Today my all time favourite duet. The 1974 duet Davy with composer/songwriter Benard Ighner. The song was released on her album Nobody Does It Like Me and was also released as a single. This series of duets are almost all re-posts due to the fact that new duets were found and because on the old posts most of the links were not working anymore. A few weeks after the first post of the Davy duet I got an email from Bernard Ighner where he shared his fond memories of Shirley.
Here is the email:
Dear Mr. Daane,
Firstly, I do apologize for the lengthy delay in response to your email, sent to me on the 30th of June of this year.
Hopefully, all apologizes accepted, It would be a pleasure to tell you something about the duet I did with Shirley Bassey singing “Davy” on her 1974 album “Nobody Does It Like Me”.
Prior to meeting Dame Shirley Bassey, I like many many others so enjoy her Robust Style [ie] “Gold Fingah”. Equal to her robust delivery is a beautiful Voice. One that is instantaneously identifiable as hers.
The late Dr. George Butler who was head of A&R at United Artist Records during that time, sent Shirley Bassey a song “Davy” I had written and recorded as a demo with my sister Sondra Ighner who was the original female voice on the original recording of Davy.
Dame Shirley Bassey did in fact come to Los Angeles,California to record “Davy” with me, as a duet. I was totally delighted with the idea. It was difficult to believe such a power voice came from such a petite woman. I liked her instantly, There was no ego to contend with, just mutual respect.
I learned that she had never recorded with anyone else, prior to me nor since. Not being totally sure of the above at this point, I should hope, that distinction still belongs to me.
As the session got underway, I immediately discovered our voices were beautiful together. It was fantastic!!!
Just today, I went into my garage to look for something in particular. There was no pre-thought as it relates to looking for what I subsequently, opened the first box and found. It was truly miraculous. It is a magazine photo from the United Artist release of Shirley Bassey’s “Davy” .
Do you have a relationship with her? If so, give her my “Best Wishes” In addition to the photo is an audio file of a song entitled “Everything Must Change” I wrote and am singing which has become a Modern Day Classic. If you are in touch with her, please pass it on to her for me? Thank you in advance.
Mr. Ighner died on August 14 2017 at the age of 72.
Below you can listen to an interview from 1978 for BBC-radio Dame Shirley did with Pete Murray where she speaks about her least favourite album which is Nobody Does It Like Me. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and not in the UK. The song ‘Davy’ is from that album. To listen to the interview click on the player below.
In 2012 Dame Shirley Bassey performed at the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth and met the Queen after the show. Also that year she recorded the theme for the Sir Billie Film.
For this blog we like to show the duet Shirley did with Neil Diamond from her 1974 BBC-show. It was one of the most commented clips on YouTube. Everybody thought that Shirley was very much in love with Neil but this is the story:
Shirley invited her good friend Soraya Khashoggi to come over to the studio for the recording of the show.
Soraya saw Shirley perform the duet with Neil Diamond on a big screen in the studio and she also thought that Shirley had fallen in love with Neil. She left because she wanted them to have some privacy and the day after the recording Shirley asked Soraya in astonishment why she left the studio so soon. Then Soraya said to Shirley what she thought of the situation and Shirley had to laugh. Her answer was: ‘I was only in love with his diamond necklace’ and Neil spend a lonely night in the BBC. canteen.
Dame Shirley Bassey Blog 
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