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Dusty Springfield, born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien on April 16 in London, starts life in a middle-class family, developing her love for music and justice that later fights racism. -
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Dusty joins her brother Tom in The Springfields, a folk-pop trio in London, starting her music career with songs like “Island of Dreams” before her soul days. -
Dusty leaves The Springfields and releases “I Only Want to Be with You,” a Motown-inspired love song that secures her change to soul and first big step toward crossing racial lines as a solo star. -
Dusty refuses to perform for segregated audiences on a South Africa tour, gets deported after four days, and turns songs like “I Only Want to Be with You” into symbols of unity against apartheid. -
Dusty hosts The Sound of Motown on BBC, featuring Black artists like The Supremes and Stevie Wonder, using her fame to put them on the spotlight and fight an industry that kept them down. -
Dusty records “Son of a Preacher Man” in Memphis with Black musicians and Jerry Wexler, releasing a soul hit in November that celebrates Black struggles and breaks music’s racial barriers. -
Dusty in Memphis, with “Son of a Preacher Man,” hits Top 10 charts in the U.S. and UK, spreading soul to white fans and proving music is for everyone. -
Dusty teams up with Pet Shop Boys for “What Have I Done to Deserve This?,” a hit that revives her career and reminds fans of her soul roots and past stands against racism. -
Dusty dies of breast cancer on March 2 in Henley-on-Thames, England, at age 59, leaving a legacy of soul music and quiet fights against segregation that still inspires today.