“She really had a great range from folk to rock and R and B, all in one concentrated career.”
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Figure timeline
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop, and dramatic ballads, with French chanson, country, and jazz also in her repertoire. During her 1960s peak, she ranked among the most successful British performers on both sides of the Atlantic.…
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entertainment · British singer (1939–1999) · singer · recording artist · television presenter · musician · also Dusty Springfield, María Isabel Catalina Bernadette O'Brien, Shann Lana, Springfield
Born 16 April 1939 · Died 2 March 1999 · Q219782
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2026· 5 entries
The Irish Times: Vicki Wickham obituary: Songwriter, TV producer and manager of Dusty Springfield and Marc Almond
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The Guardian: ‘I can out-dance Bowie and Jagger!’ Martha Reeves on Motown, Dancing in the Street and smashing crockery with Dusty Springfield
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Coveralia: Acorde de Your Hurtin' Kinda Love - Dusty Springfield
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Yahoo: Dusty Springfield’s ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’ Was a Hit
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2025· 1 entry
Released album “Longing”.
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2024· 2 entries
Released album “Essential Classics, Vol. 163: Dusty Springfield”.
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The Guardian: ‘Full of secrets and promises’: Dusty Springfield’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!
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2023· 1 entry
IrishCentral: Dusty Springfield's "largely unknown Irish heritage" inspires new movie
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2022· 2 entries
Released album “Essential”.
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Released album “Dusty Sings Soul”.
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2021· 1 entry
Released album “The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971”.
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2020· 1 entry
Released album “Ten songs for you”.
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2019· 1 entry
Released album “An Introduction To Dusty Springfield”.
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2018· 2 entries
Released album “Dusty Springfield - Favourites 1963–67”.
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The Guardian: Gemma Arterton to star in Dusty Springfield biopic
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2016· 1 entry
Released album “A Little Piece of My Heart: The Essential Dusty Springfield”.
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2015· 4 entries
Released album “Come for a Dream: The U.K. Sessions 1970-1971”.
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Released album “There’s a Big Wheel: The Early Years, 1958 - 1962”.
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Springfield was named by Equality Forum as being one of their 31 Icons of the 2015 LGBT History Month
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Released album “Faithful”.
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2013· 2 entries
Released album “Island of Dreams”.
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Released album “Dusty Springfield (Opus Collection)”.
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2012· 1 entry
A biographical jukebox musical titled Forever Dusty opened Off-Broadway in New York City at New World Stages
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2011· 2 entries
Released album “The Magic of Dusty Springfield”.
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Released album “Goin’ Back: The Definitive Dusty Springfield”.
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2009· 2 entries
Released album “Just Dusty”.
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Released album “Best Selection”.
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2008· 5 entries
Released album “Gold”.
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Country/blues singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne recorded a tribute album featuring ten of Springfield's songs and one original
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Released album “The Ultimate Collection”.
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Released album “Walk On By: The Greatest Hits”.
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Released album “40 Original Hits”.
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2007· 4 entries
Released album “The Complete BBC Sessions”.
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Released album “The Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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Released album “The Silver Collection”.
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Released album “The Best of Dusty Springfield, Volume 2”.
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2006· 4 entries
Released album “Complete A and B Sides 1963–1970”.
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Released album “At Her Very Best: Dusty Springfield”.
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Released album “Dusty: The Original Pop Diva”.
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Released album “Another Little Piece Of My Heart: The Love Songs”.
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2005· 1 entry
Released album “Live at the Royal Albert Hall”.
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2004· 5 entries
Released album “Classics & Collectibles”.
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Released album “The Look of Love: Her Greatest Love Songs”.
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Rolling Stone ranked it 240 in its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
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Released album “Something Special”.
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Released album “Beautiful Day”.
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2003· 4 entries
Released album “Dusty Sings Classic Soul”.
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Released album “Son of a Preacher Man & Other Hits”.
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Released album “The Singles+”.
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Released album “For Café Après-Midi”.
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2002· 2 entries
Released album “Spooky ~ the Very Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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The record ranked 43 in the 100 Greatest Singles of All Time, as voted for by New Musical Express critics
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2001· 4 entries
Released album “Ultimate Collection”.
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Released album “Beautiful Soul: The ABC/Dunhill Collection”.
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Received the Grammy Hall of Fame award
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Released album “Lounge Legends”.
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2000· 3 entries
Released album “Classic”.
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Released album “Simply... Dusty”.
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Released album “Forever Collection”.
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1999· 9 entries
Released album “20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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Awarded Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999).
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Awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1999).
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Died 1999-03-02.
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Released album “Dusty in London”.
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“Irishness is a state of mind rather than a geographic thing. I’m not English. My name is O’Brien and I’m glad it is. I’ve got nothing against the English and I’m glad I was born here. But I’m glad my mother came from Kerry and I’m glad my name is Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien and I can weep at Riverdance on TV, and it makes me laugh.”
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"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" featured in an all-time Top 100 of songs as voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 2
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“People resent change, I think in some ways, but they forget that they've changed too. I think most of us changed for the better rather than the worst.”
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“Many other people say I'm bent, and I've heard it so many times that I've almost learned to accept it ... I know I'm perfectly as capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I don't see why I shouldn't.”
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1998· 2 entries
Released album “The Very Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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Released album “Dusty: The Very Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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1997· 5 entries
Released album “Dusty Springfield Anthology”.
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Released album “Stay Awhile: I Only Want to Be With You + Dusty”.
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Released album “Songbooks”.
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Released album “Reputation & Rarities”.
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Released album “Hits Collection”.
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1996· 2 entries
Released album “Am I the Same Girl”.
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Released album “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”.
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1995· 3 entries
Released album “A Very Fine Love”.
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In apparent good health, she set about to promote the album, which was released that year
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Released album “Dusty Sings Burt Bacharach Favorites”.
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1994· 2 entries
Released album “Goin’ Back: The Very Best of Dusty Springfield”.
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By including "Son of a Preacher Man" on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, which sold over three million copies
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1993· 3 entries
Recorded a duet with her former 1960s professional rival and friend, Cilla Black
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Released album “Blue for You”.
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With producer, Tom Shapiro, but was issued as A Very Fine Love in June 1995
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1990· 5 entries
Released album “Songbook”.
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Released album “The Dusty Springfield Collection”.
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Springfield charted with "Reputation" – the last of 25 UK top 40 hits in which she featured
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Released album “Reputation”.
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Released album “The Collection”.
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1989· 1 entry
Released album “Dusty's Sounds Of The 60's”.
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1988· 3 entries
Released album “Dusty: The Silver Collection”.
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Released album “Love Songs”.
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A new compilation, The Silver Collection, was issued
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1987· 2 entries
Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at no
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Accepted an invitation from Pet Shop Boys to duet with their lead singer, Neil Tennant, on the single "What Have I Done to Deserve This
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1985· 1 entry
By returning to the UK and signing to Peter Stringfellow's Hippodrome Records label
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1982· 2 entries
Released album “White Heat”.
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And they moved in together in April 1983
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1981· 1 entry
Springfield had a six-month relationship with singer-musician Carole Pope of the rock band Rough Trade
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1980· 1 entry
Springfield sang "Bits and Pieces", the theme song from the movie The Stunt Man
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1979· 3 entries
Gerard died of a heart attack in Rottingdean, East Sussex
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Released album “Greatest Hits”.
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“Addressing toward her LGBT fans at the Royal Albert Hall charity concert in 1979”
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1978· 2 entries
Released album “It Begins Again…”.
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Released album “Living Without Your Love”.
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1973· 2 entries
Released album “Cameo”.
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Springfield recorded the theme song for the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, which was used for two of its film-length episodes: "Wine, Women & War" and "The Solid Gold Kidnapping"
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1972· 2 entries
Released album “See All Her Faces”.
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And Cameo was issued in February 1973 to respectable reviews, though poor sales
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1970· 3 entries
Released album “Brand New Me”.
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Springfield was nominated for the Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female award at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to "Is That All There Is
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US jazz singer-pianist Blossom Dearie recorded a tribute song, "Dusty Springfield", on her album That's Just the Way I Want to Be – it was co-written by Dearie, Tanega (Springfield's then-partner), and Jim Council
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1969· 2 entries
Released album “Dusty in Memphis”.
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Released album “Dusty in Memphis / Led Zeppelin”.
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1968· 3 entries
Released album “Dusty… Definitely”.
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Released ep “If You Go Away”.
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Springfield scored with one of her biggest UK hits of the decade: the dramatic "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten", written by Clive Westlake
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1967· 3 entries
Released album “The Look of Love”.
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Released album “Where Am I Going?”.
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Springfield was nominated for the Best Contemporary (R&R) Solo Vocal Performance – Male or Female award at the 9th Annual Grammy Awards, losing to Paul McCartney for "Eleanor Rigby"
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1966· 4 entries
Released album “Golden Hits”.
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Released album “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”.
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Springfield scored with three other UK hits, all varying in style: the snappy "Little By Little" (no
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Topped popularity polls, including Melody Maker's "Best International Vocalist", and was the first UK singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for best female singer
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1965· 6 entries
Released ep “Demain tu peux changer”.
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Released ep “Dusty in New York”.
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Released album “Ooooooweeee!!!”.
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Springfield reached the UK Top 40 with three hit singles: "Your Hurtin' Kinda Love" (no
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Released album “Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty”.
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Was the first British singer to top the New Musical Express readers' polls for Female Singer topping that poll again in 1966, 1967, and 1969 as well as getting the most votes in the British Singer category from 1964
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1964· 7 entries
Released album “Dusty”.
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Released album “Stay Awhile / I Only Want to Be With You”.
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Released album “A Girl Called Dusty”.
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Released ep “I Only Want to Be With You”.
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To 1966 and Top Female Singer in 1965 to 1967 and 1969
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Released ep “Dusty”.
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With just "Stay Awhile" registering as a transatlantic success (UK no
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1962· 1 entry
Also achieved success in the United States with their cover of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles"
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1961· 1 entry
And 1962, although their two biggest hits were in 1963, "Island of Dreams" and "Say I Won't Be There", both peaking at number five within five weeks of each other
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1960· 1 entry
Left the Lana Sisters and formed a folk-pop trio, The Springfields, with Tom and Reshad Feild (both had been in The Kensington Squares), the latter of whom Mike Hurst replaced in 1962
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1958· 1 entry
Joined her first professional group, the Lana Sisters
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1957· 1 entry
The pair worked together at holiday camps
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1939· 1 entry
Born 1939-04-16.
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