Widely regarded as one of the finest soul singers of all time, Dusty Springfield saw the height of her success in the 1960s. She released more than 20 albums, the most notable of which are A Girl Called Dusty (1964), Stay Awhile/I Only Want to be With You (1964), Dusty in Memphis (1969) and White Heat (1979). She had numerous Top 10 hits and many of those songs are now considered classics, including "Son of a Preacher Man", "I Just Don't Know What to do With Myself", "The Look of Love" and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". Springfield has been cited as an influence by a wide range of famous musical artists from Neil Tennant, Beth Orton and Annie Lennox to Elton John.
Springfield was a perfectionist, insisting that every note be absolutely perfect, which sometimes led to her being labeled difficult to work with. This label came mostly from men who were unused to women taking control in the studio. Although she couldn't take credit for it (at that time it would have been considered unseemly) she frequently produced her own songs. However this perfectionism paid off in the end as her vocals were always perfect, full-bodied and intensely soulful. As a result of her years of work she was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1999. In that same year she died of breast cancer; ten days after her death she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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1965. A facial portrait of the famous British singer Dusty Springfield sitting at home smiling at the camera.
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