Almost impossible to describe with any one adjective, rock enigma David Bowie has been a world famous singer and actor for nearly five decades. Born January 8, 1947 in London as David Robert Hayward Jones, Bowie is perhaps the most famous glam rock entertainer of all time, sharing the title with - and earning it because of - his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

David grew up in Brixton, a poor part of London, and claims to have decided on his career at a very early age. Bowie would turn to music for an escape, but unlike many who share a similar story, David’s musical tastes were perhaps more eclectic than any other music star in history.

By the time Bowie was a teenager, he was already on the music scene and trying out different bands. He fronted such bands at the King Bees, Mannish Boys, the Konrads and the Lower Third. David was also acting in small stage roles and working in advertising, and this reflected in his varying musical tastes.

While performing as David Jones, the American pop band The Monkees had a performer with a similar name (Davey Jones), and this prompted Bowie to change as to not be confused with an American actor/singer. In 1968, after the name change and leaving his band duties, Bowie released his first solo album.

Unfortunately for Bowie, most of the tracks were unmemorable and the singles released really lacked any steam. However, in 1969, Bowie would release what would become his signature song, Space Oddity. It peaked at number five on Britain’s pop charts and enabled Bowie to work on his second album, The Man Who Sold the World.

After the success in the early 1970s, Bowie headed over to America to perform some US tours. In 1972, Bowie would release Hunky Dory, and after earning a new recording contract, he tried out his new persona and released his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

With his wildly popular albums, Bowie was credited with single handedly starting the “glam rock” era. However, Bowie shifted once again and dropped the widely admired Ziggy Stardust persona and released Aladdin Sane in 1973. Not even the members of Bowie’s band knew that he would give up the Stardust character.

Bowie would release two more albums that same year, Pin Ups and Diamond Dogs, and follow those up with 1975’s release, Young Americans. His collaborative effort with John Lennon, titled Fame, gave Bowie his first American hit. After this, Bowie’s fascination with American culture intensified and he moved to Los Angeles and became an actor.

After appearing in movies and releasing other tracks, Bowie then moved to Berlin and began experimenting with other styles of music and helping friends like Iggy Pop release rock albums.

Bowie gave up music for acting in the early 1980s but would form a new band, Tin Machine, in 1988. In the 1990s, Bowie left Tin Machine to focus once again on his solo career, and to date, he’s been keeping busy producing more music and showing up in the occasional Hollywood blockbuster.