Dusty Springfield passed on March 2nd, 1999 aged just 59, but what a reputation and body of work she left behind! Arguably the queen of blue-eyed soul, she could turn her hand to pop ballads, French chanson, country and jazz.
During her peak years in the 1960s she ranked among the most successful performers on both sides of the Atlantic. With her distinctive look and stylised performances she was an icon of the Swinging Sixties.
After Top 10 success in the folk-pop trio The Springfields she began her solo career in 1963. Her first UK hit single came in that year with I Only Want To Be With You, which reached No.4 and her biggest hit was the 1966 UK No.1 & US No.4 single You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.
Her 1987 collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, took her back to the top end 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 Dusty also charted with Reputation – the last of 25 Top 40 UK hits in which she features.
She left us much too soon, but her music lives on right here on our dedicated station.
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD LISTEN HERE
