Dusty Springfield - White Soul Singer Quiz

Answer: Mary

Dusty was born on 16 April 1939 and given the names Mary Isabel (or Isobel) Catherine Bernadette O'Brien. Her parents were Gerard and Kay O'Brien and her father would tap out songs on the back of her hand, asking her to guess the name of the song. According to Edward Leeson's book 'Dusty Springfield: A Life In Music', the nickname of Dusty came from her tomboyish tendencies and love of playing football (soccer) with the boys.

Answer: London

Although her family was Irish Catholic, Dusty was born in London. Her family is usually described as 'disfunctional', with her father being a perfectionist. The family did give her a strong love for music, including American jazz and swing, with Peggy Lee being a strong favourite.

Answer: Tom

Dusty had been a member of The Lana Sisters, an all girl trio, while Dion and Tim (also known as Richard and Reshad) were in a duo called The Kensington Squares. The Springfields sang in a folk/pop style and could be considered a British version of America's Peter, Paul and Mary.

Although they were successful, the folk style was not Dusty's preferred singing style and she left to go solo in 1963.

Answer: Silver Threads and Golden Needles

By this time, Tim Feild had been replaced by Mike Hurst, and this single became the first by a British group to break into the US charts. The Tornados eclipsed this shortly afterward by reaching number one with 'Telstar', before The Beatles came along and rewrote history.

After the breakup of the group, both Tom Springfield and Mike Hurst went on to great success as record producers. The other options were all hits for Peter, Paul and Mary.

Answer: I fell into your open arms

'You stopped and smiled at me, asked if I'd care to dance. I fell into your open arms and I didn't stand a chance'. The song was written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymnonde and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and number twelve on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. 'Planning everything for two' comes from 'I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself' and 'Where does our love lie?' from 'In the Middle of Nowhere'. 'Left alone with just a memory' is a line from 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me'. All these songs were successful for Dusty.

Answer: You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

As well as reaching number one in the UK, 'You Don't Have to Say You Love Me' reached number four on the US Hot 100 chart. It was also number four on the charts in Canada and Ireland and number two in Australia. 'I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself' made number three in the UK, and 'Goin' Back' was a UK number ten. 'In the Middle of Nowhere' managed number eight in the UK, and none of these reached the Hot 100 in America.

Answer: Dionne Warwick

The song was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and was included on the album 'A Girl Called Dusty'. It reached number six on the US Hot 100, but was not released as a single in the UK as Dusty was already in the singles charts with another Bacharach/David song - 'I Just Don't Know What to do with Myself'.

Instead, a single version was issued by the Liverpool band 'The Merseybeats', reaching number thirteen on the UK singles charts.

Answer: Pulp Fiction

'Pulp Fiction' was directed by Quentin Tarantino and featured several songs, including 'Lonesome Town' by Ricky Nelson and 'Let's Stay Together' by Al Green as well as Dusty's song. 'Son of a Preacher Man' was originally released as a single in 1969, when it reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart and number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100.

It appeared on the album 'Dusty in Memphis' which was the first one where Dusty concentrated on soul music. The other films were also from 1994.

Answer: Pet Shop Boys

At the time, the Pet Shop Boys were at the height of their success with their electronic pop music, with 'West End Girls' having been a huge hit in both the UK and USA in 1984. They invited Dusty to perform guest vocals on the song, and went on to write 'Nothing Has Been Proved' for her.

The latter song was written for the film 'Scandal'(1989), which covered a British political scandal from the 1960s.

Answer: Breast cancer

Dusty's cancer was diagnosed in 1994 and she underwent radiotherapy which sent the disease into remission. However, it returned in 1996 leading to her death on 2 March 1999. She had been awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) and should have been collecting it from Buckingham Palace on the day she died. By special permission, the medal had been collected early and presented to Dusty in hospital.

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shortly after her death.