David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician; actor; producer; and arranger. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and image; Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator; particularly for his work in the 1970s. He has been cited as an influence by many musicians.Although he released an album and numerous singles earlier; David Bowie first caught the eye and ear of the public in the autumn of 1969; when his space-age mini-melodrama "Space Oddity" reached the top five of the UK singles chart. "Ashes to Ashes" is a single by David Bowie, released in 1980. It made #1 in the UK and was the first cut from the Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) album, also a #1 hit. As well as its musical qualities, it is noted for its innovative video, directed by Bowie and David Mallet. Bowie has said that with this song he was "wrapping up the seventies really for myself, and that seemed a good enough epitaph for it".David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English musician; actor; producer; and arranger. Active in five decades of rock music and frequently reinventing his music and.