David Bowie’s very first demo found in old bread basket

(Image credit: Cyrus Andrews/Michael Ochs Archives - Getty)

David Bowie’s very first demo has been discovered stashed away in an old bread basket.

Bowie recorded the track I Never Dreamed in 1963 with his band The Konrads in a bid to secure a record deal with Decca. However, they were unsuccessful, with Bowie later leaving the group.

The Guardian report that the demo was uncovered by The Konrads’ manager and drummer David Hadfield when he was moving house, with the rare tape bundled in a bread basket which once belonged to his grandfather along with various other items including photos and letters.

The demo will now be sold through Omega Auctions in September and it's expected to fetch £10,000.

Hadfield tells The Guardian: “We had decided that we would do a couple of guitar instrumentals and one original song. I chose I Never Dreamed as it was the strongest, the other two were a bit weak. 

"I also decided that David was the best person to sing it and give the right interpretation. So this became the very first recording of David Jones singing 55 years ago.”

The demo will be part of Omega Auctions’ Music Memorabilia, Instruments & Equipment sale. A full catalogue of items will be made available in the near future on their website.

Last week it was announced that a new Bowie box set titled Loving The Alien would launch on October 12. The 11CD and 15LP set brings together Bowie’s work from the mid-80s.

The collection follows Five Years (1969-1973)Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) and A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982).

Bowie died in January 2016 after battling cancer for 18 months.

Bowie is the cover star of the latest issue of Classic Rock magazine, which is on sale now. It features Golden Years, Golden Songs – the best of Bowie, as chosen by stars, including Tony Iommi, Joe Elliott, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes and many more.

David Bowie: Loving The Alien (1983-1988)

David Bowie: Loving The Alien (1983-1988)
The fourth box set in a series celebrating Bowie's vast collection of music features tracks recorded in the mid-80s, including rare tracks, live cuts and soundtrack material. 

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.