David Bowie's lost first-ever studio recording was found decades later in an unexpected place

For some reason, many artists lose their early recordings. They record them to get a recording contract or something else, but they suddenly disappear after they've served their purpose. The Beatles lost their first-ever recording. Paul McCartney didn't get it back until 1980.

David Bowie's first-ever recording vanished shortly after he recorded it. The music was discovered decades later in an unexpected place.

David Bowie recorded 'I Never Dreamed' with his first band The Konrads in 1963

In 1963, 16-year-old David Bowie (then David Jones) recorded a demo tape for a song called "I Never Dreamed" with his first band, The Konrads. The band recorded the tune for Decca, who they hoped would sign them. Bowie was the band's saxophonist but agreed to sing vocals on the record.

Unfortunately, the song was never released as it failed to inspire the record label to sign the young band. Shortly later, Bowie quit The Konrads, and his first-ever recording disappeared. Until someone discovered it in 1990 in an unexpected place.

Bowie's first-ever recording turned up in a bread box and sold big at auction

Bowie's first-ever recording turned up in an unexpected place. According to The Irish Times, The Konrads' drummer and manager, David Hatfield, found the single in a bread box in the loft of his garage when he was moving in the 1990s. He kept it hidden until he put it up for auction via Omega Auctions in 2018.

The tape sold for nearly £40,000 after the director of Omega Auctions, Karen Fairweather, said there had been a "bidding frenzy." Bowie's first recording was only expected to sell for £10,000. The "Starman" singer's promotional sketches for The Konrads, photographs, and band documents also sold for £17,130.

Hatfield explained more about what it was like when The Konrads recorded their first-ever recording. He said he and the band decided to do a couple of guitar instrumentals and one original song. He chose "I Never Dreamed" because he thought it was the strongest.

Hatfield also claimed to have decided to let Bowie sing it, even though Bowie had no "inclination" to become a singer at that point. He was more passionate about his saxophone. "There is no other recording of the demo featuring David as lead in existence," he said. "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."

Hearing Bowie sing the song certainly evokes goosebumps. It's the same man who became famous six years later and who transformed into Ziggy Stardust, taking the music scene by storm.

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