I know it is usually Tacky Music Monday, but today is a special anniversary... It is ten years since the world lost that most incredible of singers Dusty Springfield.
Dusty had the most gorgeous singing voice - she had a rare quality that allowed her to tackle such different types of music as that of Bacharach & David, Holland-Dozier-Holland and Jacques Brel in one set, delivering each with a sublime grace that others could rarely match.
She championed the rise to prominence in the UK of Motown, and with her support dozens of black artists including Martha & the Vandellas, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye created a niche for their music in this country long before 60s America would even give them airplay.
Dusty's hidden lesbianism and drink dependency led to other problems that meant even after the massive success of her 60s albums, including one of the most lauded LPs of all time Dusty in Memphis, her career went into a bit of a decline throughout the 70s. With the able assistance of Pet Shop Boys she made a well-deserved comeback in the 1980s, and she was rightly recognised for her lifetime achievements with a series of awards.
Her death was met with huge fan hysteria, her funeral was attended by hundreds of people, the great and the good, and even the Queen said she was 'saddened' to learn that Dusty was dead (she had been due to go to the Palace to receive her OBE on the day she died). I was living in Plymouth at the time, and we all wore black armbands.
Here are just three of my all-time favourite Dusty tracks:
Dusty Springfield, OBE (born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, 16th April 1939 – 2nd March 1999)
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