The Spiders from Mars

The Spiders from Mars were the English singer David Bowie's backing band in the early 1970s, and initially consisted of Mick Ronson on guitars, Trevor Bolder on bass guitar, and Mick Woodmansey on drums.The group had its origins in Bowie's earlier backing outfit the Hype, which featured Ronson and Woodmansey, but Tony Visconti on bass. They were briefly signed as a band on its own, known as Ronno. With Bolder taking over bass, they were subsequently named via the landmark 1972 Bowie concept album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and were billed as such on the accompanying large-scale Ziggy Stardust Tour. Bowie had originally wanted keyboardist Rick Wakeman, then a member of the Strawbs, to join the band, having played on Bowie's second album and on Hunky Dory; Wakeman declined and instead joined the progressive rock band Yes. Wakeman would feature uncredited on the album, and would collaborate with Bowie again on "Absolute Beginners".The band would move through a series of keyboard players culminating in Mike Garson. The Spiders from Mars were present again on Bowie's 1973 album, Aladdin Sane. Another leg of the tour followed that year, with the final show captured in the film, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With Aynsley Dunbar replacing Woodmansey, the band made the 1980 Floor Show in late 1973. This line-up also recorded the album Pin Ups. After Ronson and Bolder also moved on, Bowie, Garson and Dunbar recorded Diamond Dogs. These latter two albums both still depicted Bowie as the Ziggy Stardust character on the sleeve.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.