Dusty

A random internet moment today brought the information that 16 April is the birthday of Dusty Springfield - almost unbelievably it would have been her seventieth.

Here she is as I and countless others remember her in her glory days: elegant, beautiful, - and with that flawless, unique voice and extraordinary musicality that set her head-and-beehive above any potential rivals. (Sandy? Cilla? Lulu? Oh, please....)

And check the hand gestures. Up there with Piaf, in my view.

I saw her perform (with backing group The Echoes) at the Pavillion Theatre, Bournemouth, in the summer of 1967. Callow teenagers that we were, we knew that this one was special - effortlessly cool.

The quintessential Dusty experience? I choose the 1965 LP (we didn't say 'album', we said 'LP') Everything's Coming Up Dusty.

Glorious.