01/06/2023
We here at FOREVER DUSTY the Dusty Springfield Musical wanted to start the new year by honoring the great, Tom Springfield born Dionysius O’Brien in Hampstead, north London. Tom sadly passed away on July 27th 2022. We were quite frankly gutted, as Dusty would say. Without Tom Springfield there would be no Dusty Springfield. He was an immense talent who preferred to live life out of the spotlight. After he left The Springfields went on to become a hit songwriter for groups like The Seekers. We received a message from Tom through the music publishers who gave us a "Congratulations! and Well Done!" regarding our FOREVER DUSTY Musical that ran Off Broadway, Los Angeles and London. We are forever grateful to you Dion, "I mean, Tom." (it's one of the lines in our musical). You are in our hearts forever. We hope to continue to honor you and Dusty with our little show that could. We can't imagine our lives without you. May you and Dusty continue to bless our musical journey. We count our lucky stars everyday to have been able to be apart of telling your stories to audiences around the world. You are FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS, Tom Springfield...I mean, Dion 🙂 LOVE LOVE LOVE! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! ❤️❤️❤️💔💔💔
"The musician, songwriter and producer Tom Springfield, who has died aged 88, became massively successful in the 1960s but hated being in the public eye. Best known as the elder brother of Dusty Springfield, the finest and most soulful female British singer to emerge during the decade, he joined her in the Springfields, a trio who enjoyed commercial success in Britain, the US and Australia from 1961 to 1963.
When Dusty left to follow her solo career, Tom began working as a songwriter and producer with an Australian band, the Seekers, who also specialised in pop-folk songs and had a similar lineup, though with added double-bass, and a female lead vocalist, Judith Durham. They too became very successful in Britain, Australia and the US, but broke up in 1968 when Durham left to go solo.
The British music scene was in a state of transition at the start of the 60s, and the Springfields provided a style that was fresh and original. In the US the folk boom had led to the commercial success of easygoing folk groups, including Peter, Paul and Mary, and the Springfields had much the same appeal. Tom Springfield and Tim Feild both played acoustic guitars and were fine harmony singers, while Dusty dominated the trio, with her remarkable voice and blonde beehive hairstyle.
They were signed to Philips Records, and though their first single, Dear John, was unsuccessful, the follow-up songs Breakaway (which reached No 31 in the charts) and Bambino (which reached No 16) led to the Springfields being nominated best UK vocal group in the New Musical Express readers’ poll that year.
Feild left in February 1962 to be replaced by the 19-year-old Mike Hurst, and now the group enjoyed major and unexpected success. In September 1962 they released Silver Threads and Golden Needles, a song originally recorded by the American rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson in 1956. It became the first single by a British group to reach the Top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100 in the US, as well as No 2 in Australia, and is memorable for Dusty’s thoughtful and emotional vocal work."
Musician, songwriter and producer who sang with his sister, Dusty, in the pop-folk trio the Springfields in the 1960s
