Shirley Bassey

莎麗·貝希 作為英美流行歌壇和舞臺劇領(lǐng)域的傳奇巨星，莎麗·貝希有著極為顯赫的地位。她那無與倫比的豪放歌聲40年來征服了世界各地，為無數(shù)人帶來了難以磨滅的美好回憶。莎麗·貝希1937年出生于英國的威爾士，母親是白人，而父親則是尼日利亞海員。在16歲時，莎麗·貝希便展現(xiàn)出令人驚異的演唱才華，1957年她因?yàn)榉谌烁枋止?middot;貝拉方特的一首“香蕉船之歌”，一舉打入英國排行榜的前10名，從此一發(fā)不可收拾。在50年代末60年代初，莎麗·貝希以其別人難以望其項(xiàng)背的獨(dú)特歌喉，接連唱出后來幾十年來令無數(shù)人傳唱的流行名曲，成為當(dāng)時英國最走紅最具人氣的流行女歌手。1961年莎麗·貝希進(jìn)軍美國歌壇，很快在紐約百老匯奠定了自己的地位。她的迷人光彩和神奇歌聲幾乎令人暈眩，激蕩人心的演唱和熱力四射的舞臺表演，被認(rèn)為是對現(xiàn)場觀眾實(shí)施 “迷幻攻擊”，極度的受歡迎。 整個70年代和80年代，莎麗·貝希依然是歐美流行歌壇最活躍的老牌歌手，她除了參與不少電影的主題曲演唱；更在電視等媒體亮相；在卡內(nèi)基音樂廳等著名的音樂廳開演唱會；錄制了不少狂銷一時的專輯。像安東尼·耐維爾、喬治·哈里森、萊昂·羅素、比利·喬爾等著名的音樂人都與她有過密切的合作，為她創(chuàng)作過許多優(yōu)秀的歌曲。
by John Bush
Known to Americans most for her belting rendition of the theme to Goldfinger, the 1964 edition in the James Bond series (as well as 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker), Shirley Bassey was one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Known as Bassey the Belter and also the Tigress of Tiger Bay, her early career in touring shows and cabaret brought her a recording contract with Philips by the late '50s. After reaching the top of the British charts in 1959 with "As I Love You" and later "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain," Bassey was tapped to swing the theme song to the third James Bond vehicle. Her voice, brassy and sexy, conveyed the James Bond myth perfectly and became a big hit in America. Though later chart placings in the U.S. were few, she continued to do well in Great Britain, France and the Netherlands into the mid-'70s.
Born in January 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, Shirley Bassey was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, a Nigerian sailor and an English woman, divorced before she was three years old, but they kept the family together for the most part, and Shirley was able to sing duets with her brother at family get-togethers. After finishing school, she found a job at a local factory, and earned extra money singing at men's clubs after-hours. Bassey traveled around the country in revues during the early '50s, and made her big breakout in 1955 at a London Christmas show given by comedian Al Read (though it was promoted by bandleader Jack Hylton, who had caught Bassey's act at the nearby Albany Club). Soon after, Shirley Bassey began appearing in Read's revue, Such Is Life. The show ran for over a year, and gained her a recording contract for Philips Records. "Banana Boat Song" hit the British Top Ten in early 1957, followed by her number one hits, 1959's "As I Love You" and 1961's "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain." A 1962 pairing with arranger Nelson Riddle increased her prestige in America, and a vaunted live show gained her headlining spots in both New York and Las Vegas during the early '60s. Popular recognition in the United States came in early 1965, when "Goldfinger" hit number eight in the American charts, instantly becoming her signature song across the Atlantic. (Strangely though, it missed even the Top 20 in Great Britain.)
Bassey's hits in the U.K. continued into the mid-'70s, led by Top Ten entries such as "Something," "For All We Know" and "Never Never Never." After the crowning achievement of her career, a 1977 Britannia Award for Best Female Solo Singer in the Last 50 Years, Shirley Bassey gained her own highly rated BBC-TV show in the late '70s, but gradually slowed down her busy schedule during the next decade. Semi-retired to Switzerland by 1981, she nevertheless emerged quite frequently, spurred by the recording of several television specials and LPs, including a 1987 date with the synth-pop group Yello. Bassey became much more visible during the '90s, opening a nightclub in Cardiff, and touring the world several times.