I think I was 14 when I was first aware of Dusty. I saw her on our flickering black and white TV, in 1963, when she first appeared on ‘Ready Steady Go!’ with the Springfields.

I saw her later when she presented her own shows on the BBC. I was drawn to and fascinated by this larger-than-life pop singer back then but, as time went on, life got in the way and she dropped out of my consciousness.

In 2012 Dusty came back to me and I wanted to know more. I began by searching for her best-known songs on YouTube and listening to them on repeat. Then the flood gates opened! I started obsessively searching for Dusty videos, looking for more and more obscure recordings. I wanted to discover everything I could about Dusty. I wanted to know who the person behind the mask was. But I wasn’t sure how I could find out.

I was introduced to my friend Sam then. Sam is and has been my support all through the process of researching and writing about Dusty’s early days. He is also an avid fan. We met and he told me about his fandom and shared his many memories. He had been to gatherings where Dusty was present and had a collection of Dusty Springfield Bulletins and other newspaper cuttings he shared with me. Most important were the suggestions that he made about approaches I could take over the whole process of researching and writing the book.

Dusty Springfield Bulletins came out twice a year from the early eighties right up to the last issue in 2009. This magazine produced by Paul Howes and John McIlroy included articles, interviews, photos and readers letters. It also promoted the most recently released recordings and books. I bought many of the Bulletins that were still available from Zone Records. A great resource!