Amid a sea of so-called “girl singers,” Dusty Springfield was her own woman.
Born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien in 1939 in London, Springfield started her career as part of a folk-inspired trio, the Springfields, with her brother. Her voice was too commanding to take a back seat, though, and her love of American R&B too strong, so she stuck out on her own in 1963. A string of hits would follow.
Her voice was such a sad, soulful thing, with a longing ache in every syllable. It hinted at a veiled darkness, though her public façade never cracked. Later, those who knew her would claim Dusty Springfield was merely a character created to shield the very private O’Brien, who struggled with guilt about her bisexuality.
That struggle made her a champion for others who strived for acceptance, too. On a package tour of South Africa in 1964, she was deported for refusing to perform before segregated audiences.
In later years, many words would be written about the hand gestures she used while performing. She seemed to be conducting an invisible orchestra as she stood alone onstage. Behind the scenes, she worked to maintain control of every nuance in her music.
“Though John Franz is listed as the producer on virtually all of Dusty’s hit records in the 1960s, Dusty herself was, for all intents and purposes, the actual producer who was responsible for their sound,” writes Annie J. Randall in her biography “Dusty! Queen of the Post Mods.” That statement was confirmed by many of the musicians who worked on those sessions.
“She wanted things to be right however much trouble it might take and it is perhaps this kind of persistence, this drive for perfection that had caused some in the music business to have considered her to be 'difficult', said composer, arranger and musical director Derek Wadsworth. But, he added, she did it “without ruffling a single feather. Yes. Dusty really knew her business.”
Her 1969 album “Dusty in Memphis” spawned the Top 10 single “Son of a Preacher Man,” but the album stalled out at No. 99. The years have been kind, though, and the album has made regular appearances on lists of all-time great pop albums in the decades since its release.
After many years of relative obscurity, the Pet Shop Boys asked her to join them for “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” which gave Springfield one last Top 5 hit in 1987.
She died of breast cancer at age 59 on March 2, 1999.
About the Author
