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 BORN 
January 8th, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH
Tiger Bay, Cardiff, WALES
FAMOUS FOR
Singer & songwriter
USEFUL LINKS
The songs of Dame Shirley Bassey
Miss Bassey - A Tribute Site
IMDb |
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Shirley Bassey was born
in Tiger Bay, and was the seventh (and youngest) child of Henry and
Eliza Bassey. Her father was a seaman from Nigeria (who left the
family when she was two), and her mother was from Yorkshire in the
North of England.
Bassey spent her Primary School years at Moorland Primary in Splott.
She left secondary school in 1952 at the age of 15 when she found
employment packing in a local factory.
She enjoyed singing while she packed enamel pots, and to supplement
her wage she sang in local pubs and clubs. She also signed up to
various musicals, but only a year later Bassey had become sick of
show business.
She become pregnant at 16 years old with her daughter Sharon, so she
went back to waitressing in Cardiff. However, in 1955 talent
scout Michael Sullivan saw potential in Bassey, and decided he would
make her a star. She toured various theatres and recorded her first
single, 'Burn My Candle' in 1956. The next year saw her first hit
with The Banana Boat Song, which peaked at number 8 on the UK
singles chart.
Bassey signed to EMI
Columbia in 1958, and throughout the 1960s & 1970s, Bassey scored
with numerous hits including the title theme song for the James Bond
films 'Goldfinger', 'Diamonds Are Forever' and 'Moonraker', which
were great successes. She was married twice during the first part of
her career.
Her first husband was Kenneth Hume (from 1961 to 1965, when they
divorced). Her second husband, Sergio Novak, is the father of her
daughter, and they were married from 1968 until 1977, when that
marriage also ended in divorce.
Throughout most of the 1980s, Bassey focused on charitable works and
performing in more intimate venues. However, in 1997, she
caused a sensation in the UK with her song 'History Repeating' with
the Propellerheads, which went straight to Number 1 in the top 40
hits chart in the UK. Her new found fame coincided with her 60th
Birthday.
Bassey was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire on New Years
Eve 1999, by HM Queen Elizabeth II. The success of "History
Repeating" was the inspiration for the Diamonds Are Forever - The
Remix Album, which EMI released it in 2000, with new versions of
some of Bassey's most famous songs.
Although she now resides in Monaco after selling her flat in London
(with a percentage of proceeds going to charity), Dame Shirley
Bassey still returns to Wales for occasional performances. |
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