Shirley Bassey Honours John Barry

Dame Shirley Bassey took to the stage at the Classic Brit Awards yesterday to pay tribute to late James Bond composer John Barry.

  Barry, who wrote theme tunes for 11 Bond films including From Russia with Love and You Only Live Twice, suffered a fatal heart attack in January, and he was posthumously honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music prize during the ceremony at London's Royal Albert Hall.

  Actress Virginia McKenna and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall were on hand to present the award, which was accepted by Barry's lyricist pal Don Black.

  Dame Shirley joined the tribute by performing the Barry title song she recorded for the 1964 Bond film Goldfinger.

  Other winners at the ceremony, which honoured the best of classical music, included conductor Antonio Pappano (Male Artist of the Year), Alison Balsom (Female Artist of the Year), and vocal group Il Divo, who took home the Artist of the Decade prize.