Born 1939 as Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien in West Hampstead, English pop singer and record producer Dusty Springfield learned to sing at home, she joined her first professional group, The Lana Sisters, in 1958, and two years later formed a pop-folk vocal trio, The Springfields, with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Field. They became the UK's top selling act.
Springfield began her solo career in 1963 with the upbeat pop hit, "I Only Want to Be with You". Among the hits that followed were "Wishin' and Hopin'?" (1964), "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (1964), "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966), and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968).
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| Dusty Springfield in the 1960s |
With her distinctive sensual mezzo-soprano sound, Springfield was an important singer of blue-eyed soul and at her peak was one of the most successful British female performers, with six top 20 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 and sixteen on the UK Singles Chart from 1963 to 1989.
Springfield had her career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s. She is a member of the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame. International polls have named Springfield among the best female rock artists of all time. Her image, supported by a peroxide blonde bouffant hairstyle, evening gowns, and heavy make-up, as well as her flamboyant performances made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
Springfield died in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire in 1999 because of breast cancer, aged 59.
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| An early rehearsal shot from Ready, Steady, Go! 1963 |
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| At home in Baker St in 1963 |
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| At home in Baker St in 1963 |
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| Dusty in her Baker St flat, 1963 |
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| Dusty in her Baker St flat, 1963 |
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| Dusty in her Baker St flat, framed by just two of her many awards, 1963 |
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| Dusty pictured in her Baker St flat, 1963 |
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| Dusty posing in her Baker St flat during a photo shoot in 1963 |
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| The Springfields had a guest spot in the 1963 film 'It's All Over Town' |
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| A beautiful 1964 studio portrait |
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| A Hyde Park photo shoot in the summer of 1964 |
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| A lovely early 1964 shot of Dusty |
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| A lovely, summery Hyde Park shot of Dusty from 1964 |
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| A serious looking Dusty, 1964 |
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| Dusty at a studio, 1964 |
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| Dusty in her vacation, circa 1964 |
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| Dusty Springfield on the shingle beach near her parents home in Brighton in 1964 |
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| Dusty Springfield being made up by Hilary Bates for Thank Your Lucky Stars, 16 February 1964 |
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| Dusty Springfield having ice cream, 1964 |
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| Dusty poses on the set of Thank Your Lucky Stars TV show in Aston Studios, Birmingham, 1964 |
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| Dusty taken backstage at the Odeon Exeter in late 1964 |
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| Hyde Park photo shoot in the summer of 1964 |
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| Hyde Park, 1964 |
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| One of the lovely set of photos taken for Dusty's appearance at the London Palladium in February 1964 |
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| Photo shoot by the Serpentine in Hyde Park, 1964 |
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| A classic Dusty photo from the 1965 Hyde Park shoot |
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| A facial portrait of the famous British singer Dusty Springfield sitting at home smiling at the camera, 1965 |
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| A wonderfully happy shot of Dusty on Ready, Steady, Go! in June 1965 |
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| Dusty posing in the grounds of the Hotel Savoy during a photo shoot, San Remo, 1965 |
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| Dusty Springfield standing in a woodland park looking towards the camera, 1965 |
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| Portrait of Dusty Springfield in 1965 |
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| Dusty with Long John Baldry performing 'Something You Got' on Ready, Steady, Go! on this day in 1965 |
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| Gardens of the Hotel Savoy, San Remo, January 1965 |
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| In the gardens of the Hotel Savoy, San Remo, 1965 |
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| Portrait of Dusty taken on 18 September 1965 |
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| San Remo, 1965 |
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| The Royal Variety Performance, November 1965 |
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| Battersea Fun Fair photo shoot, 1966 |
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| Dusty in 1966 |
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| After Top of the Pops, May 1967 |
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| Dusty in Hawaii in 1967 |
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| Dusty outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester in 1967 |
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| Dusty with Lesley Duncan around the back of the Blackpool ABC theatre, July 16th 1967 |
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| Post show ride home, most likely Talk of the Town in 1968 |
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| An after show photo taken in Manchester in 1969. More than likely the Golden Garter nightclub |
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| Dusty Springfield, 1969 |