BOWIE, DAVID/ VERLAINE, TOM - KINGDOM COME

David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music. Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman" and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as "plastic soul", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single "Fame" and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic-inflected album Low, the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the "Berlin Trilogy". "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise. After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and "Under Pressure" (a 1981 collaboration with Queen). He achieved massive commercial success in the 1980s starting with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with The Next Day. He remained musically active until his death from liver cancer at his home in New York City. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016). During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million records worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In the UK, he was awarded ten platinum, eleven gold and eight silver album certifications, and released 11 number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and nine gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest artists in history. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century. Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie Studio albums David Bowie (1967) David Bowie/Space Oddity (1969) The Man Who Sold the World (1970) Hunky Dory (1971) The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) Aladdin Sane (1973) Pin Ups (1973) Diamond Dogs (1974) Young Americans (1975) Station to Station (1976) Low (1977) "Heroes" (1977) Lodger (1979) Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) Let's Dance (1983) Tonight (1984) Never Let Me Down (1987) Black Tie White Noise (1993) The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) Outside (1995) Earthling (1997) Hours (1999) Heathen (2002) Reality (2003) The Next Day (2013) Blackstar (2016) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller in Morristown, New Jersey, on 13 December 1949; died 28 January 2023) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist remembered as long-time frontman of Television from 1973 through to 2023. Verlaine was often considered as one of the most talented performers of the early punk rock era. Verlaine's poetic lyrics, and his accomplished guitar playing technique were highly influential and widely praised in the music media. He, and Television bandmate, Richard Lloyd were one of rock music's most acclaimed and inventive guitar duos. Verlaine's stage name is a reference to French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine. Famed for his trailblazing work as the singer and guitarist for the seminal New York punk band Television, Verlaine also carved out an acclaimed and eclectic solo career. Verlaine trained as a classical pianist but gravitated toward rock music after an encounter with Rolling Stones' song"19th Nervous Breakdown." In 1968, he and bassist Richard Meyers (later Richard Hell) moved to New York's Lower East Side, where they and drummer Billy Ficca formed the group The Neon Boys. The Neon Boys quickly disbanded after failing to recruit a second guitarist (despite auditions by Dee Dee Ramone and Chris Stein). They reformed as Television a few months later, finding a guitarist in Richard Lloyd, and began playing at seminal punk clubs like CBGB and Max's Kansas City. In 1975, Verlaine kicked Hell out of the band for his erratic playing and behavior, and, with Fred Smith replacing Hell, they released their first single. Beginning with their landmark 1975 debut single "Little Johnny Jewel," Television became one of the most renowned groups on the burgeoning New York underground scene; though lumped together with the punk phenomenon, the band's complex songcraft -- powered by Verlaine's strangled vocals, oblique lyrics and finely-honed guitar work -- clearly set them apart from their peers. However, after only two albums, 1977's classic Marquee Moon and the more subdued 1978 follow-up Adventure, Television disbanded, and Verlaine started a solo career. He resurfaced in 1979 with a self-titled debut which featured the song "Kingdom Come," later covered by avowed fan David Bowie. 1981's dense Dreamtime earned significant acclaim, and even hit the U.S. album charts. Both 1982's diverse Words From the Front and 1984's Cover drew raves from the British press, spurring Verlaine to take up residency in London. After a three-year hiatus, he returned with Flash Light, regarded as one of his best solo efforts. Following 1990's The Wonder, Television briefly reformed for a self-titled album and tour; the group again broke up. In 1992 Verlaine issued his first instrumental LP, Warm and Cool. In 1994, he composed the score for the film Love and a .45. Currently, he and his jazz-influenced punk guitar are touring. He is responsible in part for popularizing the Fender Jazzmaster, along with Elvis Costello. In 1997 he was asked by Jeff Buckley to produce his follow-up album to "Grace", "Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk", before Buckley's death by drowning that year. During the 1990s he collaborated with different artists, including Patti Smith, and composed a film score. Verlaine was part of The Million Dollar Bashers, a supergroup also featuring Sonic Youth musicians Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline, Bob Dylan bassist Tony Garnier, guitarist Smokey Hormel, and keyboardist John Medeski. Their work appears on the original soundtrack to "I'm Not There", a biographical film reflecting on the life of Bob Dylan. In 2012, Verlaine collaborated with former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha on his second solo album Look to the Sky. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.