Dusty Springfield

Britain's greatest pop diva, Dusty Springfield was also the finest white soul singer of her era, a performer of remarkable emotional resonance whose body of work spans the decades and their attendant musical transformations with a consistency and purity unmatched by any of her contemporaries; though a camp icon of glamorous excess in her towering beehive hairdo and panda-eye black mascara, the sultry intimacy and heartbreaking urgency of Springfield's voice transcended image and fashion, embracing everything from lushly orchestrated pop to gritty R&B to disco with unparalleled sophistication and depth. She was born Mary O'Brien on April 16, 1939, and raised on an eclectic diet of classical music and jazz, coming to worship Peggy Lee; after completing her schooling she joined the Lana Sisters, a pop vocal trio which issued a few singles on Fontana before dissolving. In 1960, upon teaming with her brother Dion O' Brien and his friend Tim Feild in the folk trio the Springfields, O'Brien adopted the stage name Dusty Springfield; thanks to a series of hits including "Breakaway," "Bambino," and "Say I Won't Be There," the group was soon the U.K.'s best-selling act.

Britain's greatest pop diva, Dusty Springfield was also the finest white soul singer of her era, a performer of remarkable emotional resonance whose body of work spans the decades and their attendant musical transformations with a consistency and purity unmatched by any of her contemporaries; though a camp icon of glamorous excess in her towering beehive hairdo and panda-eye black mascara, the sultry intimacy and heartbreaking urgency of Springfield's voice transcended image and fashion, embracing everything from lushly orchestrated pop to gritty R&B to disco with unparalleled sophistication and depth. She was born Mary O'Brien on April 16, 1939, and raised on an eclectic diet of classical music and jazz, coming to worship Peggy Lee; after completing her schooling she joined the Lana Sisters, a pop vocal trio which issued a few singles on Fontana before dissolving. In 1960, upon teaming with her brother Dion O' Brien and his friend Tim Feild in the folk trio the Springfields, O'Brien adopted the stage name Dusty Springfield; thanks to a series of hits including "Breakaway," "Bambino," and "Say I Won't Be There," the group was soon the U.K.'s best-selling act.

Recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, Dusty in Memphis, is her greatest LP. Dusty worked with a stellar team of musicians and producers that included Jerry Wexler, Arif Mardin, Tom Dowd, conductor Gene Orloff, backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations, bassist Tommy Cogbill, and guitarist Reggie Young. Initial reaction and sales were disappointing on release, but the album has since been rediscovered and critically lauded as one of the greatest records of all time. In 2001, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Features songs by the cream of 20th century songwriters - Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil, Goffin/King, Randy Newman & Burt Bacharach/Hal David. Includes Dusty's classic takes on Son of a Preacher Man (a top-10 hit in the UK), Breakfast in Bed, Just One Smile, I Don't Want to Hear About It Anymore, So Much Love and Just a Little Lovin' - in all cases improving on the originals! This 50th anniversary edition has been remastered at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios.

"Blue For You", is a compilation that puts together some helpful bits and bobs for the obsessive fan. Not all-encompassing, this collection does have it's strong points although it misses out on her debut solo single "I Only Want To Be With You", it includes her incredible reading of the Burt Bacharach classic "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself", and, interestingly, the B-side to that single "My Colouring Book". The collection leaps around the years at one point landing in 1970 for her duet with Tom Springfield, "Morning Please Don't Come" but if you want to have everything, you can excuse the erratic nature to hear some immaculate vocal talent.

It Begins Again (or It Begins Again….) is the 1978 album by British singer Dusty Springfield, the last she did for United Artists. This is a 2002 remaster reissued by Mercury/Universal featuring a 12" Extended Mix of "That's The Kind Of Love I've Got For You" as a bonus track.

The previous volumes in Ace Heard Them Here First series focused on Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, the Ramones and the New York Dolls. This edition features the original versions of numbers recorded by Dusty Springfield, the UK's premier female vocalist of the 1960s. Dusty's expertise as an interpretive singer prevented her from being viewed as a cover artist and allowed her the luxury of recording the songs of her favourite American performers and writers. The selection spans Marie Knight's Nothing In The World', a super song Dusty recorded on her first LP, through to K.T. Oslin's 'Where Is A Woman To Go', a highlight of Dusty's swansong album. The Marie Knight track makes its CD debut here, along with 'Love Me By Name' by Lesley Gore, 'Packin' Up' by Margie Hendrix and Carla Thomas' 'Every Ounce Of Strength'. Reflecting Dusty's impeccable taste in music, this Ace CD also includes songs by her preferred songwriting teams Goffin & King and Bacharach & David and several great examples from the Motown catalogue. Compilation and notes by Mick Patrick and Malcolm Baumgart.

Capable of bone-shaking R&B soul vocals or a smooth, pop-styled Motown sound, Dusty Springfield turned versatility into a 40-year career in which she showed time and time again that she was among the best song interpreters in pop music. This single-disc compilation covers the whole journey, from her earliest hits with the Springfields ("Silver Threads and Golden Needles") to her solo hits ("Wishin' and Hopin," "Son of a Preacher Man") and her collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys ("What Have I Done to Deserve This"). While Rhino's three-disc Anthology is still probably the best comprehensive introduction to Springfield on the market, this one has the added advantage of including three early tracks from the Springfields, as well as tracks featuring her later orchestrated adult contemporary style.

"Reputation" is the thirteenth studio album by British singer Dusty Springfield, and twelfth released. Issued on the Parlophone Records label in the UK and the rest of Europe in June 1990, Reputation was not only Springfield's first studio album in eight years at the time but also her first album to be released in her native UK since 1979's Living Without Your Love. After a string of commercially overlooked albums through the late 1970s and early 1980s Reputation finally managed to resurrect Springfield's career and belatedly resulted in her being re-evaluated and recognised by both music critics and the general public as the UK's foremost 'blue-eyed soul' singer.

The Magic Of Dusty Springfield celebrates one of the leading female vocalists of the 20th Century, all put together with loving care and attention by Dusty associates, experts and aficionados.