Dusty Springfield 1939 - 1999

British Vocalist Described as the “White Queen of Soul”

Dusty Springfield was born Mary O’Brien in 1939 in England. She acquired the nickname “Dusty” for being a tomboy as a child, playing rough-and-tumble sports with boys on the streets of her native London. 

In the late 1950s, she became the third member of a short-lived singing girl group known as the Lana Sisters. In the early 1960s, she joined a country music trio called The Springfields. They had a few hits but she decided to go solo choosing to call herself Dusty Springfield. 

He first success was I only Want to Be With You (1963) that she sang wearing a 60s’ style bleached blonde beehive and thick mascara. In the few years that followed, a string of hits ensued. Her greatest success was You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me (1966) which topped the charts in the U.K. and reached number 4 in Canada and the United States. Her success led to her hosting her own variety show on the BBC. Dusty’s long and prolific career has won her numerous recognitions from critics within the industry as well as wider audiences. 

Her many other hits include: Wishin’ and Hopin (1964), The Look of Love (1967), and Son of a Preacher Man (1968). She had a her rich and souldful smoky mezzo-soprano voice. She possessed exceptional breath control, precise phrasing, and a controlled, subtle vibrato that anchored her sometimes dramatic songs.

In the 1970s, she moved to the United States but her career had stalled. She went through a few failed comebacks while struggling with depression, drug addiction, and alcoholism. 

In 1981, Canadian rock icon Carole Pope met Dusty Springfield backstage in New York City. Pope was attracted to Springfield’s brilliant voice and British humour. They started a rocky 18-month romantic relationship and moved in together in a small home in Cabbagetown. An animal lover, Springfield apparently chose the location, 10 Geneva Avenue, because of its proximity to Riverdale Farm that she visited often. 

In her autobiography Anti Diva, Pope described their time together as a mix of domestic chaos, stray cats, wild nights, and a distinct brand of shabby-glam Canadian rock-and-roll lifestyle. Pope was loud and proud while Springfield was still “in the closet” and struggling with her sexuality. She wasn’t in a great financial position either. Heavy drinking and substance abuse finally led to a difficult breakup. Dusty moved back to the U.K.

Neil Tennant of the synth-pop group The Pet Shop Boys (PSB) had always been a great fan of Dusty Springfield. In 1985, Tennant and his PSB partner Chris Lowe wrote the song What Have I Done to Deserve This? and envisioned Springfield singing the female vocal part. It took a bit of convincing and some label negotiations but Springfield finally agreed to record it. The song was released in August 1987 and became a great commercial success in the U.K. and North America, thus reviving her career.

Dusty Springfield lived her last years in Oxfordshire, England and died of breast cancer in March of 1999, at age 59.

Honours and Awards

• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1988)
• Posthumously inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999)