Dusty Springfield was a singing icon all over the world. The name Dusty has been with her since her childhood days. Dusty started her singing career as part of the Lana Sisters in the late fifties, before joining her brother Tom as part of the Springfields, and they became an international success as a folk-pop band, in the early sixties they add a hit in America with "Silver Threads And Golden Needles"  a good eighteen months before the Beatles revolutionized the pop industry across the Atlantic. After leaving the Springfields in 1963, her first single was "I Only Want to Be With You", which was a success in both Britain and the United States. This was followed by a series of classic and successful singles, including "Stay Awhile", "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself", and "Losing You". Dusty recorded a number of Bacharach-David compositions, one of which was specifically written for her, "The Look of Love" (from the 1967 spoof Bond movie Casino Royale, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1967.) By 1964, Dusty was one of the biggest solo artists of her day. She created a controversy when she refused to play in front of a segregated crowd in South Africa. She was often a featured artist on the British music show Ready Steady Go!, produced by Vicki Wickham, who would later become her manager. Springfield's huge UK success led to her starring in her own BBC television series, Dusty (1966-7), followed by an ITV series "It Must Be Dusty" in 1968. She returned to the BBC for her final series "Definitely Dusty" in 1969. Her shows featured many leading stars of the day. Dusty identified herself as being bisexual or lesbian..."I know I'm perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy." By 1970 standards, Dusty had made a very bold statement. The fact that she never married meant that the issue continued to be raised throughout her life from this point onwards, although she stated that she had enjoyed relationships with both men and women "and liked it"  in 1994 Dusty was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had felt unwell during a recording session while recording in Nashville and it was only when she returned home to England that she discovered she had the cancer. She received treatment and, for a time, the cancer was in remission. However, the cancer recurred in 1997 and Dusty lost her battle with the disease in March 1999 at the age of 59, just ten days before she was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and on the day she had been due to receive her OBE at Buckingham Palace.