VIDEO: Northampton rising star bids goodbye to the Starman with tribute song

Dave Vegas scooped the Rising Star 2016’ award from the Songwriters’ Guild, at an award ceremony on January 10.

Only hours later news broke that pop legend David Bowie has died of cancer, aged 69.

It led the guild to ask Northampton man Mr Vegas whether he would consider writing a tribute to the legend.

The recently crowned rising star duly obliged and wrote The Man who came from Mars within three hours during a sitting at Blow the Roof Records’ Market Square offices in Northampton.

Mr Vegas said: “In my eyes there was only one fitting way to pay my respects to one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived.

“David Bowie is much more than a musical legend and fashion icon, he was a national treasure.”

Mr Vegas, who is frontman of the band Jagged Little Thrills, was first spotted in Northampton by Dan York, the CEO of Blow the Roof Records.

Mr York said: “The day he wrote the tribute in our offices on Market Square, he truly showed his creative abilities in front of a room full of people in amazement and proved how he can still perform to a very high standard under time constraints.”

Since David Bowie, who was an ambassador to the songwriter’s guild himself, passed away, his albums and songs have climbed the charts on iTunes and Amazon.

Record label Rough Trade announced that all profits from sales of David Bowie records will go to Cancer Research UK in honour of the star.