By Gloria Ogbonna

Dame Shirley Bassey, the legendary Welsh singer known for her illustrious 70-year career in showbiz, is now the first solo female music artist to have a collection of stamps dedicated to her by Royal Mail.

These stamps celebrate her iconic performances, from her early days in 1963 to a 2013 appearance at the Oscars.

Dame Shirley performing at the 2013 Oscars

The collection features eight stamps showcasing her memorable moments in music, including performances at a London nightclub and the 1999 Rugby World Cup opening ceremony.

In addition to these, there’s a sheet of four stamps displaying candid black and white photographs taken during her recording sessions and rehearsals. Previously, Royal Mail had issued dedicated stamp sets for music legends like David Bowie, Sir Elton John, and Sir Paul McCartney, but Dame Shirley Bassey is the first female artist to receive this honor.

Performing at the Pigalle nightclub in London in 1965

Dame Shirley expressed her excitement, saying, “I am absolutely thrilled and would never have dreamed that one day my face would be on a stamp… that one day a letter might arrive and there I am, with a postmark next to me!” She hopes her fans and collectors will cherish these stamps as much as she does.

Brighton, 1988

David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, described this as a fitting celebration of one of the UK’s most esteemed and enduring musical icons.

A 1963 TV show

Dame Shirley Bassey, born in 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, achieved fame in the 1950s and continued to captivate audiences with her hits and iconic James Bond theme songs.

A sheet of four stamps show candid photographs taken of her during recording sessions and rehearsals

The stamps can be preordered starting Thursday and will be available for general sale on September 21, with all 12 stamps in the collection priced at £19.50.

Source. https://news.sky.com/story/dame-shirley-bassey-stamps-issued-as-royal-mail-celebrates-welsh-singers-70-years-in-showbiz-12956030