David Bowie in 1966 (Cyrus Andrews/ Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)A rare David Bowie recording reportedly discovered in a bread basket stands to earn one veteran U.K. musician a lot of dough.
The previously unreleased 1963 demo features a 16-year-old Bowie — then known by his birth name, David Jones — singing a tune called “I Never Dreamed” with his early band The Konrads. It’s going up for sale as part of a U.K. music memorabilia auction held September 11.
The track, which is expected to fetch around $13,000, is supposedly the first-ever studio recording of Bowie singing lead. It’s being sold by one-time Konrads drummer David Hadfield, who, according to the British paper The Guardian, found the tape in a bread basket in a loft above his garage.
Hadfield says he booked a studio in 1963 so The Konrads could lay down the track for their agent, who planned to use it to get them an audition at a record company. He adds that he chose Bowie to sing the song because he decided that he “was the best person to…give the right interpretation.” The former drummer says the demo was the only Konrads recording featuring Bowie singing lead, since he usually did background vocals only.
“For Bowie collectors, this really is a significant recording,” says auctioneer Paul Fairweather of Omega Auctions U.K. “[It’s] completely unique and of great historical interest, being the earliest studio recording of a fledgling musician who would go on to super stardom.”
You can check out a clip of the recording at Omega Auctions U.K.’s official YouTube channel.
The demo is among a variety of Bowie-related items that Hadfield is selling at the auction, which will take place in the town of Newton-le-Willows, U.K. Other memorabilia include letters, booking forms, photos and promotional sketches.
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