Shirley Bassey

From "Hot from Harlem" to "Goldfinger," the story of how a two-bit jazz singer from Cardiff became an immortal icon: In 1954, Shirley Bassey was seventeen years old. She had just returned from a cheesy revue tour called "Hot from Harlem." Depressed, disillusioned and four months' pregnant, she decided that her dream of being a professional singer was over. A mere ten years later, she was one of the biggest stars in the world. She had sold more records than any other British singer of the day, and was poised to conquer America. Her latest hit, "Goldfinger," was the theme tune to the year's blockbuster film. No longer the two-bit jazz singer from Cardiff, she was by now an international sex siren, as glamorous and unreal as Bond himself. Miss Shirley Bassey explores this remarkable transformation, both of an individual and of the British society and British psyche that made it possible. From the vibrant, multicultural oasis of Tiger Bay in the Cardiff docklands through the club-lands of Soho and Las Vegas to New York's Carnegie Hall, it is a journey from mere mortal to international icon. Along the way she would encounter homosexual husbands, predatory managers, newspaper scandals, and a range of friends and acquaintances from Sammy Davis Jr. to Reggie Kray. John L. Williams draws on original research and interviews to provide a portrait of a young woman on the cusp of stardom, whose rise to fame was in many ways symbolic of a changing world. Brilliantly written non-fiction in the style of David Peace's The Damned Utd or Nick Tosches' Dino, this is the story of a woman who set out to be extraordinary and--against all the odds--succeeded.

This autobiography spans five decades of Bassey's career, from her beginnings in Cardiff where she supplemented her weekly wage working in a sausage-making factory by accepting singing engagements, to her more recent successes and collaborations in the world of music.

On 8 January 2017, Dame Shirley Bassey, one of the greatest performers – and voices – of her generation, will be eighty. This is her unique story, told at first-hand by her greatest fan. Since she signed her first professional contract at the age of sixteen, Shirley Bassey has become one of the most prestigious singers of her time. Her work has inspired and influenced many, and will continue to do so for generations to come. Diamonds Are Forever is the fascinating story of Shirley Bassey told from the perspective of one of her greatest fans. Mary Long first met the star in 1963 while a teenager, and since then has encountered her hundreds of times. In doing so, she has developed a unique insight into the life and career of one of our most iconic singers. The author’s warm personal story recounts her heroine’s journey to becoming one of the all-time greats of the British music industry, performing at such events as the Oscars and the Royal Variety Show. She also holds the record for singing the most title songs for James Bond films, with three: ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and ‘Moonraker’. Published to mark Dame Shirley’s eightieth birthday, Diamonds Are Forever looks back on the life of this incredible artist whose music has touched so many. It is an essential buy not only for her countless thousands of fans worldwide, but also for anyone who admires and enjoys her music.

As the ''Times'' review pointed out, the overriding successes of 2007's Glastonbury Festival were those of two female performers. One was Lily Allen; the other was Dame Shirley Bassey. Conditions onstage were almost as bad as down in the mud with the crowd, yet the 70 - year - old Bassey managed to pull her orchestra and the audience with her all the way.This long - awaited new biography opens with the now - famous helicopter emergency landing that followed Bassey's performance, then backtracks to her youth in Cardiff's Tiger Bay in the 1930s. From this moment on, the keyword in this sparkling biography is context. Most people have no real idea what the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were actually like in Britain, because they believe the cliches. The reality was much bleaker - a grey world punctuated by the occasional flash of colour ... and Shirley Bassey was undeniably one of those flashes.The list of obstacles she had to overcome on her way to stardom is daunting: extreme poverty, a mixed - race background, an illegitimate child at the age of 16 ... and yet within a few years she transformed herself into the Shirley Bassey we all know - and eventually into an icon and a diva. She may be only two years younger than Elvis, and only a few years older than the Beatles, but these acts were not her chart rivals - and nor were Tommy Steele or Cliff Richard. Bassey's competition lay in the orthodox showbiz world of performers such as Vera Lynn, Liberace and the Beverley Sisters. Bassey blasted her way through with sheer sex appeal, of which her sense of humour is as much a key ingredient as her shimmering skin - tight costumes.While very few ''easy listening'' acts of the 1960s and 1970s have managed to cross over into mass acceptance by a modern audience, Bassey is one who has. What's more, she seems now - much like Johnny Cash - to have been adopted by younger artists eager to work with her. In recent years she has collaborated with Yello, Billy Mackenzie, the Propellerheads and Never The Bride. In short, she still enjoys dizzying popularity, and Peter Hogan's refreshing new insights put her career into brilliant perspective.

Growing up in a large Nigerian family in South London, Stephen K. Amos learnt early on to find the humour in every situation. Raised by his parents and extended family of 'aunts' and 'uncles', I Used to Say My Mother was Shirley Bassey tells the story of Stephen's chaotic upbringing in the carnival atmosphere of the late seventies and early eighties. Stephen describes his awkward beginnings as the only black kid in his class, where he told everyone his mum was Shirley Bassey to break the ice. Then, as a middle child in a large family, Stephen learnt stage presence by vying for attention and performing at family parties. Now a world-renowned comedian and performer, regularly selling out venues like the Hammersmith Apollo, Stephen looks back at his earlier life and the incidents which shaped him and continue to inspire his performances. Poignant, funny, and with the narrative gift Stephen is famous for, I Used to SayMy Mother was Shirley Bassey is a memoir of a life fitting in, standing out, and (almost) always laughing.

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE, born on 8th January 1937, Bute St., Tiger Bay (Butetown), Cardiff, Wales, UK, is a singer whose career began in the mid-1950s, best known for her powerful voice and for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). Bassey became the first Welsh person to have a No. 1 single, during January 1959.

Dame Barbara Windsor, DBE, born Barbara Ann Deeks, on 6th August 1937, Shoreditch, London, England, UK, is an actress, best known for her appearances in the Carry On films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC1 soap opera EastEnders. She joined the cast of EastEnders during 1994, winning the British Soap Award for Best Actress in 1999, before leaving the show in 2016.

Features arrangements of classic Shirley Bassey songs for piano, voice and guitar and a short artist biography. This book includes an accompanying CD that contains backing tracks for each song, professionally arranged and recorded to recreate the sounds of the original recording.