In 1963, a 16-year-old David Bowie made his first ever studio recording as the lead vocalist for The Konrads at a studio in Morden, South London. The demo tape was recently discovered in a bread basket by Konrads drummer David Hadfield. Order the latest issue of Uncut online and have it sent to y...
In 1963, a 16-year-old David Bowie made his first ever studio recording as the lead vocalist for The Konrads at a studio in Morden, South London.
The demo tape was recently discovered in a bread basket by Konrads drummer David Hadfield.
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Hear a short clip below of Bowie singing a song he co-wrote, called “I Never Dreamed” (c/o David Hadfield):
Regarding the demo, Hadfield recalls: “Our agent, Eric Easton, who also managed The Rolling Stones, asked us to do a demo so he could try and get us an audition at Decca. So in early 1963 I booked into R.G.Jones small studio in Morden. In preparation for the demo, David and our guitarist Neville Wills wrote 2/3 songs. We had decided that we would do a couple of guitar instrumentals and one original song.
“I chose ‘I Never Dreamed’ as it was the strongest, the other two were a bit weak! I also decided that David was the best person to sing it and give the right interpretation. So this became the very first recording of David Jones (Bowie) singing 55 years ago! There is no other recording featuring David as lead in existence. Decca initially turned us down, but when they eventually gave us an audition later that year, vocalist Roger Ferris was the lead voice and David sang backing harmonies.”
The demo tape is being auctioned in September by Omega Auctions, alongside a “treasure trove of memorabilia” illustrating Bowie’s very early career, includes letters, bills, booking forms, photographs and promotional sketches.
