Dusty The Classic Biography

Dusty Springfield was a well-loved pop singer. From 1960s 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 1980s 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 years after her passing, she continues to fascinate and inspire. This latest edition of Lucy O’Brien’s classic biography has new photographs, a new introduction, fresh material, and more than 45 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 1960s 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.

Lucy O'Brien has been a music writer since the 1980s, contributing to a range of titles including NME, Q, Mojo, the Sunday Times, Guardian, Independent, and Quietus. She is also a broadcaster for TV and radio. She is currently Course Leader for BA Music Journalism and BA Music Marketing & Promotion at University for the Creative Arts, and has a PhD focusing on women and popular music.