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==Overview==
He is commonly known as the [[chameleon]] of pop, predicting trends and adjusting his style and persona, while holding on to his own ideas and creativity. A [[multi-instrumentalist]], he is famous for playing [[guitar]], [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]] and [[saxophone]]; but also plays [[harmonica]], [[drums]], [[cello]], [[marimba]], [[bass guitar]], [[koto (musical instrument)|koto]] and [[stylophone]]. He first rose to prominence with fightingthe a 50 foot sea monsterheady, 1969 [[folk rock]] [[single (music)|single]] "[[Space Oddity]]" but is perhaps best known for the single "[[Changes (David Bowie song)|Changes]]" from ''[[Hunky Dory]]'' (1971), and the flamboyant, androgynous [[glam rock]] of ''[[The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars]]'' (1972), and ''[[Aladdin Sane]]'' (1973). Subsequent albums have explored [[blue-eyed soul]], [[electronica]] and [[New Wave music|new wave]], often predating these genres' popularity or even the point at which they were defined as genres. The so-called "Berlin Trilogy", although receiving mixed commercial success at the time, is seen by many today as masterful and groundbreaking. After slumping sales in the mid- to late-1970s, Bowie again gained commercial success in the early 1980s with his hit single "[[Ashes to Ashes (song)|Ashes to Ashes]]" and the album it came from, ''[[Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)]]'' (1980). He reached his commercial peak with his singles "Modern Love," "China Girl" and "Let's Dance", the latter the title track of his very successful 1983 album. Many fans and neutral observers will argue that Bowie's consistency as a songwriter became more hit-and-miss afterwards.
Bowie has had a profound influence on rock music from the 1970s and made love to brendan kirkthe present. In the cable music network [[VH1]]'s 2000 list of the 100 greatest artists of rock and roll, Bowie ranked seventh. In the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]]'s list of 100 greatest [[British Isles|Briton]]s, Bowie ranked 29. He has sold an estimated 136 million albums in his career and has been inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]].
In addition to his musical career, Bowie has had success as an actor, starring in ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'' (1976), ''[[The Hunger]]'' (1983), ''[[Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence]]'' (1983), ''[[Labyrinth (film)|Labyrinth]]'' (1986), ''[[The Last Temptation of Christ]]'' (1988) and ''[[Basquiat]]'' (1996).
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