1975 GRAMMY AWARDS

Filmed at Uris Theatre in New York | US Broadcast 1 March 1975

Bowie was introduced on stage at the awards ceremony by an admiring Andy Williams. He proceeded to deliver a rambling two minute speech before announcing Aretha Franklin as the winner for "Best Rhythm & Blues Performance by a Female Artist".

Accepting the award Aretha gushed, "Wow - this is so good I could kiss David Bowie!"

In 1999 Bowie said of the Grammys:

"Before the show I'd been telling John [Lennon] that I didn't think America really got what I did, that I was misunderstood. Remember that I was in my 20s and out of my head.

So the big moment came and I ripped open the envelope and announced, "The winner is Aretha Franklin." Aretha steps forward, and with not so much as a glance in my direction, snatches the trophy out of my hands and says, "Thank you everybody. I'm so happy I could even kiss David Bowie." Which she didn't! And she promptly spun around swanned off stage right. So I slunk off stage left.

And John bounds over and gives me a theatrical kiss and a hug and says "See, Dave. America loves ya.'"

Also present at the awards ceremony were [pictured left] Simon and Garfunkel, John and Yoko and Roberta Flack as well as Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Righteous Brothers, Ann Margret and David Essex.

Bowie interviewed in June 1975 by Cameron Crowe for Rolling Stone:

"The Grammys were very significant for me. It was like walking a tightrope. There were mostly aging middleclass show business people in that audience. It was a question of entertaining them or coming off like just another rock singer. I really did feel I was David Bowie and not a rock singer. It was very strange. Strange, strange, strange."