by Robert Wilkinson
Dusty would have been 81 on Thursday. Tonight we celebrate this awesome talent’s life and music, and dance to some fantastic music courtesy of great videos of this legendary Diva!
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brian, known to the world as Dusty Springfield (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), was one of the greatest female soul voices ever to grace our planet. Icon of the 60s, Dusty’s look and voice, a peroxide blond bouffant hairdo in heavy makeup belting out soaring ballads, made her one of the greatest dramatic musical performers of all time. So today we remember and celebrate one of the best of the best. Gone, but not that gone, since she'll never be forgotten!
We’ll begin this tribute with her extraordinary breakthrough hit written by another legend, Ivor Raymonde, from January 1964, “I Only Want To Be With You”
For your further enjoyment, I found this clip of her very live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show with absolutely NO lip-synching! Since last year the video has disappeared and someone synched her voice to this canned performance from the Russ Conway Show. Listen to her voice! “I Only Want To Be With You” This one’s worth hearing!
Here are two lip synched “performances.” First, the Russ Conway video in color! “I Only Want To Be With You,” and from Oz tv in 1967, “I Only Want To Be With You.”
From American Bandstand, May 1964, Dusty performing her second huge hit of that year (to a backing track). Also written by Ivor Raymonde, the powerful “Stay Awhile”
This clip looks like it’s from Ready Steady Go, where she’s lip-synching in a “live” performance of “Stay Awhile”
Courtesy of the 1964 BBC Saturday Club radio show, this is a great “live in the studio” performance! No lip synching going on here! Listen to her voice, as it's simply magnificent! “Stay Awhile”
Here’s the studio version of her next major follow-up hit, a Bert Bacharach composition from the Summer of 1964 “Wishin’ and Hopin’”
From 1965 on The Ed Sullivan Show Dusty giving up “All Cried Out”
In 1965 she took over the NME Awards and cranked it up with a live performance of “Dancin’ In the Streets,” “Mockingbird,” and “I Can’t Hear You”
An interesting clip that claims to be PBS, but is actually the Shivaree television show in LA in 1965. Gene Weed’s trumpet lip synch is absurd! Here’s Dusty live with a backing track giving us “Wishin’ and Hopin’”
From 1966, live on television to a backing track, Dusty giving us another Bert Bacharach tune she made into a hit in 1964, “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”
We'll now take a quick trip to the past. Here’s the hit that introduced her magnificent voice to the world! From 1962, the studio version of the Springfields (Dusty, her brother Tom, and Mike Hurst) giving us “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”
From their 1961 BBC television show, here are the Springfields live in a skit to their tune “Ballin’ the Jack” and from 1962, here they are actually performing a tune that would have been classic Nashville if they’d been a US group! “Island of Dreams”
Here’s another extraordinary live television performance by the Springfields, all acoustic and exquisite harmonies giving us “One Note Samba” and “Island of Dreams”
Now we move into Dusty at her greatest!
First, from 1967, Dusty cranking out one of my favorites, taking on the infinitely danceable Martha and the Vandellas hit “Heat Wave”
Speaking of Martha Reeves, here’s Dusty and Martha in 1965 on the Ready Steady Go Motown special, giving us a duet of “Wishin’ and Hopin’”
From 1967, Dusty in a live performance of her song from Casino Royale, another song written by the legendary Bert Bacharach, “the Look of Love”
I found this great live performance on television from 1968 of Dusty offering up her hit from Dusty in Memphis, “Son of A Preacher Man”
From November of that same year on The Ed Sullivan Show, “Son of A Preacher Man”
Here’s an iconic live television performance from the 60s by Dusty of her huge hit “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”
From much later, a 1979 performance at the Royal Albert Hall of “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”
From her television show It Must Be Dusty, a real score! Here's Dusty in a duet with the Jimi (backed as only the Jimi Hendrix Experience could - wow!) doing the classic "Mockingbird" (Sorry the video is so lousy, but it's an amazing duet!) Here's a shorter one in color, better video shot straight off the television! Jimi and Dusty - "Mockingbird"
From the same 1968-69 television series, some audio-only performances!
From 1969, Dusty giving us a few great songs, including “Nowhere To Run, Nowhere to Hide”! Dusty Springfield on the Tom Jones Show
From a different Tom Jones Show, a duet! “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”
From 1970, here’s a television performance with Dusty and Engelbert Humperdinck giving us “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” From what looks to be the same television show, “I Wanna Be A Free Girl” and "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon"
She made an appearance on The Andy Williams Show to do a very short but interesting duet of “I Want To Hold Your Hand” interwoven with “Brand New Me”
From the Rolf Harris show in 1971, a live video performance of "Knowing When to Leave" and "Up On The Roof"
She appeared with Bobby Darin on his tv show in 1973. Last year I had a clip of them doing a great duet of the Motown classic “Baby I Need Your Lovin’” but this year it’s disappeared. However, I found these two from that show! First, “The Magnificent Sanctuary Band” and then “Of All the Things”
Here’s an exquisite offering by the Lady of “Think It’s Gonna Rain Today”
From 1980 on the Toni Tenille television show, a strong delivery of the Ike and Tina arrangement of John Fogerty’s iconic “Proud Mary”
Here’s one of her last hits, done with the Pet Shop Boys, “What Have I Done To Deserve This”
We’ll close this dance with three studio albums. The first is considered a masterpiece to this day, a classic of white soul by one of the greatest!! For your listening pleasure, the full 33 minute album from 1969 Dusty in Memphis
Last year I had an hour and 43 “greatest hits” album, but it’s gone. So instead, here are 11 tunes which you may not have heard her do. Dusty Springfield – Greatest Hits
Here’s another great playlist, with Dusty doing covers of pop hits of other artists! Dusty Does Pop Hits
Thanks to friend of the site Steve Taylor, here'a the classic hour and 23 documentary! Just Dusty.
Here’s another great 55 minute BBC documentary which features a bunch of her friends paying tribute. Great early footage! Dusty Springfield – Living Famously
This one’s a straightforward 56 minute documentary. The Dusty Springfield Story
In years past I’ve had a great one hour BBC documentary in a single clip as well as multiple clips. This year I found part 2.
It seems that Part 7 is nowhere to be found. Better luck next year!
For our first encore, yet another hour of the birthday Lady performing for us! Dusty Live at the BBC - 1966
For our second encore, another hour and 31 of the birthday Lady performing for us! Dusty Live at the BBC - 1967 (This one’s really good!)
And for our last encore, we’ll close this show with a great live television performance on Aspel and Company in 1989 of her breakthrough tune, delivered by the immortal Dusty Springfield! This one has a live chorus, three violins, and big brass section! “I Only Want To Be with You”
You were and are the best of blue eyed Soul! Thanks for being here, Dusty. You were awesome!
© Copyright 2020 Robert Wilkinson
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