To Dame Shirley Bassey,
in celebration of her eightieth birthday
on 8 January 2017,
with gratitude and love.
CONTENTS
(THE SET)
1 TITLE PAGE
2 DEDICATION
3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
4 CHAPTER 1: WHERE DO I BEGIN?
5 CHAPTER 2: ’S WONDERFUL
6 CHAPTER 3: GOLDFINGER
7 CHAPTER 4: THE SECOND TIME AROUND
8 CHAPTER 5: THE PARTY’S OVER
9 CHAPTER 6: I’LL BE YOUR AUDIENCE
10 CHAPTER 7: AS LONG AS HE NEEDS ME
11 CHAPTER 8: I WISH YOU LOVE
12 CHAPTER 9: BIG SPENDER
13 CHAPTER 10: THIS IS MY LIFE
14 CHAPTER 11: DOES ANYBODY MISS ME
15 CHAPTER 12: SOMETHING
16 CHAPTER 13: TILL LOVE TOUCHES YOUR LIFE
17 CHAPTER 14: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER
18 CHAPTER 15: BILL
19 CHAPTER 16: SEND IN THE CLOWNS
20 CHAPTER 17: YOU TAKE MY HEART AWAY
21 CHAPTER 18: ALL BY MYSELF
22 CHAPTER 19: HEY JUDE
23 CHAPTER 20: I’LL GET BY
24 CHAPTER 21: DON’T CRY OUT LOUD
25 CHAPTER 22: WISHING YOU WERE SOMEHOW HERE AGAIN
26 CHAPTER 23: AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE
27 CHAPTER 24: DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO
28 CHAPTER 25: THANK YOU FOR THE YEARS
29 CHAPTER 26: THE LIVING TREE
30 CHAPTER 27: AFTER THE RAIN
31 CHAPTER 28: HELLO, LIKE BEFORE
32 PLATES
33 COPYRIGHT
Three years ago, aiming to fulfil a dream, I began writing the opening chapters to this book. The journey leading to the publication of Diamonds Are Forever has been a remarkable one. I owe thanks to several friends and family members for the continued support they have shown me. They know who they are.
Special thanks go to my friends for over fifty years, Joyce and Reon, who are also most devoted fans of Dame Shirley. We have shared so many happy memories together and I treasure our long friendship.
Whilst I had a clear idea from the beginning about what I wanted to write, my knowledge of publishing was limited, so I knew I would need help. Initial advice came from a gentleman at the Waterstones bookshop in Newport, Isle of Wight, to whom I am indebted. He recommended to me the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, where I researched a list of literary agents. One shone out from the rest, Robert Smith Literary Agency. Within days of sending off my submission, to my delight came a reply from Robert. Then we spoke on the phone and it felt as though we had known each other for years. Robert, I thank you so much for believing in me and in Diamonds Are Forever, and for offering to be my literary agent. I certainly could not have chosen better, nor done it without you. My thanks, too, to Robert’s ever friendly and helpful assistant, Gemma Quinn.
Through Robert, I gained a contract with John Blake Publishing. I am extremely grateful to my editor, Toby Buchan and his colleagues for their hard work and the commitment necessary to achieve publication to coincide with Dame Shirley Bassey’s eightieth birthday.
Finally, my love and special thanks to Bernard, husband and photographer, for his photographic contribution to this work.
Thank you all for making my dream come true.
MARY LONG
November 2016
I do not know when I first heard Shirley Veronica Bassey sing, but I remember vividly the day I first saw her in concert: it was Good Friday, 12 April 1963, and that was the day I became an ardent fan.
My mum and dad had been fans for several years prior to ’63. I can remember my parents always listening with a special intensity whenever Shirley came on the radio, and particularly enjoying Miss Bassey on television. Living in the London suburb of Ilford in the early sixties, we didn’t have a record player, let alone a radiogram, so those televised ‘appearances’ presented us with the rare opportunity to see Shirley and hear her incredible voice. So when, by chance, on a March evening I bought an evening paper and saw the advertisement announcing the ‘fabulous Shirley Bassey’ would be appearing in concert at the London Palladium, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Would it be possible to go to this famous theatre and attend my first concert? What a place to start.
Fortunately, the April date fell close to my mum’s birthday, so my dad didn’t need much persuading when I suggested we take Mum as a birthday treat (I hasten to add it was a wonderful treat for us too). As I seem to remember, my dad, almost immediately, telephoned the London Palladium box office, from the nearby telephone box, and reserved three tickets for the Good Friday concert. In the sixties it was quite normal to reserve theatre tickets that were then paid for on collection from the theatre box office at some stage prior to the concert.
A few days later we walked into the box office, located immediately to the side of the main theatre entrance, looking down on us were black-and-white portrait photographs of the world’s greatest entertainers – Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin etc. – all of whom had performed at this legendary theatre. Shirley was no stranger to the theatre; her Sunday Night at the London Palladium television appearance in 1961 had brought her to the attention of many in the early days of her career. Now, however, she was recognised as a ‘star’ and heading the bill.
We headed to one of the ticket-office attendants from whom we were separated by the glass screen which had a small semicircular opening through which our tickets would be dispensed. First, ‘Would you like to see the seating plan?’ ‘Yes please,’ came my dad’s reply and the attendant held up the plan, which showed every seat in the theatre – stalls, royal circle, upper circle and boxes. ‘Your seats are here,’ she said as she pointed with her pencil to three seats in the front row of the royal circle, A24 to A26. She continued, ‘they are very good seats.’ I couldn’t believe it. My dad paid the money, 60 shillings (£3) in total and those lovely green tickets slid through the opening of the glass window. I was over the moon, although the four-week wait seemed a lifetime.
Good Friday, 12 April was upon us and I found it hard to contain my excitement. As we had decided to ‘make a day of it’, we travelled to London in the morning. Miss Bassey would be giving two performances and we were booked to attend the first, scheduled to commence at 5.30pm. I don’t remember what we did prior to arriving at the London Palladium.