The simple fact is that your favourite band were influenced in some way by David Bowie. Of course, we have no way of knowing who that band is, and that band may not even know themselves, but nonetheless the statement holds emphatically true. Whether it’s glam rock, punk, goth, industrial or metal, the man born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 had a hand in shaping everyone’s sound.
‘Oh, but I like Slayer,’ you may argue; well, guess what? Dave Lombardo was a fan. As was Ozzy Osbourne. And Orange Goblin. And Sepultura. And Megadeth. Anarcho-punks Crass were even named after a line from one of his songs – ‘The kids were just crass,’ from Ziggy Stardust. The Sex Pistols were fans, too.
We could go on. And on. But let’s not. Instead, to mark his birthday – and the anniversary of his death on January 10, 2016 – here’s just a small sample of the many bands who have covered the great man’s songs.