Fifty years ago Friday David Bowie released his ninth studio album, Young Americans, which was considered a departure from his glam-rock style, focusing more on funk, soul and R&B influences.
The album, which came out less than a year after 1974’s Diamond Dogs, featured backing vocals by a then-unknown singer named Luther Vandross; its first single, the title track, peaked at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Its second single, “Fame,” featured The Beatles‘ John Lennon on guitar and backing vocals, and became Bowie’s first Hot 100 #1.
“Fame” was actually one of two songs on the album that featured contributions from Lennon; the other was a cover of The Beatles track “Across the Universe.”
Several months after the album’s release, Bowie appeared on the music show Soul Train, performing “Fame” and “Golden Years” from his next album, Station to Station. The appearance by Bowie marked one of the first times a white artist appeared on the R&B music show.
Young Americans turned out to be a breakthrough album for Bowie in the U.S. It debuted in the Billboard 200’s top 10 in the U.S. and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. The song “Fame” was one of four Bowie songs to be included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
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