George Underwood

George Underwood, born on February 5, 1947, in Bromley, Kent, is a celebrated British artist and musician renowned for his iconic album cover designs and his enduring partnership with the legendary David Bowie.

Underwood's artistic journey began during his time at Bromley Technical High School, where he cultivated a passion for music alongside future stars like Bowie and Peter Frampton. Their brief collaboration in the band George and the Dragons ended dramatically when Underwood accidentally injured Bowie, resulting in lasting effects on the singer's vision. Despite this incident, their friendship remained intact, leading Underwood to collaborate with Bowie on music projects, including the band The King Bees, and to release a solo album under the name Calvin James.

Transitioning from music to art, Underwood enrolled at Beckenham School of Art in 1963. He initially focused on illustrating fantasy and sci-fi book covers but quickly gained recognition in the music industry, leading to a successful freelance career. His distinctive style graced the album covers of prominent artists such as T. Rex (Futuristic Dragon, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows), Procol Harum (Shine On Brightly), Mott the Hoople (All the Young Dudes), and, notably, David Bowie (Hunky Dory and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars). Over the years, Underwood has created a vast array of artwork, including book covers and advertisements, and was featured in the 2012 documentary David Bowie & the Story of Ziggy Stardust.