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Shirley Bassey
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Shirley Bassey is a Welsh singer, born in 1937 in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, the youngest of six children. Her father came from Nigeria, her mother from England. At school she received little encouragement for her powerful voice. At fourteen she went to work in a steel factory and sang in pubs and clubs in the evenings and at weekends. In 1953 she signed her first professional contract, for a tour with the revue Memories of Jolson. In 1955 she was discovered by the impresario Jack Hylton and given a part in a West End show. Record producer Johnny Franz then offered her a contract with Philips.
Music and breakthrough
In 1959 she became the first Welsh singer with a number 1 in the United Kingdom. In the decades that followed she had many hits, including As I Love You and History Repeating. She is the only artist to have sung more than one official theme song for a James Bond film: Goldfinger in 1964, Diamonds Are Forever in 1971 and Moonraker in 1979. Goldfinger entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. In 1977 she received the first Brit Award for best British female solo artist, and in 1999 she was made a Dame.
Influence
Her voice is powerful and dramatic, with a wide range that suits large orchestras and grand gestures. On albums such as Shirley Stops the Shows and I Am What I Am she sang both ballads and showpieces. She was a favourite singer of Aretha Franklin and influenced other vocalists. Together with the strings and brass of the orchestral arrangements, her Bond songs form a sound that belongs to the spy films.
Listening
Goldfinger (Main Title) · Shirley Bassey, 1964
Discography
Studio albums
- 1957Born to Sing the Blues
- 1959The Bewitching Miss Bassey
- 1959The Fabulous Shirley Bassey
- 1961The Fabulous Shirley Bassey
- 1962Let's Face the Music
- 1962Shirley Bassey Sings The Hit Song From Oliver Plus Other Popular Selections
- 1965Shirley Stops the Shows
- 1966I’ve Got a Song for You
- 1967And We Were Lovers
- 196812 of Those Songs
- 1968This Is My Life
- 1969Does Anybody Miss Me
- 1969Shirley
- 1970Something
- 1971Something Else
- 1972And I Love You So
- 1972I Capricorn
- 1973Never, Never, Never
- 1974Nobody Does It Like Me
- 1975Good, Bad but Beautiful
- 1976Love, Life and Feelings
- 1977You Take My Heart Away
- 1978Yesterdays
- 1982All by Myself
- 1984I Am What I Am
- 1989La mujer
- 1991Keep the Music Playing
- 199310,000 Voices II
- 1993Shirley
- 1995Shirley
- 1996The Show Must Go On
- 2009The Performance
- 2014Hello Like Before
- 2020I Owe It All to You
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- The Dream Factory: Film Reel 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Bond and spy sound Genre
He combined big brass chords, jazzy horns and electric guitar with a strong title song, such as ‘Goldfinger’ (1964), sung by Shirley Bassey.