The View From My Window - Dusty Springfield

Dusty Springfield was one of the hottest female singers of the 1960s, and had a long string of hits during that time. She invented the blue-eyed soul singer, and was so good at it that she was accepted by the great African-American soul singers of that period.

Of course, she could cover rock, pop, jazz, and just about everything you could throw at her.

Born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, she became a fine singer while studying in an English convent school. Her first popular music effort was with the Lana Sisters in 1959. She then joined up with her brother Tom Springfield (Dion O'Brien) and Tim Field (later replaced by Mike Hurst), to form The Springfields, the leading British folk band of the early '60s before the Beatles took over. The Springfields were the first British Invasion band, cracking the US Billboard Top 40 album chart in 1960 with "Silver Threads And Golden Needles". They followed with songs like "Island of Dreams".

But, Dusty came in contact with the great soul artists of the day, and decided that was the direction she wanted to go in. And, with the Beatles taking over the entire popular music scene, the Springfields broke up in 1963.

She launched her solo career in spectacular fashion, with the hit "I Only Want To Be With You", a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. She followed up with hits such as "Wishin' And Hopin'", "Stay Awhile", "All I See Is You", "The Look Of Love (the original version from the original "Casino Royale" - the current one should have used it, too, out of respect to Dusty). Then in 1969, she released her essential '60s classic album "Dusty In Memphis", which was preceded in late 1968 by the smash hit "Son Of A Preacher Man". The album was not a commercial success at first, but as time went on, it became recognized as one of the great albums ever made by anyone. And now it has attained some measure of commercial success.

After a down period in the '70s and early '80s where she battled alcohol and drug addiction, she came roaring back with the help of the Pet Shop Boys, collaborating with them on the smash hit "What Have I Done To Deserve This?", which reached number 2 in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Soon after that, she released "Reputation" (Reputation and Rarities in the US), with the theme song from the movie "Scandal", "Nothing Has Been Proved", about the 1963 Porfumo sex scandal. Porfumo was the Minister of Defense at that time, and he got mixed up with a prostitute. This movie deals with his downfall. Also on "Reputation" was the title cut, and "In Private". She would make one last album, "A Very Fine Love", in 1995. "Roll Away" and "Where Is A Woman To Go" were the brightest spots on that recording.

In 1995, Dusty was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after a long battle, died in 1999.

I got exposed to her music just after her death, when she got inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame. Former Chicago guitarist Dawayne Bailey helped me get interested, and my many Dusty friends since have kept me interested. I would like to make special mention to the late William Whitehead from South Africa, who was hugely instrumental in helping get Dusty and her music reinstated in that country after the apartheid regime kicked her out and banned her music from being played because she refused to play in front of segregated audiences. He was one of my earliest Dusty friends, and I miss his e-mails terribly. His acts took a lot of courage in a land ruled at that time by a brutal regime.

Learn the remarkable story behind Dusty Springfield at the site "A Girl Called Dusty"

Want to talk about Dusty? Visit "Let's Talk Dusty" and participate in the discussion forum and enjoy the site.

Enjoy the story about Dusty's 1964 Buick Riviera, with fan recollections, and recollections from Douggie Reece of Dusty's 60s band The Echoes, as well as take a grand tour of a 1964 Buick Riviera.

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