Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer whose career spanned over five decades. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a significant singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dramatic ballads, with French chanson, country, and jazz also in her repertoire. During her 1960s peak, she ranked among the most successful British female performers on both sides of the Atlantic. Her image – marked by a peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive hairstyle, heavy makeup (thick black eyeliner and eye shadow) and evening gowns, as well as stylised, gestural performances – made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties.Born in West Hampstead in London into a family that enjoyed music, Springfield learned to sing at home. In 1958, she joined her first professional group, The Lana Sisters. Two years later, with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Feild, Springfield formed the folk-pop vocal trio The Springfields. Two of their five 1961–63 Top 40 UK hits – "Island of Dreams" and "Say I Won't Be There" – reached no. 5 in the charts, both in the spring of 1963. In 1962 they also hit big in the States with their cover of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles".
Springfield's solo career began in late 1963 with the upbeat pop record "I Only Want to Be with You" — a UK no. 4 hit, and the first of her six transatlantic Top 40 hits in the 1960s, along with “Stay Awhile” (1964), "All I See Is You" (1966), "I'll Try Anything" (1967) and the two releases now considered her signature songs: "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966 UK no. 1/US no. 4) and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968/69 UK no. 9/US no. 10). The latter features on the 1968 pop and soul album Dusty in Memphis, one of Springfield's defining works. In March 2020, the US Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Between 1964 and 1969 Springfield hit big in her native Britain with several singles which in America either failed to chart or were not released, among them "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (the biggest of her many Bacharach/David covers), "In the Middle of Nowhere", "Some of Your Lovin'", "Goin' Back" and "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten". Conversely, she charted in the US (but not in the UK) with hits including "Wishin' and Hopin' ", "The Look of Love" and "The Windmills of Your Mind".
Between 1971 and 1986, Springfield failed to register a hit from five album releases (aside from a minor 1979 UK chart appearance), but her 1987 collaboration with UK synthpop duo the Pet Shop Boys, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", took her back to the top of the charts, reaching no. 2 on both the UK singles chart and Billboard's Hot 100. The collaboration also yielded two 1989 UK Top 20 hits: "Nothing Has Been Proved" and "In Private". In 1990, Springfield charted with “Reputation” – the last of 25 Top 40 UK hits in which she features.
A fixture on British television, Springfield presented many episodes of the hip 1963–66 British TV music series Ready Steady Go! and, between 1966 and 69, hosted her own series on the BBC and ITV. In 1966, Springfield topped the popularity polls, including Melody Maker's Best International Vocalist, and was the first UK singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for Female Singer. She is a member of both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame. International polls have lauded Springfield as one of the finest female popular singers of all time.
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Some of their strengths
Dusty Springfield has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Imaginative, Emotional, Honest, Energetic, Intuitive, Passionate, and Generous.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Dusty Springfield is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who sees life as a journey not a destination.
Soulful and Intuitive
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Dusty Springfield well know them as someone who can be graceful, romantic, and reserved, like gentle rain.
Imaginative and Sentimental
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Dusty Springfield as someone who is imaginative, sentimental, and in touch with emotions.
A person who has extremely good memory and analytical skills, likes to make sure that everyone gets along, enjoys all kinds of situations and people, has a talent for travel and languages, and who makes lifelong friends.
Social and Intuitive
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Dusty Springfield is someone who values forming deep friendships and relationships, and who has strong intuition and reasoning skills .
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Dusty Springfield tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of Dusty Springfield's challenges
While Dusty Springfield has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Dusty Springfield can be Short-tempered, Impulsive, Indecisive, Unrealistic, Arrogant, Status-seeking, and Irritable.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of Dusty Springfield's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
Dusty Springfield must also exercise caution as they can have difficulty dealing with responsibility, authority, or criticism.
Irritable and Moody
Dusty Springfield is someone who can be irritable and moody, have a tendency to experience self-doubt, be too secretive, can take too many risks, and who can have an extreme approach to managing personal finances.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, Dusty Springfield also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.
