Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE ( born January 8, 1937 Cardiff, Wales) is a British singer. She was known among other things as an interpreter of three theme songs to the James Bond films. One of the most famous interpretations of her songs is "Goldfinger".
Shirley's father was a sailor Nigerian and West Indian descent, her mother came from Yorkshire, Northern England. She grew up in the area of the infamous Tiger Bay Cardiff up as the youngest of seven children. The father left the family when Shirley was two years old. Your passion for music, but especially to the glamor, she discovered when she attended a Billy Eckstine concert together with her older sister and was fascinated by the crowd at Eckstine wardrobe. Those intent solidified a week later when her brother was playing her the record " Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Judy Garland.
The school she broke off with fourteen years and worked as a packer in a crockery factory. Bassey improved their earnings with appearances on in pubs and clubs in the area. 1953 she participated in the revue "Memories of Jolson ," a musical work-up of the biography of Al Jolson. Then she received a firm commitment in "Hot From Harlem ," which was performed until 1954. At this time Bassey was sixteen years old already pregnant with her daughter Sharon and worked in the period following a while waitressing in Cardiff.
In 1955, Michael Sullivan, an agent from London, attentive to the singer. He decided to make her a star. She pulled by several theaters until she got an offer for the show, which should make it famous, Al Reads " Such Is Life". A television broadcast of the Revue impressed Johnny Franz, a music producer at Philips A & R. He offered then to a recording contract.
The Philips - era
Shirley he soon released their first single, "Burn My Candle " on. She appeared at Philips in February 1956. Though disabled because of the hint full text of the BBC, the single sold very well. The title of the B- side was " Stormy Weather ". More singles and appeared in the February 1957 Shirley Bassey landed her first success with their version of " Banana Boat Song ", which was advancing in the British charts at number 8. In the same year she took for the American Columbia label with producer Mitch Miller, the single " If I Had A Needle And Thread / Tonight My Heart She Is Crying" on. Mid-1958 produced two singles that would become classics in the Bassey repertoire. "As I Love You " was released as the B - side of another ballad, " Hands Across The Sea". The sale was initially slow; but that changed after a performance at the London Palladium. In February 1959, the title reached number one and stayed there for four weeks. Shirley took the time to also " Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me". In parallel with the title "As I Love You" also this single quickly became popular, and both plates eventually occupied simultaneously foremost charts courts. A few months later, Bassey signed a contract with EMI Columbia.
The Sixties and Seventies
Here it was produced by the specialized in ballads Norman Newell. He succeeded only in August 1960, As Long As He Needs Me again to produce a major hit, could occupy the second place in the British singles chart with Bassey. By the 1960s, through their hits were regularly represented in the British charts. On August 20, 1964, she took - exceptionally with Beatles producer George Martin - Goldfinger for the eponymous James Bond film which placed in the top 10 singles charts in the UK and the USA. As a result of this success, Shirley often appeared in various American television talk shows, such as those of Johnny Carson and Mike Douglas. In April 1970, she landed the cover version of the Beatles song Something a globally successful hit, which reached as the original fourth place in the British charts, although only a few months before the written by George Harrison Original was represented in the charts. For 22 weeks, the Bassey version was in the top 50 (compared to "only" 12 weeks for the Beatles' classic ). In 1971, the theme song to " Diamonds Are Forever", which was also a great success. Followed in 1979 with " Moonraker " the last James Bond theme music. No other artist has more than once sung the theme song for a James Bond film.
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The largest part of the 1980s, Bassey focused on charitable work. They occurred only occasionally on a small scale and let the magnificent concert events behind. 1987 set to music Bassey with her distinctive voice " The Rhythm Divine" for the Swiss band Yello. However, your title " History Repeating ", which she recorded with the Propellerheads in 1997, became a sensation in the UK. The song reached the top spot of the UK dance music charts and brought Bassey a new generation of fans, including the British princes William and Harry.
Due to their comparatively long-lasting career and special admiration by the royal family Shirley Bassey was collected on 31 December 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II for Lady Commander of the British Empire. Today Shirley Bassey lives in Monaco.