59: Shirley Bassey – Powerful Women of 2013

Shirley Bassey may not necessarily fall under the R&B category, but her musical styles in the 1950s have lent themselves to influence how R&B music is done today. With 36 studio albums and six live LPs, her career is beyond impressive and shows that an artist can last in the business.

Despite this track record, she is best known for her vocals on the theme songs for James Bond films -- 'Goldfinger,' 'Diamonds Are Forever' and 'Moonraker.' Kanye West sampled Bassey's voice on 'Diamonds Are Forever' for his 2005 track, 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone.' After finding out about this, Bassey has expressed wanting to work with West on a project. While nothing has come of this proposal yet, anything can happen.

At 76, Bassey performed 'Goldfinger' at the Academy Awards earlier this year, paying tribute to James Bond's 50th birthday.