Vicki Wickham, long-time associate and later manager of Dusty Springfield, joins Paul Cashmere to share the full story behind one of Britain’s greatest vocalists as a major new stage production prepares to premiere in Melbourne. From Mary O’Brien’s early folk-club days and the Springfields to the complete physical and artistic transformation that created Dusty Springfield, Wickham takes us inside the recording sessions that produced “I Only Want to Be with You”, “Stay Awhile”, “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” and the classic Atlantic album Dusty in Memphis.
She recalls the strict three-hour sessions, the bathroom-tile vocal experiments, the friendly rivalry with Cilla Black and Lulu, the Princess Margaret incident and the
principled stand against apartheid that led to Dusty’s deportation from South Africa.
Vicki Wickham explains how the Pet Shop Boys collaboration “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” rescued Springfield from the wilderness of the 1970s and how the pair remained part of her life until the end.
There are moving memories of Dusty’s battle with breast cancer, the determination to leave hospital as a blonde, the quiet collection of the OBE at St James’s Palace, and the funeral tributes from Elvis Costello, Neil Tennant and Lulu. Vicki also discusses her own continuing work managing Marc Almond, BBC Radio 2 programmes and Nona Hendryx’s label, plus the careful development of the Melbourne stage show that she hopes will send audiences back to the records.
This is the definitive insider conversation on Dusty Springfield’s life, music and legacy, timed perfectly with the Australian premiere of the new stage production. Watch the full interview now and discover why Dusty’s voice still matters.
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