Once he was ready to establish himself as a musician, there was one predicament: his name was David Jones, and there already was a Davy Jones, the lead singer of The Monkees, and a well-known name in the music industry. And so, that’s why David Jones changed his name to David Bowie – to bypass any potential confusion.
In 1967, a super fan named Sandra Dodd sent Bowie his first fan letter from the US. In her letter, she asked him about his name. Bowie replied to her with: “In answer to your question, David Jones is my real name and I don’t need to tell you why I changed it.”
Choir Boy
Born in London on a cold day on January 8, 1947, he was christened under the name David Robert Jones. He went to Stockwell Infants’ School until he was six, and it was there that he earned a reputation as both a gifted child and a “rebellious brawler.” When Bowie attended Burnt Ash Junior School and sang in the school choir, his voice was deemed “adequate.”
When he was nine, his dancing in music class was regarded as “imaginative,” with his teachers calling his interpretations “strikingly artistic.” His poise? “Astonishing” for a young child. It was around this age that his interest in music first began.
Different Eyes?
People often claim that Bowie had heterochromia – a genetic condition that results in two different colored eyes. But that's actually not true. Both of his eyes are, in fact, blue. The actual condition is called anisocoria, and it manifests in a permanently dilated pupil.
This happened to Bowie when he was only 15 years old as a result of getting into a physical altercation with a friend from school, George Underwood.
Another Incident…
Bowie endured a series of operations during a four-month hospitalization period when his doctors ultimately resolved that the damage couldn’t be repaired. Thus, Bowie was left with a pupil that was permanently dilated and faulty depth perception. This became one of Bowie’s most recognizable features.
Then, in 2004, Bowie's eye was involved in another incident. While performing in Oslo, Norway, a crowd member threw a lollipop onto the stage. It managed to strike Bowie right in the eye — and got stuck. A member of his stage crew had to help him remove it, and they could continue with the concert.
High School Friends
Bowie attended Bromley Technical High School, an unusual school, where he studied art, music, and design. His half-brother Terry Burns introduced him to modern jazz, and his mother gave him a Grafton saxophone in 1961. He then took lessons from Ronnie Ross, the baritone saxophonist.
During his school career, Bowie befriended future musician Peter Frampton, whose father was Bowie’s art teacher. They bonded over music and remained close until Bowie’s death.