVID, other famous and well known people also born on the 8th January include the following...

Elvis Presley (singer/actor), Ron Moody (actor), Larry Storch (actor/comedian), Soupy Sales (aka Milton Hinkes) (comedian and father of Tony and Hunt Sales of Tin Machine), Graham Chapman (comedian), Charles Osgood (CBS TV newsman/host/author), Shirley Bassey (singer), Cristy Lane (singer), William Henry Hartnell (actor, the first Doctor Who), Robby Krieger (musician), R. Kelly (singer), Mike Reno (singer), Noah Cyrus (singer), Paul Dresher (composer), Paul King (musician), Jeff Abercrombie (musician), Terry Sylvester (musician), Paul Hester (musician), Stephen Hawking (professor, astrophysicist, author), Amanda Burton (actress), Gil Grand (musician), Ami Dolenz (actress), Amber Benson (actress), Yvette Mimieux (actress), Thelma 'Butterfly' McQueen (actress), Simone De Beauvoir (writer), Evelyn Wood (reading teacher), Gypsy Rose Lee (burlesque entertainer), Bill Graham (concert promoter), Wilkie Collins (author), Frank Doubleday (publisher), Sir Frank Dyson (scientist), Lee Jackson (musician), Vladimir Feltsman (Russian pianist), Little Anthony aka Anthony Gourdine (singer), Ted McDougall (footballer), Michael Ridley (cricketer), Harriet Sansom Harris (actress), Sean Paul (musician), Karen Poole (musician), Jenny Lewis (actress), Richard Cromwell (actor), Jose Ferrer (actor/director), Sam Riley (actor), Ryan Frances (actor), Roy Kinnear (actor), John McTiernan (director), Scott Whyte (actor), Sander Vanocur (broadcaster), Joan Rivers (comedian), Maria Pitillo (actress), Sarah Polley (actress), Loretta Lee (actress), Gabby Hoffman (actress), Maria Pitillo (actress), Brad Snyder (shot putter), Kent Jones (golfer), Virgil Hill (boxer), Vyacheslav Dmitriyevich Zudov (USSR cosmonaut), Terry Brooks (author), Antai Ribari (composer), Serge Poliakoff (Russian/French painter/guitarist), Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, Bronislava Nijinska (ballet choreographer), Storm Jameson (novelist), Frank Nelson Doubleday (publisher), William Wallace Gilchrist (composer), Fannie M. Jackson (pioneer and educator), Lawrence Alma Tadema (Dutch/British painter), David Silva (footballer), Tom Watson (English politician), Nicolas Coustou (French sculptor), Henry V (Roman German king/emperor), Kaash Paige (singer), Kim Jong-un (world leader), Damiano David (singer), Ryan Destiny (singer), Gia Giudice (singer) and Cynthia Erivo (actress).

Today is also BowieWonderworld's birthday - now twenty-eight years online!

Thank you to everyone who helps support the site - it is appreciated more than you'll ever know :)

For those not aware, this web site was first set up as a 50th birthday present for David.

It started life as Little Wonder, then Little Wonderworld on Virgin Net Freespace. The website name was taken from the name of his secret gig at the Hanover Grand in London back in 1997.

I originally wanted the website name BowieWorld, but David and Ultrastar also wanted that name for a special virtual 3D chatroom BowieWorld he was about to launch. I obviously gave in and promised not to register it, and let them do their thing.

They never registered that domain name as it became part of Worlds.com in the end (and neither did I, keeping my promise). Eventually a Bowie fan in New Zealand did register it and put up some fan pages.

I patiently waited for the bowieworld.com site to close, and for the domain name to become available again, and then claimed it in 2012.

I don't know why I registered it, I've done nothing with it yet. Let's just put it down to sentimental reasons.

Yesterday in the UK, the celebrity edition of MASTERMIND broadcast on BBC Two, featured actor BILL FELLOWS (most famously known as 'Stu' from Coronation Street) who answered questions on 'Ziggy Stardust'.

Host Clive Myrie puts four more famous faces under the spotlight in another episode of the classic quiz where celebrities donate to their chosen charities.

Actor Bill Fellows, TV chef Ruby Bhogal, actress Tori Allen-Martin and comedian and impressionist Matt Forde answer questions on DAVID BOWIE's Ziggy Stardust, the works of Claude Monet, Destiny's Child, and Nottingham Forest Football Club from 1977 to 1993.

Bill did pretty well, from the ten Ziggy questions asked, he got one question incorrect and passed on one, giving him a total of eight for his specialist subject, placing him in third place.

In his general knowledge section, he correctly answered eleven questions, placing him temporarily in the lead. The last contestant Matt Forde eventually won by answering one more question than Bill, with a total of twenty.

Bill's chosen charities were Dogs Trust and The Salvation Army.

If you missed the programme, you can catch-up via the BBC iPlayer Episode 8 now.

• Taking place later this month is the Photo Exhibition and Book Launch: 'Peculiar to Mr. Bowie' by John Mendelssohn at Century Club, 61-63 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LQ on 23rd January. Event: 6:30 pm: Doors open, book signings, and a chance to sample the exclusive Peculiar fragrance by perfumer Miriam Linna / 7:30 pm: Paul Gorman, John Mendelssohn and Miriam Linna in conversation with Stephen Coates / 8:15 pm: Audience Q&A / 8:30 pm-Late: I Am A DJ sets by Ben Olins, Paul Gorman, and Miriam Linna. For more details check out centuryclub.co.uk website...

• THE BOWIE SHOW are performing at the following venues starting this month and next: Opening at Golders Green Hippodrome, London / Nottingham Royal Concert Hall / Buxton Opera House / Glasgow Pavillion Theatre / Bath Forum / Bournemouth Theatre / Leicester De Montfort Hall / Northampton Derngate / Lyric Theatre, London / Guildford G Live. Tickets are on sale now. For more details and information, please visit thebowieshow.com website...

For those of you who use FACEBOOK - check out the private DAVID BOWIE WONDERWORLD Group.

Feel free to join in with the other 98,000 plus members, add yourself and invite your Bowie fan friends. You never know what might get posted, or who you might meet...

BURRETTI: THE MAN WHO SEWED THE WORLD is set in a 1970s TV television talk show format this theatre production portrays the fascinating tale of FREDDIE BURRETTI, DAVID BOWIE's close friend and key early 1970s Ziggy Stardust costume designer.

With a befitting musical score, the show reveals Burretti's toils with 1970s homophobia, events leading up to meeting David Bowie and the legendary 1972 BBC Top of the Pops broadcast.

It will leave you in no doubt; Burretti was the man who sewed the world.

Performances in Milton Keynes and Bedford this month:

16th/15th January: The Place Theatre, Bradgate Road, Bedford MK40 3DE, England - [More details].

11th/10th January: York House Centre, London Road, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1JQ, England - [More details].

Produced by: Lee Scriven/Stony Stratford Theatre Society. Directed by Caz Tricks.

There are four gigs for THE SOUND AND VISION OF DAVID BOWIE taking place on 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th January at The Cutting Room in New York City.

'The Sound and Vision of David Bowie - A Celebration' is a band of latter-day Bowie collaborators and co-conspirators who have been coming together annually to perform the music of David Bowie exclusively at The Cutting Room in New York City.

Members of the group have been a part of David's work from the mid 1990s - from the Outside/Nine Inch Nails tour in 1995 through to his theatrical creation Lazarus in 2015.

Musicians and producers from the ensemble have participated in every Bowie recording and tour from 1997 onward - including Earthling, 'hours...', Heathen, Reality, The Next Day, Blackstar, and the newly released Toy (the 'lost' album from 2000).

Vocalists who are bringing their time and talents this year include: Brian Delaney, Carmine Rojas, Catherine Russell, Donny McCaslin, Everett Bradley, Gail Ann Dorsey, Gerry Leonard, Henry Hey, Jim Boggia, JJ Appleton, Mark Plati, Sophia Anne Caruso.

Venue: The Cutting Room, 44 East 32nd St, New York City, NY 10016, USA.

For more information and tickets, please view 9th January / 10th January / 11th January and 12th January.

• The DAVID BOWIE CENTRE opens on 13th September at V&A East Storehouse, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London E20 - more details

• DAVID BOWIE IS: FOREVER AND EVER by VICTORIA BROACKES and GEOFFREY MARSH, paperback, 320-pages - to be published on 11th September - more details

• FAR ABOVE THE WORLD: THE TIME AND SPACE OF DAVID BOWIE by PAUL MORLEY, hardcover, Kindle, 320-pages - to be published on 4th September - more details

• 13th ANNUAL BOWIE FAN CHARITY EVENT a night of live music plus auction and raffle at The Water Rats, 328 Grays Inn Road, Kings Cross, London WC1X 8BZ, England on 14th June - more details

• TONY VISCONTI and WOODY WOODMANSEY - HOLY HOLY featuring GLENN GREGORY - A Celebration of Bowie, gigs at O2 Academy venues in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Bristol, Liverpool, Bournemouth between 15th May and 6th June - pre-sale tickets 15th Jan and general sale at 10am 17th Jan - more details

• DAVID BOWIE BY DENIS O'REGAN: FROM THE MAN WHO PHOTOGRAPHED HIM MOST by DENIS O'REGAN, hardcover, 300-pages - to be published on 12th May - more details

• LAZARUS stage play written by DAVID BOWIE and ENDA WALSH, directed by Valter Malosti, starring Manuel Agnelli and Casadilego at Teatro della Pergola, Via della Pergola 5 - 50121 Firenze (FI), Italy on 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th April - more details

• BOWIE ODYSSEY 75 by SIMON GODDARD, paperback, 192-pages, to be published on 3rd April - more details

• BOWIELAND: WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DAVID by PETER CARPENTER, hardcover 320-pages - to be published on 27th March - more details

• STYLES CODES: DAVID BOWIE: A Guide to Dressing Like a Fashion Icon by NATALIE HAMMOND, hardcover, 192-pages, to be published on 25th March - more details

• WHERE ARE WE NOW DAVID BOWIE? by RICHARD PURDEN, paperback, 280-pages, to be published on 21st March - more details

• The 9th CONVENTION BOWIE FRANCE 2025 takes place on 16th March at La Java, 105 Rue du Faubourg du Temple, 75010 Paris, France - more details

• YOUNG AMERICANS 50th Anniversary limited edition vinyl releases - half-speed master vinyl LP and picture disc LP - both released on 7th March.

• The DUBLIN BOWIE FESTIVAL 2025 takes place on 26th February until 2nd March celebrating 50 years of Young Americans, with live music, talks, screenings, exhibitions, theatre and lots more. To stay up to date with news and info subscribe to their newsletter where you will have first access to tickets and exclusives - more details

• BOWIE ODYSSEY at Faversham Literary Festival 2025, Simon Goddard Q&A with Mark Stay at Faversham Assembly Rooms, 64 Preston St, Faversham ME13 8PG, Kent, England on 22nd February at 5pm-6pm. Tickets £10 - more details

• I WAS THERE: IN CONVERSATION WITH ALAN EDWARDS at The Old Market, Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS England on 7th February at 19.30-21.30 GMT - more details

• I WAS THERE: IN CONVERSATION WITH ALAN EDWARDS at The Arches, 8 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 2ER, England on 6th February at 18.30 GMT - more details

• DAVID BOWIE 1983 TO 2016 ON TRACK: EVERY ALBUM, EVERY SONG by DON KLEES, paperback, 176-pages - to be published on 30th January - more details

• DAVID BOWIE - THE YEAR OF THE SCAVENGER luxury collector's book from MAYAK PUBLISHING covering the 1974 period - coming soon - mayakpublishing.co.uk

• THE BOWIE SHOW are performing from 24th January-11th February at the following venues: Golders Green Hippodrome, London / Nottingham Royal Concert Hall / Buxton Opera House / Glasgow Pavillion Theatre / Bath Forum / Bournemouth Theatre / Leicester De Montfort Hall / Northampton Derngate / Lyric Theatre, London / Guildford G Live. Tickets are on sale now - more details

• Photo Exhibition and Book Launch: PECULIAR TO MR. BOWIE by John Mendelssohn at Century Club, 61-63 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6LQ on 23rd January. Event: 6:30 pm: Doors open, book signings, and a chance to sample the exclusive Peculiar fragrance by perfumer Miriam Linna / 7:30 pm: Paul Gorman, John Mendelssohn and Miriam Linna in conversation with Stephen Coates / 8:15 pm: Audience Q&A / 8:30 pm-Late: I Am A DJ sets by Ben Olins, Paul Gorman, and Miriam Linna - more details

Exclusive DAVID BOWIE lino-cut print available to PURCHASE - don't hang around, these are ALL the remaining original left-over stock from 40 years ago, once they've gone, they've gone!

2025 OFFICIAL CALENDAR DAVID BOWIE Collector's Edition - published on 1st September - more details

2025 OFFICIAL CALENDAR DAVID BOWIE - A3 size, published on 1st September - more details