Download or read book Miss Shirley Bassey written by John L. Williams and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Shirley Bassey written by Peter K. Hogan and published by Andre Deutsch Limited. This book was released on 2008 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Miss Shirley Bassey written by John L. Williams and published by Quercus Publishing. This book was released on 2010-09-02 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Shirley Bassey written by Shirley Bassey and published by Bloomsbury Pub Limited. This book was released on 1998 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Miss Shirley Bassey written by John Williams and published by Quercus Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Miss Shirley Bassey explores this remarkable transformation, both of an individual and of the British society and British psyche that made it possible.
Download or read book America s Mistress written by John L. Williams and published by Quercus. This book was released on 2014-10-07 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Diamonds Are Forever Shirley Bassey written by Mary Long and published by Kings Road Publishing. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book You Re the Voice written by Shirley Bassey and published by Faber Music Limited. This book was released on 2007-06-01 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Music of James Bond written by Jon Burlingame and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-11 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles all the behind-the-scenes stories of every song and score written for the James Bond films and draws from new interviews with many of the songwriters and composers.
Download or read book The Gershwins and Me written by Michael Feinstein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Feinstein was just 20 years old when he got the chance of a lifetime: a job with his hero, Ira Gershwin. During their six-year partnership, Feinstein blossomed under Gershwin's mentorship and Gershwin was reinvigorated by the younger man's zeal. Now, in The Gershwins and Me, Michael Feinstein shares unforgettable stories and reminiscences from the music that defined American popular song, along with rare Gershwin memorabilia he's collected through the years. Includes an accompanying CD packed with Feinstein's original recordings of 12 Gershwins' songs.
Download or read book The Sanest Guy in the Room written by Don Black and published by Constable. This book was released on 2020-07-23 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book In Lipstick written by Annie Jenkins and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2019-02-07 with total page 143 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Things don't change no matter how much you want them to. You try, you run away, you make things new but they're not. It's just the same old shit covered in lipstick. Maud, a woman on the run from her damaged past, has sheltered Cynthia from the outside world for the last few years. But while Cynthia is a recluse, living for their dressing-up box, their fairy tales and Shirley Bassey on YouTube, Maud meets Dennis, a security guard at her office. As Cynthia clings, Maud begins to dream of escaping their isolated and claustrophobic world. Annie Jenkins' debut play In Lipstick gives savage, funny and heartfelt voice to two women trapped in a fractured city, not quite knowing how to love each other.
Download or read book The Fortune Men written by Nadifa Mohamed and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • Based on a true event, this novel is “a blues song cut straight from the heart ... about the unjust death of an innocent Black man caught up in a corrupt system” (Walter Mosley, best-selling author of Devil in a Blue Dress). In Cardiff, Wales in 1952, Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor, is accused of a crime he did not commit: the brutal killing of Violet Volacki, a shopkeeper from Tiger Bay. At first, Mahmood believes he can ignore the fingers pointing his way; he may be a gambler and a petty thief, but he is no murderer. He is a father of three, secure in his innocence and his belief in British justice. But as the trial draws closer, his prospect for freedom dwindles. Now, Mahmood must stage a terrifying fight for his life, with all the chips stacked against him: a shoddy investigation, an inhumane legal system, and, most evidently, pervasive and deep-rooted racism at every step. Under the shadow of the hangman's noose, Mahmood begins to realize that even the truth may not be enough to save him. A haunting tale of miscarried justice, this book offers a chilling look at the dark corners of our humanity.
Download or read book Riot Days written by Maria Alyokhina and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2017-09-26 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Being Conchita We Are Unstoppable written by Conchita Wurst and published by Kings Road Publishing. This book was released on 2015-05-07 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Her performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 propelled her to become a worldwide inspiration for millions. However, at the same time her detractors united against her - demonstrations were held before the European Parliament and death threats were issued against her.Conchita Wurst both polarised and fascinated people with her wonderful singing and fearless image; Elton John, Cher, Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier were among the many who publicly admired her talent and courage.Now she talks for the first time about the good and bad of her childhood, both the love she received from her parents and the support of her grandmother, but also the discrimination she experienced first-hand from others. She also answers some important questions: why did she feel the need to leave home at the age of fourteen to stand on her own two feet? How did Tom Neuwirth become Conchita Wurst? And how did she manage to realise her dreams when day after day obstacles were placed in her path?Being Conchita is the fascinating story of a young boy from the provinces who always had a vision of one day being a star.
Download or read book Diamonds are Forever written by Ian Fleming and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Diamonds are Forever" by Ian Fleming. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.
Download or read book Dust Grooves written by Eilon Paz and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2015-09-15 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.
