At the Birth of Bowie

It is 1965, and Swinging London is coming into its prime years. Amid the color and chaos is a boy sporting drainpipe jeans, a devoted fan of The Who, he looks the part in his pristine mod gear. The lead singer of the Lower Third, his name is Davie Jones. In just over 50 years, his death will be mourned by millions, his legacy the story of the greatest rock star of all time. As the drummer in Bowie's band, the Lower Third, Phil Lancaster was there as the singer's musical stripes began to show, and was witness to his early recording techniques, his first experimental forays into drug-taking, and the band's discovery of his bisexuality in shocking circumstances. In this riveting—and often very funny—memoir, Phil tells the story of life alongside the insecure yet blazingly talented boy who became Bowie, at a critical crossroad of time and place in music history. What follows is an intimate, personal and important perspective on the genesis of one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century—one that gets under the skin of the man himself, before the personas and alter-egos masked the fascinating figure beneath them.

Kevin Cann is a Bowie expert who has worked as a designer and writer for the last 35 years. His publications include Any Day Now: The London Years: 1947-1973, which was highly regarded by David himself. He also consulted on David and Mick Rock's 2002 book Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust; researched, co-designed and co-ordinated the reissue of David's back catalog with EMI (17 albums); and has contributed chronologies and sleeve notes for numerous David Bowie 30th and 40th anniversary releases, including Ziggy Stardust, Diamond Dogs and Station To Station. Phil Lancaster is a professional drummer. He was a member of Davie Jones and The Lower Third.