The Springfields
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Springfields | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  London, England |
| Genre(s) | Folk, Pop |
| Years active | 1960 to 1963 |
| Label(s) | Philips Records |
| Associated acts | The Seekers |
| Members | |
| Dusty Springfield Tom Springfield Tim Feild Mike Hurst |
|
The Springfields were a British pop-folk vocal trio in the early 1960s, who had success in the UK, USA and Ireland, but are now best remembered as the launch pad for singer Dusty Springfield.
The trio formed in 1960, when Mary "Dusty" O’Brien joined her brother Dion O'Brien and Tim Feild, who had been working as a duo, "The Kensington Squares". Dion became Tom Springfield, and Mary became Dusty Springfield. Feild was later replaced by Mike Hurst.
Tom Springfield was a songwriter and arranger with a wide knowledge of folk music, and the group had strong vocal harmonies and Dusty’s powerful lead. They were signed to Philips Records and released their first single, "Dear John," in 1961, followed by two UK chart hits with "Breakaway" and "Bambino" – like their other records, produced by Johnny Franz.
The first recording contract the Springfields signed was offered to them by the producer Johnny Franz at Philips Records in London. With early singles including "Breakaway" and "Bambino", and numerous television appearances, the trio soon became very popular in the UK. After Tim Feild left the group, he was replaced by Mike Hurst, and the Springfields became even more successful. In 1962 the Springfields scored a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single "Silver Threads and Golden Needles". "Island of Dreams" rose to the UK Top 5 at the end of 1962, and stayed in the charts for six months. In 1962, their version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" – which surprisingly was not released as a single in the UK - reached the US Top 20, the first single by a British group ever to do so (predating the Tornados’ “Telstar” by two months, and the Beatles by 15 months). The record also reached # 1 in Australia. It featured lead guitar by Judd Proctor.
The follow-up "Say I Won’t Be There", was also #5 in the UK chart. By this time the Springfields were one of the most popular groups in the UK. However, Dusty Springfield felt increasingly hemmed in by the group's image as a folk act and Tom's lead role within the trio, and towards the end of 1963 decided to leave for a solo career.
Tom Springfield and Mike Hurst also developed successful careers in the music industry, while Tim Feild (as Reshad Feild) later became a prominent mystic and writer.
