68 Facts About Dame Shirley Bassey

Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Dame Shirley Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists in Britain.

Dame Shirley Bassey's became well-known for recording the soundtrack theme songs of the James Bond films Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker .

In 2020, Dame Shirley Bassey became the first female artist to chart an album in the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart in seven consecutive decades with her album I Owe It All To You.

Dame Shirley Bassey received the first award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 1st Brit Awards in 1977.

Dame Shirley Bassey's was appointed a Dame in 1999 for services to the performing arts.

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Dame Shirley Bassey's has influenced many other singers, including Aretha Franklin.

Shirley Veronica Bassey was born the sixth and youngest child of Henry Bassey and Eliza Jane Start on Bute Street in Tiger Bay, Cardiff.

Dame Shirley Bassey's mother listed her first husband, Alfred Metcalfe, as her own father in the registry of her marriage to Henry Dame Shirley Bassey, giving rise to speculation that this marriage was bigamous in the absence of a prior divorce.

Eliza and Henry's second child died in infancy, so Dame Shirley Bassey was born into a household of three sisters, two half-sisters, and one brother.

Dame Shirley Bassey's left Splott secondary modern school at age 14 to work at Curran Steels and, in the evenings and weekends, to sing in local pubs and clubs.

In 1953, Dame Shirley Bassey signed her first professional contract, touring with the variety show Memories of Jolson, a musical based on the life of Al Jolson.

On 17 December 1953, Dame Shirley Bassey signed a contract with Columbia Productions for two performances at the salary of £10.

In 1955, Dame Shirley Bassey toured various theatres until she was noticed by the impresario Jack Hylton at the Astor Club in September 1955.

Dame Shirley Bassey recorded her first single, "Burn My Candle", the song she had featured in "Such Is Life", and this was released in February 1956.

In mid-1958, Dame Shirley Bassey recorded two singles that would become classics in the Dame Shirley Bassey catalogue.

Dame Shirley Bassey's made her American television debut on 13 November 1960, when she performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Dame Shirley Bassey's began to gain recognition in the American market and signed to United Artists Records in August 1961.

In January 1963, Bassey performed at a gala commemorating the second anniversary of President John F Kennedy's inauguration in Washington, D C In March 1963, she appeared on the cover of Ebony magazine.

Dame Shirley Bassey made her debut at New York's Carnegie Hall debut on 15 February 1964.

In 1965, Dame Shirley Bassey enjoyed her only Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the title song of the James Bond film, Goldfinger.

Dame Shirley Bassey recorded a song for the next Bond film, Thunderball .

Dame Shirley Bassey began to live as a tax exile in 1968 and was unable to work in Britain for almost two years.

Dame Shirley Bassey's returned to the UK with a record-breaking run of performances at the Talk of the Town nightclub.

Dame Shirley Bassey appeared on the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show, broadcast on Christmas Day in 1971.

Dame Shirley Bassey was the subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions: firstly, in November 1972 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Heathrow Airport, and then in January 1993, when Michael Aspel surprised her at the curtain call of a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

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Dame Shirley Bassey recorded a series of successful albums on the United Artists label, including: Something Else ; And I Love You So ; I Capricorn ; Never Never Never ; Good, Bad but Beautiful ; Love, Life and Feelings ; You Take My Heart Away and Yesterdays .

In 1976, Bassey starred in the six-episode Shirley Bassey show, the first of her television programmes for the BBC, followed by a second series of six episodes in 1979.

In 1979, Dame Shirley Bassey recorded the title theme song for the Bond film, Moonraker.

Dame Shirley Bassey's had ended her contract with United Artists, whose former record division was now part of EMI, and began what she referred to as "semi-retirement".

Dame Shirley Bassey recorded an album entitled All by Myself and made a TV special for Thames Television called A Special Lady with guest Robert Goulet.

Dame Shirley Bassey was now recording far less often but an album of her most famous songs, I Am What I Am, was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Carl Davis.

Dame Shirley Bassey's recorded an album of James Bond themes, The Bond Collection in 1987, but was apparently unhappy with the results so she declined to release it.

Dame Shirley Bassey provided vocals for Swiss artists Yello on "The Rhythm Divine", a song co-written by Scottish singer Billy Mackenzie.

Dame Shirley Bassey collaborated with Chris Rea in the film La Passione, appearing in the film as herself and releasing the single "'Disco' La Passione".

On 7 October 1998 in Egypt, Dame Shirley Bassey performed for a benefit at an open-air concert close to the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

Dame Shirley Bassey played the Friday night at Henley Festival in 1984.

Dame Shirley Bassey was sued in a breach of contract case in 1998 by her former personal assistant, who accused Dame Shirley Bassey of hitting her and making an ethnic slur.

Dame Shirley Bassey celebrated 50 years in show business in 2003 with the release of the CD Thank You for the Years, which was another top 20 album.

Dame Shirley Bassey topped the bill at the 2005 Royal Variety Performance, introducing her new song "The Living Tree".

Two popular Audiences with Shirley Bassey have aired on British television, one in 1995 that attracted more than 10 million viewers in the UK, with the second broadcast in 2006.

Dame Shirley Bassey performed a 45-minute set at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival wearing a pink Julien Macdonald dress, and customised Wellington boots.

In 2007, Dame Shirley Bassey performed in Fashion Rocks in aid of The Prince's Trust at the Royal Albert Hall.

Dame Shirley Bassey was rushed to hospital in Monaco on 23 May 2008 to have an emergency operation on her stomach after complaining of abdominal pains.

Dame Shirley Bassey's was forced to pull out of the Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute concert because of her illness.

Dame Shirley Bassey recorded the album The Performance, with James Bond composer David Arnold as co-producer .

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Dame Shirley Bassey headlined at the BBC Electric Proms on 23 October 2009, in her only full live set of 2009.

Dame Shirley Bassey's performed several of the new songs from The Performance in November 2009 on various TV shows: The Graham Norton Show, The Paul O'Grady Show and as the guest singer on Strictly Come Dancing.

Dame Shirley Bassey performed at a gala celebrating the 80th birthday of Mikhail Gorbachev on 30 March 2011.

Dame Shirley Bassey's performed at the Classical Brit Awards in 2011, singing "Goldfinger" in tribute to John Barry.

Dame Shirley Bassey was one of the line-up of artists on 4 June 2012 who performed at the Queen's 60th Jubilee Party at Buckingham Palace, singing "Diamonds Are Forever".

Dame Shirley Bassey's performed at the 2013 Academy Awards on 24 February 2013 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond movie franchise.

Dame Shirley Bassey performed "I'm Still Here" and "The Lady Is A Tramp" on 13 November 2014 at the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Dame Shirley Bassey released another album, Hello Like Before, on 17 November 2014.

In December 2016, Dame Shirley Bassey starred in a 60-minute BBC broadcast hosted by David Walliams.

On 11 March 2018, Dame Shirley Bassey performed "Almost Like Being In Love" in a tribute to Sir Bruce Forsyth at the London Palladium.

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

From 1968 until they divorced in 1979, Dame Shirley Bassey was married to Sergio Novak, the assistant manager of the Excelsior Hotel in Venice.

Dame Shirley Bassey had Sharon at the age of 17 and her sister Ella raised her as her own daughter until the 1960s.

Dame Shirley Bassey's first husband suggested that Samantha, born during the couple's marriage, was the result of an affair between Dame Shirley Bassey and Peter Finch.

Dame Shirley Bassey has always maintained that the death of her daughter was not a suicide.

Dame Shirley Bassey has four grandsons through her surviving daughter, Sharon Novak.

Dame Shirley Bassey's was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 31 December 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to entertainment.

Dame Shirley Bassey's was invited to perform in 2002 at the Party at the Palace, a public celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Dame Shirley Bassey performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012, singing "Diamonds Are Forever".

Dame Shirley Bassey's was invited to perform at the Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle on 15 May 2016.

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In 2012, Dame Shirley Bassey was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt.

Dame Shirley Bassey's was awarded France's top honour, the Legion d'Honneur, to signify her popularity and importance in the culture of France.

Dame Shirley Bassey was awarded the freedom of her hometown, Cardiff, in a ceremony at City Hall on 17 May 2019.