Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey has been recognised in the 2023 New Year Honours list.
Dame Shirley, who hails from Tiger Bay in Cardiff, was made awarded a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the New Year list in recognition for her services to music.
She said she was "truly humbled” to be made a Companion of Honour having previously become a dame back in 1999.
Dame Shirley said in a statement to the PA news agency: “Receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour is just one of the most wonderful feelings.
“Music has been a constant companion in my life. As a little girl growing up in Tiger Bay, I would dream of travelling the world and never imagined that one day, my voice would take me to where I am now.
“Every step of my career has been about taking that chance, believing in myself and making that leap.
“I live to sing and love to perform. Entertaining audiences for over 70 years has been a privilege. My heart is full of emotion and I am truly humbled.”
The life and career of Dame Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley was born the youngest of seven children in Tiger Bay, Cardiff.
Her early jobs included working in a factory’s wrapping and packing department while she sang at working men’s clubs on weekends.
After touring Britain in revues and variety shows, she enjoyed her first hit in 1957, with the calypso-style Banana Boat Song.
She became the first Welsh singer to score a number one single, in January 1959, with As I Love You from the album The Bewitching Miss Bassey.
She was the first recipient of the Brit Award for best British female solo artist in 1977, and the first musician to be awarded the Freedom of the City of Cardiff.
So great has her success been, that even into the 1990s, her records have spent more time in the UK charts than those of any other British female performer.
Twenty-nine of her albums were registered as best sellers between 1961 and 1991.
In 1964 she had a major hit in the United States with Goldfinger, one of three title songs she has performed for James Bond films.
She also recorded the theme songs for Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.
In 1997 she scored a notable hit with Propellerheads on History Repeating, and in 2005 she featured on the top 10 hit Diamonds Are From Sierra Leone by Kanye West.
Dame Shirley has even performed at the Glastonbury music festival as recently as 2007.
Dame Shirley Bassey first solo female artist to be honoured with own stamp in 2023
In September 2023, Royal Mail issued a set of 12 special stamps to mark 70 years since the start of Dame Shirley’s career.
This made her the first solo female music artist to be honoured with a dedicated stamp issue.
The stamps included Dame Shirley singing at the following venues/events:
- At the Pigalle nightclub in 1965
- In Bournemouth in 1974
- At the BBC Electric Proms in 2009
- Singing World In Union with Bryn Terfel during the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup in 1999
- Performing during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, in 2013
Earlier in the year, the Royal Mint released a limited-edition series of coins created in her honour, with a design featuring the name and silhouette of the singer striking her famous arms-outstretched pose.
The coin is embossed with the names of her three James Bond theme tunes and also pays tribute to the performer’s roots through a small depiction of the Welsh dragon.
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