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'Bowie' or 'Bowie'

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sp1814 | 12:10 Tue 10th Apr 2007 | Music
9 Answers
What is the correct pronunciation of David Bowie's surname?

Is the first syllabal pronounced 'Bow' as in 'sew' or 'Bow' as in 'sow'?

Me winning a �1 bet rests on the answer. I think it's supposed to rhyme with 'sew' because he named himself after the bowie knife, but I could be wrong.
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Hey SP, I think its Bow as in SOW, I think thats the way he says it himself, so don't let the yanks tell you any differant..
I think he says it as in sow, coz didnt they name their son zowie bowie and then it rymes. Some people pronounce it the other way though.
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admarlow.

Thanks, if that's the way he pronounces it, then I suppose that's the definitive answer.

Looks like I'm �1 down.
sorry :-(
I may be wrong but im pretty sure..

cue his best mate / mum / doctor / milkman signing on to AB
Bowie pronounces his own name "bow-ee" (as in "bow" and arrow), not "boo-ee" (as the original American knife is pronounced), nor is it "bow-ee" as in a dog's "bow-wow-wow". However, Americans sometimes refer to him as "boo-ee" (which is the correct pronounciation of the original Scottish name, Bowie), and Londoners usually pronounce it "bow" as in "bow-wow-wow", and Bowie never corrects them.

http://www.teenagewildlife.com/info/faq/13.htm l
Question Author
Ah-ha!

I have a get-out clause.

I never realised there could be third possible way of saying his name (we now have bow as in 'show' as well as bow as in 'sow' and bow as in 'sew').

I shall be keeping my �1, with the explanation that there is more than one correct way of pronouncing the name

Thanks to all!
I am almost certain whenever I have seen him on talk shows he has been introduced as rhyming with sew which has stuck in my mind as I all say it as in rhyming with sow.
im pronounce it as sow.

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