Dusty Springfield born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette Born on 16 April 1939. Died March 2, 1999,

Dusty Springfield born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette Born on 16 April 1939. Died March 2, 1999,

Dusty Springfield was born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien in West Hampstead on April 16, 1939, to Irish parents Gerard Anthony O'Brien and Catherine Anne "Kay" O'Brien. Dusty Springfield, a cultural icon of the Swinging Sixties, was "an instantly recognisable celebrity" when she was born in London  Springfield's platinum blonde bouffant hairstyle, ball gowns, and intense make-up, which included her much-copied "panda eye" mascara, helped her project a joyful image in public and on stage. She had also become a camp icon by the 1990s, thanks to her ultra-glam style, which, coupled with her emotive vocal performances, earned her a strong and lasting following among transgender people. She was portrayed as the 'Great White Lady' of pop and soul as well as the 'Queen of mods'  Springfield was cremated, with some of her ashes buried at Henley and the remainder spread at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

Such female talent typically came with the price of mandatory reliance on male record producers, arrangers, and songwriters for female stars of the time. It was not expected of women to know what was best for them. Springfield thought differently and it showed in her recordings, which were marked by a careful selection of material and magnificently soulful compositions.

Onóir O Brien, Wikipedia, The Guardian, The Irish times

1999