Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain.

Shirley Bassey

Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey is a Welsh singer, born in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, in 1937. Her farther was Nigerian and her mother from Newcastle, Shirley began her career performing as a teenager in 1953 and soon became well-known for her expressive voice. She was spotted and signed her first record deal with Jonny Franz in 1958 and went on to record her debut single “Burn My Candle” which was subsuqently banned by the BBC for being “too saucy”.

In January 1959, Bassey became the first Welsh person to gain a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, she is also famed for releasing the soundtrack theme songs of the James Bond films Goldfinger  in 1964, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971, and Moonraker in 1979.

In 1977, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist. In 2000, Shirley Bassey was appointed a Dame for services to the performing arts. She’s continued to have success as a collaborator, teaming up with acts such as Yello, Kaiser Chiefs, Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers and also recorded a cover of Pink’s Get The Party Started in 2007.

Most recently in 2020, with the release of her latest album, I Owe It All To You, Bassey became the first female artist to chart an album in the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart in seven consecutive decades.