Dusty: The Classic Biography (Revised and Updated)

Lucy O'Brien

Softcover | 12.7 x 2.54 x 20.32 cm | 304 pp

Michael O'Mara | 2024 | 9781789295863 

The story of pop legend Dusty Springfield from the people who knew her, from her troubled childhood to 60s mod queen and enduring music icon.

Dusty Springfield was one of our greatest pop singers. From 60s hits like ‘I Only Want to be With You’, ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ and ‘You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me’ to her 80s collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys and beyond, she was a musical pioneer and the very essence of authentic white soul. A member of the US Rock and Roll and UK Music Halls of Fame, international polls have named Dusty among the best female pop artists of all time.

Twenty-five years after her passing, she continues to fascinate and inspire. This classic biography is based on over forty-five original interviews with close friends and people who worked with her, including Sir Tom Jones, Lulu, legendary arranger Ivor Raymonde, and the late, great Atlantic Records trio, Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, with whom she recorded her classic album Dusty In Memphis.

The book fully explores her life and legacy, from a troubled Home Counties childhood to 60s mod queen and solo star, to her struggles with addiction and mental health issues, to her status as an influential LGBT heroine and enduring pop icon.