Shirley Bassey is best known for the soundtracks of three James Bond films such as 'Goldfinger' and the evergreen 'This Is My Life'. Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey was born on 8 January 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff. She is the youngest of seven children. She left school at fifteen to work in a nearby factory.
While working, she was constantly singing and decided to earn extra money as a singer in pubs.
Pregnant
Bassey took part in the musicals Memories of Jolson and Hot From Harlem. She soon grew tired of showbiz and returned to Cardiff to work as a waitress. Meanwhile, at the age of sixteen, she became pregnant with her daughter Sharon.
Breakthrough
Booking agent Michael Sullivan had his eye on Bassey and wanted to make her a star. She did several theatre tours until she was asked to take part in the show that would definitively put her on the map: Al Read's Such Is Life. Producer Johnny Franz saw her on TV and was so impressed that he offered her a record contract.
Singles
Her first single 'Burn My Candle' was boycotted by the BBC due to suggestive lyrics, but despite this, the song sold well. In 1957, Bassey scored her first real big hit with the song 'Banana Boat Song'. More hits would follow.
James Bond
Thanks to her performance of the theme song of the James Bond film Goldfinger, Bassey also became a popular artist in America. She appeared on various TV shows and released the album Something. In 1971, she recorded the theme song for Diamonds Are Forever. Eight years later, she did the same for the Bond film Moonraker. She is the only singer to have recorded more than one James Bond song.
Successful
With some 30 hits in the US Single Chart, 35 LPs in the UK Albums Chart and a repertoire spanning more than 40 years, Shirley Bassey is regarded as one of the most successful female artists ever in Great Britain.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Shirley is listed with only one entry:
Sunday Morning Classic: Never, Never, Never
On 19 June 2022, the album "Never, Never, Never" was on our turntable as Sunday Morning Classic. Personally, I consider this one of Shirley Bassey's best albums.
Never, Never, Never was released in May 1973 and the album put Bassey back on the map. The original Italian title track "Grande, Grande, Grande" was sung by the Italian singer Mina. Norman Newell translated the song to reach an international audience. From that moment on, "Never, Never, Never" was almost always part of Shirley's concerts. It is one of Bassey's biggest hits. The album also includes covers such as "Baby I'm-a Want You", "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "No Regrets" – the latter sharing the title with another song Bassey had recorded and released in the 1960s.
About the album, Billboard magazine said it was "an excellent production", made "with care and love and with Shirley's excellent vocal range, complemented by a large orchestra". At the time of release, Bassey was in the middle of a national American tour.
The original release was in stereo on vinyl (with a gatefold sleeve) and cassette. The album was reissued in remastered form by BGO Records in a double CD package, together with her 1975 album Good, Bad but Beautiful in 2005.
The album cover featured one of the most beautiful and natural photos of Shirley Bassey and was photographed by Lord Snowdon. Unfortunately, the album inlay had one of the most unnatural photos ever taken of Shirley.
Source: NPO and Wikipedia Photo: By Nyctc7 and Rob Mieremet
Below you will find a small selection of Shirley Bassey's albums. If you are looking for a specific album, please let us know.
