📰 Dana Gillespie – Topics Profile: Feb. 1974

A Disc spotlight introducing Dana Gillespie as one of the “new names of today,” framed through glam‑era swagger and Bowie‑world mythology.

📰 Excerpt

A lively, provocative profile presenting Dana Gillespie as a flamboyant, magnetic performer — Bowie’s early muse, RCA artist, and rising theatrical talent.

📰 Key Highlights

• One‑page “Topics” profile in Disc, February 16, 1974

• Written by Ray Fox‑Cumming

• Introduces Dana Gillespie as a rising singer and performer

• Connects her early history with David Bowie

• Highlights her RCA album Weren’t Born a Man

• Notes her upcoming role in the National Theatre’s The Tempest

📰 Overview

This Disc profile positions Dana Gillespie as a bold, glamorous new figure in the early‑70s music and theatre scene. Written in Ray Fox‑Cumming’s punchy, tabloid‑friendly style, the piece blends biography, gossip, and commentary to present Gillespie as both Bowie‑adjacent and entirely her own force.

📰 Source Details

Publication: Disc

Date: February 16, 1974

Issue: One‑page “Topics” feature

Provenance Notes: Written by Ray Fox‑Cumming as part of Disc’s “new names of today” column.

📰 The Story

The article opens with a vivid anecdote: David Bowie, filming his NBC TV special at the Marquee, notices a flamboyant woman crossing the stage — sequins, gold jewellery, black see‑through blouse, dyed red hair, nose ring. “Who’s that?” he asks. The answer: Dana Gillespie.

From there, the profile paints Gillespie as a woman of striking presence and unapologetic style — “a passion for gold, expensive furs and black underwear” — but also as a serious artist with a new RCA release, Weren’t Born a Man. The record is described as sounding like a cross between the Rolling Stones and Dusty Springfield, signalling her blend of grit and soul.

Fox‑Cumming leans into the Bowie connection, noting that Gillespie was Bowie’s first girlfriend, that he wrote songs for her (including “Andy Warhol”), and that she secured her RCA deal through Tony DeFries. But the article also emphasises her independence: she’s recording bold material, exploring theatrical roles, and preparing to appear in the National Theatre’s production of The Tempest.

The tone is playful, slightly irreverent, and very much of its era — presenting Gillespie as a glamorous, unpredictable figure who moves between music, theatre, and Bowie‑world mythology with ease. The final line — “For the time being, though, she is a chick who wants to play. Isn’t that enough?” — captures the article’s mix of admiration and tabloid wink.

📰 Visual Archive

Dana Gillespie “Topics” profile, Disc, February 16, 1974.

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📰 Closing Notes

This profile captures Dana Gillespie at a moment of reinvention — glamorous, theatrical, and stepping into her own artistic identity while still carrying the aura of her Bowie‑era mythology.

#DanaGillespie #DiscMagazine #1974 #GlamEra #RCARecords #DavidBowieCircle

📰 Sources

• Disc magazine, February 16, 1974

• RCA promotional materials

• Contemporary interviews and theatre announcements

📝 Copyright Notice

All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.