Dusty Springfield
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![Dusty Springfield](https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Dusty-Springfield.jpg)
Dusty Springfield was born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien on 16 April 1939 in West Hampstead, England. Springfield’s elder brother, Dionysius Patrick O’Brien (2 July 1934 – 27 July 2022) was later known as Tom Springfield. Her father grew up in British India and worked as a tax accountant and consultant. Her mother came from an Irish family originally from Tralee, County Kerry.
She was given the nickname “Dusty” because she played football with boys in the street; she was described as being a tomboy.
At age 12 she recorded herself performing the Irving Berlin song “When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabama” at a record shop in Ealing.
After leaving school, Springfield sang with Tom, her brother, in local folk clubs and at holiday camps.
Dusty was a member of the girl group The Lana Sisters from 1958 to 1960.
In 1960, she formed a folk-pop trio, The Springfields, with Tom and Reshad Feild the latter of whom Mike Hurst replaced in 1962. The trio chose their name while rehearsing in a field in Somerset in the springtime and took the stage names Dusty, Tom, and Tim Springfield. The group travelled to Nashville to record Folk Songs from the Hills.
The band was voted the Top British Vocal Group in a New Musical Express poll in 1961 and 1962, although their two biggest hits were in 1963: “Island of Dreams” and “Say I Won’t Be There”, both peaking at number five within five weeks of each other. The group appeared on the ITV music series Ready Steady Go!, which Springfield often presented in the earlier days of its run.
Dusty released her first solo single, “I Only Want to Be with You”, in November 1963. The record was produced by Johnny Franz in a manner similar to Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound”. In January 1964, the single peaked at no. 4 on the UK charts during a lengthy (for the time) 18-week run.
In December 1963, New York disc jockey “Dandy” Dan Daniel of WMCA nominated “I Only Want to Be with You” as a “Sure Shot” pick of records not yet charted, preceding Beatlemania. The single debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 a week after the debut of the Beatles’ first hit “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and in the same week as the debut of “She Loves You”, positioning Springfield at the forefront of the British Invasion.
The BBC’s 1964–2006 weekly chart-based music programme Top of the Pops debuted on 1 January 1964, with “I Only Want to Be with You” as the show’s opening track.
In 1965, Springfield reached the UK Top 40 with three hit singles: “Your Hurtin’ Kinda Love”, “In the Middle of Nowhere” and the Gerry Goffin/Carole King penned “Some of Your Lovin'”.
Springfield hosted a special Motown edition of the British TV music series Ready Steady Go! in April 1965, featuring the first national TV performances of Motown artists. The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Miracles and Martha and the Vandellas all appeared on the special.
“You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” released in 1966 proved to be her most successful single, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis Presley recorded another cover version in 1970 which was a hit in both the US and the UK.
In 1967, Springfield was nominated for the Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance – Male or Female award at the 9th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Paul McCartney for “Eleanor Rigby”.
Of the female singers of the British Invasion, Springfield made one of the biggest impressions on the US market, scoring 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970 including six in the top 20.
John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin is credited as musical arranger & orchestra conductor and bass on Dusty’s fourth studio album Definitely.
Springfield was the presenter or host of several TV musical series including Dusty (1966–67), It Must Be Dusty (1968) and Decidedly Dusty (1969). Dusty performed with The Jimi Hendrix Experience on one episode of It Must Be Dusty which saw Jimi and Dusty performing a duet of “Mockingbird,” the soul number made famous by Inez & Charlie Foxx in 1963.
“What Have I Done to Deserve This?” (1987) marked British duo’s Pet Shop Boys’ first major collaboration with another recording artist. EMI Records did not want the duo to work with Springfield, instead suggesting Barbra Streisand or Tina Turner, however, the duo’s singer Neil Tennant was insistent on having Springfield record the song. A commercial success in both the United Kingdom and North America, the song helped revive Springfield’s career and led to a resurgence of interest in her music.
American filmmaker and actor Quentin Tarantino caused a revival of interest in her music in 1994 by including “Son of a Preacher Man” on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, which sold over three million copies.
During her lifetime Dusty Springfield released twenty-one studio albums, one live album and sixty-nine singles.
In January 1994, while recording her album, A Very Fine Love, in Nashville, Springfield began to feel ill. When she returned to England a few months later, her physicians diagnosed her with breast cancer. She received months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment, and the cancer was found to be in remission. In 1995, in apparent good health, she set about to promote the album, which was released that year. By mid-1996, the cancer had returned, and despite vigorous treatments, Springfield died on 2 March 1999, aged 59, in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
Dusty Springfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks after her death. Her friend Elton John helped induct her into the Hall of Fame declaring, “I’m biased but I just think she was the greatest white singer there ever has been… every song she sang, she claimed as her own”.
Important Dates In The Life Of Dusty Springfield:
10
Jan
2023
American jazz and rock guitarist Dennis Budimir died at the age of 84. He was a member of The Wrecking Crew and worked with many artists including Joni Mitchell, Carpenters, Brian Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt and Dusty Springfield. He also played on more than 900 movie soundtracks from the early 1960s until the 2000s.
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9
Dec
2021
David Lasley American recording artist, singer and songwriter died age 74. He was known for his contributions as a background singer and songwriter for such artists as Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, Chic, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Boz Scaggs.
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29
Jan
2015
American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor Rod McKuen died aged 81. McKuen's translations and adaptations of the songs of Jacques Brel were instrumental in bringing the Belgian songwriter to prominence in the English-speaking world. McKuen's songs sold over 100 million recordings worldwide. His songs have been performed by such diverse artists as Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Petula Clark, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Andy Williams, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra.
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1
Sep
2012
US songwriter Hal David, who wrote dozens of hits with collaborator Burt Bacharach, died in Los Angeles at the age of 91 from complications from a stroke. With Bacharach he wrote a string of hits for Dionne Warwick, including 'Walk On By' and 'I Say a Little Prayer', as well as other artists including Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield.
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12
Apr
2012
Saxophone player Andrew Love died aged 70. He was best known for being a member of The Memphis Horns with trumpet player Wayne Jackson where the two created the signature horn sound at Stax Records on hit records by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and others such as Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley and Dusty Springfield.
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27
Jan
2009
Road Chef, the Watford Gap UK Motorway services operator, paid £1,000 at an auction for a collection of celebrity signatures, which were collected by former employee, Beatrice England. The book included signatures of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, the Eagles and Dusty Springfield. The Blue Boar services as it was once known received so many famous guests in its 50-year history that Jimi Hendrix mistook it for a London nightclub as it was mentioned so often by his contemporaries.
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3
Dec
2008
Composer, keyboardist and arranger Derek Wadsworth died in Oxfordshire, England. As a musician, he worked with Georgie Fame, Alan Price, George Harrison, Mike Oldfield, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, Dionne Warwick, Simply Red. Arranger for David Essex, Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, Judy Garland, Kate Bush, Cat Stevens, Rod Stewart, Small Faces, The Rolling Stones and Manfred Mann.
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27
Oct
2002
American record producer Tom Dowd died of emphysema. He recorded albums by many artists including: Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominos, Rod Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Cream, Lulu, Chicago, The Allman Brothers Band, The J. Geils Band, Meat Loaf, Sonny & Cher, The Rascals, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Dusty Springfield, The Drifters and Otis Redding.
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21
May
2001
Producer, arranger and keyboardist Tommy Eyre died of cancer aged 51. Worked with George Harrison, Wham! Dusty Springfield, and B.B. King. Played and arranged Joe Cocker's hit With a Little Help from My Friends and Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street'.
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29
Apr
2001
A blue plaque was unveiled at 38 Aubrey Walk, Kensington, London to honour the musical heritage of the address where British singer Dusty Springfield lived between 1968 and 1972. Of the female singers of the British Invasion, Springfield made one of the biggest impressions on the US market, scoring 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1970 including six in the top 20.
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16
Aug
2000
Alan Caddy guitarist with The Tornadoes died. He had the 1962 UK & US No.1 single 'Telstar' which became the first major hit from a UK act on the American chart. Caddy also played on sessions and worked on arrangements for Spencer Davis Group, Kiki Dee, Pretty Things and Dusty Springfield.
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2
Mar
1999
Dusty Springfield died after a long battle against cancer, aged 59. The British singer had her first UK hit single in 1963 with ‘I Only Want To Be With You’, which reached No.4, the 1966 UK No.1 & US No.4 single with 'You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’ plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles. During her 1960s peak, she ranked among the most successful British female performers on both sides of the Atlantic. Her image–marked by a peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive hairstyle, heavy makeup and evening gowns, as well as stylised, gestural performances–made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
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22
Mar
1994
American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer Dan Hartman died aged 43 of a brain tumor in Westport, Connecticut. He was a member of the Edgar Winter Group and wrote the band's hit ‘Free Ride.’ As a solo artist he had the 1978 No.1 dance hit ‘Instant Replay,’ and wrote ‘Relight My Fire’ a UK No.1 for Take That and Lulu and also co-wrote The James Brown song 'Living in America.’ Hartman collaborated with Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Tyler, Paul Young, Living In A Box, Holly Johnson and Steve Winwood.
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9
Oct
1978
Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel died of cancer aged 49. Artists who recorded his songs include, Ray Charles, Scott Walker, Alex Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie, Nina Simone and Terry Jacks.
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20
Jul
1971
The Carpenters show Make Your Own Kind Of Music started a six week run on NBC-TV. A key concept of the series involved the alphabet. In the first week, Herb Alpert introduced the show, standing next to a big letter "A." During each week's show, the cast would work its way through the alphabet, ending the program with the letter "Z." Guest stars that appeared during the eight-episode series included Herb Alpert, Jose Feliciano, Dusty Springfield, and Helen Reddy.
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22
Aug
1970
Bread went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Make It With You', the group's only No.1 hit, which was a No.5 in the UK. Many artists have covered the song including The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dusty Springfield, Andy Williams, and Marc Cohn.
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5
Jun
1968
The Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared on the Dusty Springfield TV show 'It Music Be Dusty', filmed on ATV, in London, England. Hendrix performed 'Stone Free' and 'Voodoo Chile' and then played a version of 'Mockingbird' with Dusty Springfield.
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3
Jul
1967
A private party was held at the Speakeasy Club in London, England for The Monkees. Guests included: John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Dusty Springfield, Eric Clapton, Lulu and all the members from Manfred Mann, The Who and Procol Harum.
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1
May
1966
The Beatles played live for the last time in the UK when they appeared at the NME Poll Winners concert at Wembley Empire Pool. The Beatles set included; 'I Feel Fine', 'Nowhere Man', 'Day Tripper', 'If I Needed Someone' and 'I'm Down'. Also on the bill, The Spencer Davis Group, The Fortunes, Herman's Hermits, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, The Seekers, The Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, The Walker Brothers, The Who and The Yardbirds.
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26
Apr
1966
Dusty Springfield was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me', the singers only UK No.1. When recording the track, Springfield was not satisfied with her vocal until she had recorded forty-seven takes.
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25
Nov
1965
The Seekers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'The Carnival Is Over', the group's second No.1. Originally a Russian folk song from 1883 with lyrics written by Tom Springfield (the brother of Dusty Springfield). At its peak, the song was selling 93,000 copies per day and is No.30 of the biggest-selling singles of all time in the United Kingdom.
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25
Mar
1965
Bobby Vee, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, Heinz and The Zombies all appeared at The Odeon Cinema, Stockton, Cleveland.
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12
Sep
1964
The Supremes, The Shangri-La's, Marvin Gaye, Dusty Springfield, The Ronettes, Millie Small, The Temptations, The Miracles and Little Anthony and the Imperials all appeared at The Fox Theatre, Brooklyn, New York.
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29
Feb
1964
The first night of a 29-date twice-nightly tour featuring The Searchers, Bobby Vee and Dusty Springfield kicked off at The Adelphi Cinema, Slough.
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1
Jan
1964
The first edition of the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops was transmitted from an old church hall in Manchester, England. Acts miming their latest releases included The Rolling Stones, (I Wanna Be Your Man), The Dave Clark Five, (Glad All Over), The Hollies, (Stay), and The Swinging Blue Jeans, (Hippy Hippy Shake). The first song played was Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You'. Also featured on disc and film, The Beatles (I Want to Hold Your Hand), Freddie & the Dreamers, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and Gene Pitney.
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22
Sep
1962
The Springfields (Dusty Springfield her brother Tom and their friend, Tim Field) had 'Silver Threads and Golden Needles', enter the US Top 20 and became the first British vocal group to chart that high in America.
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