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Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social

THESE ISLES: Dame Shirley Bassey, born in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay in 1937, is famed for her powerful, sultry voice and sequined gowns. In a career spanning more than 70 years, she has sold more than 140m records, making her one of the world’s best-selling female singers. 1/7

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Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social

Bassey became particularly known for recording theme songs of the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979) - the only artist to officially perform more than one. 2/7

Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social

She was the youngest child of an English mother from Yorkshire and a Nigerian seaman who separated before she was three years old, after which she was raised in the nearby working class neighbourhood of Splott. 3/7

Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social

Bassey left school at 15 to work in Currans armaments factory in Grangetown and started singing in working men’s clubs before signing her first professional contract in 1953 to sing in a touring variety show. Her first chart hit was ‘The Banana Boat Song’ in 1957. 4/7

Brian Groom
@groomb.bsky.social

Before long, Bassey became a household name, famed for glitz and glamour, and with a reputation as a first-rate cabaret entertainer throughout the world. On stage she thrilled audiences with dynamic singing, extravagant gestures and majestic gowns. 5/7

Karen Lucas-Thompson 🇬🇧🇦🇺🦘
@kaz747.bsky.social

Best concert I ever went to was in 1997 and Shirley Bassey was performing, with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, at the Leeuwin Estate (winery) in Margaret River, Western Australia. The outdoor concert, nestled between the trees and the vines was sensational 🎼🎤