In the 70s, after just a week together David Bowie put his full trust in photographer Andrew Kent, thanks to writer/ director, Cameron Crowe. Crowe was the wiz-kid who left school and started touring with bands for Rolling Stone—at age 16, the story of which is detailed in his film, Almost Famous. This meant that Crowe had missed Drivers Ed.

“I was very lucky to meet David Bowie when I did. I met him almost nine months before I ended up working with him. Cameron Crowe didn’t drive so I had to go back to the studio and pick them up at two in the morning. We went back to Bowie’s place in Stone Canyon Bel Air. And the rest is history.”

Kent’s portraits capture some of the most striking images of Bowie ever. During the relentless tour schedule, Bowie and Kent made time for fun stops along the way. From crossing the Atlantic by ship, getting lost behind the Iron Curtain and moments backstage when Bowie would put on his own makeup. With the rest of his tour flying out days later, Bowie decided to take the Italian ship Michaelangelo across the Atlantic with just his assistant, Coco.

All photos are by Andrew Kent and available for sale at RockPaperPhoto.com