Shirley Bassey

Who can wear the skimpiest outfit? I mean come on. These young girls are talented singers, they don’t need that, but they feel they have to be in competition to have the least covering. That’s the saddest thing.

Diamonds never leave you… men do!

I think men are afraid to be with a successful woman, because we are terribly strong, we know what we want and we are not fragile enough.

It’s hard for a man to live with a successful woman – they seem to resent you so much. Very few men are generous enough to accept success in their women.

I’ve found happiness in my work, but not in my private life. I had to take from my private life to make my public life successful. I had to make a lot of sacrifices. I was happy in Cardiff. I had a great time. Every Thursday there was a factory club; darts, dancing. I was happy until success entered my life, and then it was all downhill. Success spoilt me. It took away my happiness. My success became a barrier with my family. They couldn’t relate to me, and I couldn’t relate to them.

I don’t pop my cork for every man I see.

For me, I started on a Les Paul and went through years of playing other guitars and just came back full circle to what was more natural to me.

What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.

The way a band works is a metaphor for all sorts of collaborative and larger enterprises that people do.

Play for the spiritual aspect, the emotion.

I can’t sing it straight. I have no choice but to swing it.

Jazz can only enhance the Classical side and Classical can only enhance the Jazz side.

The hippest thing you can do is not play at all. Just listen.

Practice as if you are the worst, play as if you are the best!

Jazz is a very accurate, curiously accurate accompaniment to 20th century America.

I discovered very early that it wasn’t quite enough for me to imitate people.

All that I’ve played, all that I’ve sung, I couldn’t have done any other way.

I want people to walk away with the same joy, hope and love that I put into my music.

Practice 15 or 20 years and then it comes out spontaneously.

I grew up with the piano. I learned its language as I learned to speak.

Musicians need enough experience to develop a vocabulary.