Miss Shirley Bassey

Miss Shirley Bassey
Author: John L. Williams
Publisher: Quercus
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1623652596

From "Hot from Harlem" to "Goldfinger," the story of how a two-bit jazz singer from Cardiff became an immortal icon: In 1954, Shirley Bassey was seventeen years old. She had just returned from a cheesy revue tour called "Hot from Harlem." Depressed, disillusioned and four months' pregnant, she decided that her dream of being a professional singer was over. A mere ten years later, she was one of the biggest stars in the world. She had sold more records than any other British singer of the day, and was poised to conquer America. Her latest hit, "Goldfinger," was the theme tune to the year's blockbuster film. No longer the two-bit jazz singer from Cardiff, she was by now an international sex siren, as glamorous and unreal as Bond himself. Miss Shirley Bassey explores this remarkable transformation, both of an individual and of the British society and British psyche that made it possible. From the vibrant, multicultural oasis of Tiger Bay in the Cardiff docklands through the club-lands of Soho and Las Vegas to New York's Carnegie Hall, it is a journey from mere mortal to international icon. Along the way she would encounter homosexual husbands, predatory managers, newspaper scandals, and a range of friends and acquaintances from Sammy Davis Jr. to Reggie Kray. John L. Williams draws on original research and interviews to provide a portrait of a young woman on the cusp of stardom, whose rise to fame was in many ways symbolic of a changing world. Brilliantly written non-fiction in the style of David Peace's The Damned Utd or Nick Tosches' Dino, this is the story of a woman who set out to be extraordinary and--against all the odds--succeeded.

Shirley Bassey

Shirley Bassey
Author: Peter K. Hogan
Publisher: Andre Deutsch Limited
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2008
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780233002385

The list of obstacles that Shirley Bassey had to overcome on her way to stardom is daunting: extreme poverty, a mixed-race background, an illegitimate child at the age of 16, and yet within a few years she transformed herself into an icon and a diva. This biography provides insights into her career.

Shirley Bassey

Shirley Bassey
Author: Shirley Bassey
Publisher: Bloomsbury Pub Limited
Total Pages: 191
Release: 1998
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780747540908

This autobiography spans five decades of Bassey's career, from her beginnings in Cardiff where she supplemented her weekly wage working in a sausage-making factory by accepting singing engagements, to her more recent successes and collaborations in the world of music.

America's Mistress

America's Mistress
Author: John L. Williams
Publisher: Quercus
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2014-10-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1623658241

Strait-laced, pre-civil rights America wasn't ready for Eartha Kitt. Waiting for others to be ready was never her style. in America's Mistress John L. Williams captures the person behind the myth in this engaging biography but also race relations in Twentieth-century America. From humble roots on a South Carolina cotton plantation, the multilingual, possibly multi-racial chanteuse emerged seemingly from nowhere to seduce the nation and redefine cosmopolitan glamour. Blending intellect, self-awareness and unprecedented sex appeal, she was a Technicolor presence in a black-and-white world. But the key to her allure was always her mystery, and her three not-entirely-consistent autobiographies raise more questions than they answer about who she really was--whether singing, dancing, acting or drawing headlines for her romantic dalliances and political activism. Drawing on extensive original research and interviews with the people who knew her best, Williams delivers a comprehensive, compassionate and thought-provoking record of a life that defied stereotypes, shattered boundaries, yet seemed to fall short of its potential in the end. America's Mistress is ultimately a celebration of a remarkable American life that paved the way for black entertainers from Belafonte to Beyoncé. With objectivity and thoroughness, John L. Williams provides sought-after answers to tantalizing and elusive questions.

Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey

Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey
Author: Mary Long
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2017-01-05
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1786064324

On 8 January 2017, Dame Shirley Bassey, one of the greatest performers – and voices – of her generation, will be eighty. This is her unique story, told at first-hand by her greatest fan. Since she signed her first professional contract at the age of sixteen, Shirley Bassey has become one of the most prestigious singers of her time. Her work has inspired and influenced many, and will continue to do so for generations to come. Diamonds Are Forever is the fascinating story of Shirley Bassey told from the perspective of one of her greatest fans. Mary Long first met the star in 1963 while a teenager, and since then has encountered her hundreds of times. In doing so, she has developed a unique insight into the life and career of one of our most iconic singers. The author’s warm personal story recounts her heroine’s journey to becoming one of the all-time greats of the British music industry, performing at such events as the Oscars and the Royal Variety Show. She also holds the record for singing the most title songs for James Bond films, with three: ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ and ‘Moonraker’. Published to mark Dame Shirley’s eightieth birthday, Diamonds Are Forever looks back on the life of this incredible artist whose music has touched so many. It is an essential buy not only for her countless thousands of fans worldwide, but also for anyone who admires and enjoys her music.

You'Re the Voice

You'Re the Voice
Author: Shirley Bassey
Publisher: Faber Music Limited
Total Pages: 48
Release: 2007-06-01
Genre: Motion picture music
ISBN: 9780571529582

Features arrangements of classic Shirley Bassey songs for piano, voice and guitar and a short artist biography. This book includes an accompanying CD that contains backing tracks for each song, professionally arranged and recorded to recreate the sounds of the original recording.

Lettice and Lovage

Lettice and Lovage
Author: Peter Shaffer
Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.
Total Pages: 124
Release: 1990
Genre: Tour guides (Persons)
ISBN: 9780573692598

Lettice Duffet, an expert on Elizabethan cuisine and medieval weaponry, is an indefatigable but daffy enthusiast of history and the theatre. As a tour guide at Fustian House, one of the least stately of London's stately homes, she theatrically embellishes its historical past, ultimately coming up on the radar of Lotte Schon, an inspector from the Preservation Trust. Neither impressed or entertained by Lettice's freewheeling history lessons, Schon fires her. Not one however, to go without a fight, Lettice engages the stoic, conventionial Lotte in battle to the death of all that is sacred to the Empire and the crown. This hit by the author of Equus and Amadeus featured a triumphant award-winning performance by Dame Maggie Smith in London and on Broadway.

The Sanest Guy in the Room

The Sanest Guy in the Room
Author: Don Black
Publisher: Constable
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2020-07-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1472132920

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER '. . . a compelling memoir. Breezy and unpretentious, The Sanest Guy in the Room is a delightful collection of memories, insider information and after-dinner anecdotes' The Times 'Brilliant stories and wonderful behind-the-scenes glimpses of a life and career in show-business . . . It's bloody brilliant . . . Read it!' Michael Ball Don Black is the songwriter's songwriter, a composer's dream collaborator, and the man behind some of the twentieth century's greatest musical numbers. Black made his first foray into the glittering world of showbiz as a stand-up, before realising his error and focusing on his lifelong passion instead - music. Shirley Bassey, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and Barbra Streisand are just some of the artists Black has worked with over the years - not to mention his frequent collaborator, West End legend Andrew Lloyd Webber - in what can only be described as a remarkable musical career. Yet, never one to court fame, Black has always remained what Mark Steyn coined as 'the sanest guy in the room'. Interwoven with the stories behind songs such as 'Diamonds are Forever' and 'Born Free' are vignettes of Black's life with his beloved wife Shirley, who died in March 2018, after almost sixty years of marriage. Black writes movingly about how the enormity of his grief changed his life, and how the dark days are slowly turning into dark moments. The Sanest Guy in the Room is a rich and delightful paean to a life lived through song. It reveals the essence of Black's craft, looks at those who have inspired him and allows us to understand what made those icons tick. It is also a poignant tribute to Shirley, his biggest inspiration. Told with wit, warmth and great humour, this is Don Black's astonishing musical journey and an insight into a life behind the lyrics.

Riot Days

Riot Days
Author: Maria Alyokhina
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2017-09-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1250164923

In 2012 Maria Alyokhina and other members of Pussy Riot performed a provocative 'Punk Prayer', taking on the Orthodox church and its support for Vladimir Putin's authoritarian regime. They were charged with 'organized hooliganism'. That trial and Alyokhina's subsequent imprisonment became an international cause. For Alyokhina, her two-year sentence launched a struggle against the Russian prison system and an iron-willed refusal to be deprived of her humanity. This book gives voice to Alyokhina's insistence on the right to say no, whether to a prison guard or to the president.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Author: Vashti Harrison
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 99
Release: 2017-12-05
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0316475106

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Meet the little leaders. They're brave. They're bold. They changed the world. Featuring 40 trailblazing black women in history, this book educates and inspires as it relates true stories of women who broke boundaries and exceeded all expectations, including: Nurse Mary Seacole Politician Diane Abbott Mathematician Katherine Johnson Singer Shirley Bassey Bestselling author and artist Vashti Harrison pairs captivating text and beautiful illustrations as she tells the stories of both iconic and lesser-known female figures. Among these biographies, readers will find heroes, role models, and everyday women who did extraordinary things.