Happy Birthday, Dusty

We all know her voice, that slow burning, naughty but nice smoky sound (perhaps the perfect example of this being the classic “Son Of a Preacher Man”). Dusty Springfield was, in my mind, one of the most gifted vocalists of the 20th century. Listen to Dusty In Memphis and just try to disagree with me. Few people can match her voice, which echoed with not just the sentiment of the song she might have been singing, but with a deeper, constant touch of sorrow. Frequently, in song as well as life, she seemed to be the woman done wrong. And nearly always, she reached the realms of the magnificent with that voice of hers.

In a time when a whole bunch of people didn’t even think about singing songs they had written, Dusty made every song that came her way sound like it was hers and hers alone. With that kinda voice, it was easy to stake claim on just about anything. And so, please take a moment to remember that heavenly, heartbreaking voice, and the woman behind it.

Happy Birthday, Dusty.

mp3: Just One Smile (Dusty Springfield from Dusty In Memphis)