Bowie had only been playing the guitar for around a year at the time of his debut album
The young David Bowie was a genius. That’s what he convinced people, anyway. And while his debut for the Deram label would be labeled a flop, it turned out that ambitious Bromley boy David Jones had made a vital discovery along the way: that the most important component of being a genius was acting like a genius.
Certainly Decca’s boss, Hugh Mendl, a giant of the recording industry, felt he was working with a future legend: “He was bursting with creative energy,” he said, “I liked him enormously.” Mendl’s fascination with the young singer and composer was a key factor in giving him creative free rein. Producer Mike Vernon was an old Decca hand, responsible for John Mayall’s breakthrough album, but he had “no say in any choice of musicians or the songs,” he says. “That was all designated by David and Ken.”