Shropshire remembers Bowie: When The Thin White Duke played at Shrewsbury

The Thin White Duke played at Shrewsbury's Severn Club during the 1960s as David Bowie & The Buzz.

He was just another wannabe when he passed through Shropshire's county town, long before he'd become a global icon.

But while his 1960s appearance might not be remembered by many – and there are no known photographs of the event – his influence extends to everyone associated with music. For if it hadn't been for Bowie, most of the rock stars, broadcasters and writers who made it out of the West Midlands would never have got started.

There'd have been no Birmingham-based Duran Duran, no Midlands combo Pop Will Eat Itself and no broadcasting careers for our region's BBC DJs.

Alternative music and new wave would have had as much chance of making it into the mainstream as avant garde jazz. The star who implored 'Let's Dance' was the start point for three generations of artists.

His untimely death robs us of one of music's greatest icons, a true innovator who ranks alongside The Beatles, Elvis and Michael Jackson as being one of the most influential artists of all time.

Pop Will Eat Itself founder Clint Mansell, for instance, is presently one of Hollywood's most influential soundtrack writers. But without Bowie, he'd never have started.

Clint, from Stourbridge in the Black Country, believes there have been 12 key moments in his life. The first was his birth in 1963. The next significant episode was in 1972 when he saw David Bowie perform 'Starman' on Top of the Pops. The experience changed his life.

Clint's third key moment came that year when he bought his first album 'The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust'. After that, he was only ever going to be a rock'n'roll star.

Jonn Penney, whose band Ned's Atomic Dustbin, followed Pop Will Eat Itself and The Wonder Stuff into the charts and on to the stages of the nation's biggest festivals, has a similar debut of gratitude to Bowie.

Jonn, from Wolverhampton, said: "I guess the thing about Bowie is what he stood for; whether that was intended or not. He was utterly unique. He make it okay for people to plough their own furrow, rather than follow the herd. But beyond that, he showed everyone that the best music they can make is the most honest music."

Shropshire's Carol Decker, whose band T'Pau reached number one, was devastated by the passing of Bowie. The former Shrewsbury band leader was sorry that his death came so soon after another great rocker, Lemmy. She tweeted: "The Thin White Duke joins The Ace Of Spades. Jam hot guys. Sleep well x"

She also had great sympathy for his son Duncan. She wrote: "The world has lost a genius but you have lost your Dad. So very sorry, Duncan."

BBC Radio 2 and Radio 6 Music DJ Chris Hawkins grew up in Shropshire. The village of Loppington was his home and 'bright lights and big city' meant nothing more than Shrewsbury. Bowie changed all that.

He said: "I'm the same as any other music lover. We were all kids or teenagers when we discovered Bowie. He constantly updated and broke new ground, right to the end. You have to remember he was a young folk singer at the start. By the end, he'd done everything. Blackstar, his new album, is truly original.

"Bowie was wearing make-up on Top of The Pops, when it was a heterosexual family show. He was the guy who parents didn't want their kids to watch. Bowie was less born and more invented. He was a creation. He stood out as one on his own and he's never been replicated.

"He sounded and looked different. He moved through the ages right through until last Friday, when he released Blackstar. You know, I got that and played it all weekend, not realising how soon he would go. I just asked myself how many 69-year-olds could ever create something that ground-breaking? It is an astonishing record."

Hawkins has been playing songs in tribute to Bowie on the BBC.

"There had been rumours over the past few years about his health and that's why there were no interviews. But with Blackstar, he's done it again. He's created something that's out of reach of the rest of us. He's left behind something great."

Hawkins looks back on Bowie's life and pinpoints the phase from Space Oddity, in 1969, to Heroes, in 1977, as an era of unparalleled and unrivalled creative genius.

He adds: "I got to see him when he played live in Nottingham. For a guy who could fill stadiums, I got fairly up close and personal at a relatively small venue in the late 1990s.

"I remember not just being struck by his musical ability but by his good humour. He came on stage just after 8pm claiming he had thought about coming on stage earlier but didn't want to miss EastEnders.

"In terms of being a fan, I obviously own every album but I also have a limited edition print of him in my hallway. The first face I see when I come in through the door each day is David Bowie's."

Bowie played in the West Midlands spasmodically after that early gig at Shrewsbury's Severn Club.

Mark Radcliffe, the award-winning BBC Radio 2 producer remembers seeing him at Bingley Hall, in Stafford, in the 1970s. They met four or five times later in life, and Bowie once stole Radcliffe's Viz annual from the broadcaster's office. Radcliffe tweeted: "For me, a world without Bowie in it is less of a world. Thanks for all of it, db. You were the man."

Many people will have memories of David Bowie during his Tin Machine tour in 1991, when he played Wolverhampton's Civic Hall. A loud and cacophonous night, it was memorable not only because of the music but also because of an unusual request that Bowie made of the venue.

Members of staff that day were instructed not to approach Bowie, not to ask for photographs, to proffer a handshake or ask for autographs.

For all of his musical genius Bowie was essentially a quiet and shy man. He had no time for explanations or to look back at his past. Constantly innovating and constantly moving forward, he lived it through his music. The last thing he ever wanted was to talk about it.