2023Music Giants VIII - Dame Shirley Bassey - Coin Cover

Dame Shirley Bassey is one of Britain’s best-loved performers and the first female vocalist whose albums have charted in the UK top 40 over seven consecutive decades. Born in 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Dame Shirley toured theatres and revues until she signed a record deal with Philips and scored the number one hit, ‘As I Love You’, in 1959. By the 1970s, she was an international star with numerous hit albums spanning contemporary pop, show tunes and soundtracks. Some of her greatest work was with film composer John Barry, creating the James Bond themes ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and ‘Moonraker’, which became her signature songs. In the 1990s and 2000s, she attracted a whole new audience, performing the official song for the 1999 Rugby World Cup with Bryn Terfel and attending the 2007 Glastonbury Festival in diamante wellington boots. She was awarded a CBE in 1994 and a DBE in 1999.