The journey home turned into a dream when half an hour into our journey we were overtaken by a black limousine. ‘It’s Shirley, Dad, follow her,’ I cried out. Fortunately at that time on a Sunday, there was very little traffic, so Dad followed at a safe distance, although I don’t think he was as positive as I that Shirley was in the car. As we approached the city I thought it unlikely we could stay close but the gods were good, traffic lights stayed green when we needed them and surprisingly both cars seemed to catch the red lights together as well. Once or twice Dad said we would probably have to let them go, yet somehow we remained joined right up to the door of Shirley’s new home in Chester Square. The limo pulled up outside and Shirley and her assistant exited the car just as we passed. Unwinding our passenger windows, Mum and I waved and quietly called out, ‘Goodnight Shirley and thank you for a lovely concert.’ Shirley, who didn’t seem surprised, turned and waved, before saying ‘Goodnight.’
As we drove home, Mum and Dad said they were sure the chauffeur must have told Shirley we were following, but knowing who we were, we think she may have enjoyed being part of our little adventure. After all, we were living in the world of James Bond and Goldfinger.
Whether Kenneth Hume had the Midas touch is debatable, but there is no doubt he worked hard for Shirley and she, in return, worked hard for him. As Shirley’s manager, we saw him during 1965 at the London Palladium and again at the August Bank Holiday concert in Bournemouth, where Shirley sang one of Kenneth’s favourite songs, ‘Black Is The Colour of My True Love’s Hair’, the lyrics written by Nina Simone. The newspaper headlines that followed her opening at the Pigalle Club later in the year didn’t come as a great surprise to anyone who had witnessed that performance.
Mum and Dad had celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in August 1965 at The Talk of the Town and and needless to say I’d hoped their day might coincide with an engagement for Shirley at the venue, but that was not to be. Instead we were entertained by American singer and pianist Buddy Greco, a fine performer, who was also watched by the record producer Norman Newell and concert promoter Vic Lewis in the audience that evening. That evening I heard Shirley would be opening at the ‘Talk’ in September, for an eight-week engagement, so we made a booking for October since we would be on holiday for opening night. However, plans changed at the end of August, and it was announced Shirley would not be appearing at the ‘Talk’ but instead an eight-week engagement had been booked at the Pigalle theatre restaurant in London’s Piccadilly, to commence on 13 September.
Although the Pigalle was housed in the basement of 190–196 Piccadilly, it was advertised as London’s Premier Theatre restaurant and offered a similar experience to The Talk of the Town but without the floorshow. Shirley’s engagement was billed as follows: dancing to the Jack Nathan Orchestra and the Jerry Day Four, a three-course dinner and the ‘exciting Shirley Bassey’ supported by Alyn Ainsworth and his eighteen-piece TV orchestra, all for 57/6 (£2.88).
Only a few days after the August Bank Holiday concert we booked for the Pigalle. As we were going to be away for opening night, we booked for the first Saturday following our holiday, 25 September, as well as Shirley’s final night on 6 November, determined to be at the Pigalle for her final performance after missing her opening night. Unlike The Talk of the Town, the Pigalle presented two shows on a Saturday, so we had to choose between the 7.30pm and 11pm sitting. We opted for the earlier show on 25 September, mainly to get a better table, booking for the 11pm show on the final night.
Of course I sent Shirley a card with our best wishes for her opening night. Although on holiday on the Isle of Wight, we still spent time thinking about her cabaret engagement and wondering how her performance would be received by the theatre critics in attendance. I knew several fans that would be in the audience that night, so it would not be long before I would hear about their evening. As it happened I heard the news sooner than I expected. The morning following opening night, Shirley was pictured with Kenneth Hume on the front pages of most daily newspapers. Shirley had announced during her act, ‘I am now going to sing a song to the man I am going to marry. He is in the audience this evening and he also happens to be my ex-husband’ to huge applause, and with Alyn Ainsworth’s orchestra behind her, Shirley began ‘The Second Time Around’.
I had gone to the local newsagents and on seeing Shirley Bassey on the front pages, bought several newspapers which had covered the story. Lots for the scrapbook and off went another card to Shirley offering our congratulations. For the fans there was great joy because the evening’s performance had been recorded and was later released as an LP entitled, Shirley Bassey at the Pigalle, her first live album. I laugh whenever I view the LP cover because printed at the bottom are the words ‘in person’. Could Shirley have done it any other way, I ask myself! It is a fabulous recording that captures the atmosphere of cabaret, a wonderful experience, which sadly can rarely be experienced today.
Although we had a wonderful holiday, when we returned home we were looking forward to going to the Pigalle the following Saturday evening. Our taxi had been arranged and the excitement was mounting, especially after reading the reviews which appeared in the music press later that week. Several extracts appear on the LP cover, confirming Shirley’s triumph and international-star status. The Pigalle, because of its downstairs location and elongated cabaret room, never appealed to me in the same way as The Talk of the Town. Although the stage rose to table level in a similar manner to the stage at the Talk, it offered a rather small stage area. However, if you were lucky enough, as we were, to have a table near to the stage, then it was hard to experience a better cabaret. It was as though you had invited Shirley home and she was singing just for you, as she sang her way through a range of material, varying the mood and tempo. On the upbeat ‘La Bamba’, Shirley’s dance routine resulted in a pearl from her dress, propelling itself across the stage, where it then gently rolled to a stop. Shirley seemed unaware of the escaping bead.
Throughout her performance the packed audience applauded, cheered, and shouted for more. She had given a wonderful performance and her final number confirmed what her audience was feeling, it was indeed ‘A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening’. Shirley took her final exit and a few moments later the stage began to lower slowly for dancing to resume, but I had not forgotten the pearl, waiting to roll across the floor to be lost forever. Quickly I grabbed a waiter’s arm and pleaded with him to retrieve the pearl, which I am delighted to say, he did. His action was almost as good as a real pearl diver, as he dived onto the rolling pearl. When we left the Pigalle that evening I had my own very special memento.
The next morning I found a small jewelry box in which to keep my pearl, although naturally it is not a real pearl. I have kept it all my life and to me it is priceless. There was one occasion, in 2003, when I did consider parting with my gem. Dame Shirley Bassey 50 Years of Glittering Gowns was a gala charity auction held at Christie’s, London, with proceeds going to the Dame Shirley Bassey Music Scholarship and the Noah’s Ark Appeal. Several of Shirley’s gowns were going under the hammer including dresses worn at the Pigalle, so I wrote to Christie’s telling them the story of the pearl and offering it up for auction since I felt the story could add an extra dimension. I did receive a nice reply in which they said they did not require the pearl and thought I should keep it since it was a lovely story and souvenir.
The weeks that followed our first visit to the Pigalle were extremely busy for me. I had started work my work at Queen Mary College, working in the teaching laboratories, and I was enjoying