Artist of the Week: Shirley Bassey

With the new James Bond film, "Casino Royale," due out in UK cinemas later this week, it seemed only appropriate to honor a singer who will always be associated with Bond films. My Artist of the Week, this week is Dame Shirley Bassey. She is the only singer to record more than one Bond theme song, having done three: "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Moonraker." My favorite of her Bond songs is "Diamonds Are Forever," and it's that which I have selected as my profile song for the week. "Diamonds Are Forever" also happens to be my favorite Bond film, of all time.
Born in 1937 (the same year as my mother), in Cardiff, Wales, to a Nigerian father and English mother, she was the youngest of seven children. When she first left school, she worked in a factory and supplemented her income by singing in local pubs and clubs. Shirley Bassey has had, to date, 31 hits in the UK Singles Chart and 35 hit albums in the UK Albums chart, over a 42 year period. She is Britain's most successful female chart artist of all time. Her career isn't over yet. She has a new single, "The Living Tree," due out soon, with a new album to follow. You can check her out on Myspace, at: www.myspace.com/shirleybassey . Add her as a friend and tell her I sent you. Ladies and gentlemen, Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey.