Tom Springfield
{{Short description|English musician, songwriter and record producer (1934–2022)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Tom Springfield
| image = Tom_Springfield_360.jpg
| caption = Springfield, 1962
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Dionysius Patrick O'Brien
| alias = Dion O'Brien
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1934|7|2}}
| birth_place = Hampstead, London, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2022|7|27|1934|7|2}}
| death_place = London, England
| instrument = Vocals, piano, guitar
| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|songwriter|record producer}}
| years_active = 1960s–1970
| associated_acts =
| website =
}}
Tom Springfield (born Dionysius Patrick O'Brien,England & Wales, Birth Index 2 July 1934 – 27 July 2022) was an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who was prominent in the 1960s folk and pop music scene. He was the older brother of singer Dusty Springfield, with whom he performed in the Springfields. He wrote several hit songs for the Springfields ("Island of Dreams", "Say I Won't Be There") and later for the Seekers ("I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "The Carnival Is Over", "Georgy Girl"), whose records he also produced.
Early life
Known in early life as Dion O'Brien, he was born in Hampstead, London, on 2 July 1934, the first child of Gerard O'Brien and his wife Kay ({{nee}} Ryle), originally from County Kerry.[https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/dusty-springfield-mary-obrien-born "On this day: Dusty Springfield, real name Mary O'Brien, born to Irish parents in London", Irish Central, 16 April 2022] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510182958/https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/dusty-springfield-mary-obrien-born |date=10 May 2022 }}. Retrieved 21 August 2022 He attended the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe from 1944 to 1950.{{cite web |url=http://www.rgs.tonyhare.co.uk/index.htm |title=High Wycombe Royal Grammar School – 1956 School Photo website by Tony Hare |website=Rgs.tonyhare.co.uk |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=1 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101224842/http://www.rgs.tonyhare.co.uk/index.htm |url-status=live }}
National Service
Springfield (O'Brien) joined the army for his National Service (1952–54), and was assigned to the Joint Services School for Linguists in Coulsdon, Surrey. The school was known as "the Russian course",{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/15/tony-cash-obituary|title=Tony Cash obituary|website=The Guardian|author=Melvyn Bragg|date=15 June 2020|access-date=1 May 2022|archive-date=19 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419015515/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jun/15/tony-cash-obituary|url-status=live}} and its purpose was to train conscripts in intelligence techniques. The course provided exposure to the Russian language by studying Russian literature, films, and also songs. These were taken from a selection known as the "Samovar Song Book", which Springfield and the rest of the "Coulsdon choir" sang together (in Russian).{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ad48089a-ca1d-11e2-af47-00144feab7de |title=Tom Springfield's Cossack connection FT 14 June 2013 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=14 June 2013 |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=3 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503213902/https://www.ft.com/content/ad48089a-ca1d-11e2-af47-00144feab7de |url-status=live }} One of these songs was a Russian folksong from 1883 called Stenka Razin; twelve years later Springfield used its melody as the basis of his hit song "The Carnival is Over". Springfield was a talented pianist, and occasionally played jazz in the NAAFI with Tony Cash (later a BBC TV producer) on clarinet, and Malcolm Brown on guitar.{{Cite book|title=The Coder Special Archive|author=Tony Cash |author2=Mike Gerrard |date=2012|page=84|publisher=Hodgson Press|isbn=978-1-906164-25-6}}
After Coulsdon, Springfield was assigned to the Intelligence Corps depot in Maresfield, Sussex (1954). While there he joined up with two other musicians to form a guitar trio playing Latin American songs, with Tom singing in Spanish and Portuguese. They recorded two songs at a small studio in Brighton; one was "El Cangaceiro" ("The Bandit" – from the 1953 Brazilian movie O Cangaceiro) and the other was written by Tom and called "Magdelena".
Springfield was a founder member of vocal group the Pedini Brothers, active from 1952 to 1955. They mainly sang Latin American, plus Russian songs adapted by Tom from his course material. Colleague Nick Bowyer wrote: "Tom was extremely proficient on both piano and guitar, and played both by ear. [He] also played ragtime piano solos on gigs. We were together from 1952 until 1955, but somewhat spasmodically because of National Service."
After leaving the military, he worked in banking for a short period, before pursuing his musical career in earnest.
Career
In the late fifties O'Brien formed a duo, "The Kensington Squares", with folk musician Tim Feild, whom he had met while playing clubs in Belgravia, London.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-springfields-mn0000576043/biography |title=The Springfields Biography |author=Mark Deming |website=AllMusic |date=1961 |access-date=22 August 2022}} His younger sister, Mary O'Brien, was at the time performing as one of the Lana Sisters,{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=P1616081/biography |pure_url=yes}} |title=Lana Sisters |publisher=AllMusic. Rovi Corporation |access-date=27 June 2012}} and when that group folded in 1960, he invited her to join him and Tim to form a new folk-pop vocal trio, the Springfields.{{Cite web|url=http://www.lerwol.com/tomspringfield/index.htm|title=Tom Springfield|website=Lerwol.com|access-date=3 February 2020|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200604/http://www.lerwol.com/tomspringfield/index.htm|url-status=live}} O'Brien adopted the stage name Tom Springfield while Mary became Dusty Springfield (Dusty was a nickname given to her when she had played football in the street with the local boys). O'Brien, now Springfield, sang and played guitar. Mike Hurst replaced Feild in 1962.
Five of the group's singles were UK Top 40 hits between 1961 and 1963, and two of them reached No. 5 in the charts. These were "Island of Dreams", written and composed by Springfield, and "Say I Won't Be There", the melody of which was adapted by him from the traditional French song "Au clair de la lune" to accompany his new lyrics.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/10295915-The-Springfields-Say-I-Wont-Be-There |title=Say I Won't Be There (Au clair de la lune) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |date=1963 |access-date=12 May 2022 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512205745/https://www.discogs.com/release/10295915-The-Springfields-Say-I-Wont-Be-There |url-status=live }} The group was also successful in the US, particularly with their version of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" which reached No. 20 on Billboard's Hot 100.{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=592}} This was the first single by a British group to reach the top 20 of the Hot 100.{{cite book |title= Black Vinyl White Powder |last=Napier-Bell |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Napier-Bell |year=2002 |publisher=Ebury Press |page=65}} "Island of Dreams" was later covered by Mick Thomas, Johnny Tillotson,{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0008256802 |title=Island of Dreams – Johnny Tillotson: Listen, Appearances, Song Review |website=AllMusic |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=28 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928011449/http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0008256802 |url-status=live }} Mary Hopkin,{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0035950710 |title=Island of Dreams – Mary Hopkin: Listen, Appearances, Song Review |website=AllMusic |date=29 August 2008 |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=28 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928011619/http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0035950710 |url-status=live }} Geraint Watkins with Martin Belmont, and by the Seekers.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0034980152 |title=Island of Dreams – The Seekers: Listen, Appearances, Song Review |website=AllMusic |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307201246/http://www.allmusic.com/song/island-of-dreams-mt0034980152 |url-status=live }}
After the Springfields broke up in 1963 when Dusty began her solo career, Springfield became a record producer and songwriter for the Australian folk-pop group the Seekers. He wrote many of their major hits including their first UK number one, "I'll Never Find Another You",{{cite book | first= Jo & Tim | last= Rice| year= 1982| title= The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits| edition= 1st| publisher= Guinness Superlatives Ltd | location= Enfield, Middlesex| page= 89 | isbn= 0-85112-250-7}} followed by "A World of Our Own",{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Seekers-A-World-Of-Our-Own/release/763484 |title=Seekers, The – A World of Our Own (Vinyl) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |date=1965 |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=9 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309194846/https://www.discogs.com/Seekers-A-World-Of-Our-Own/release/763484 |url-status=live }} and the million-selling "The Carnival Is Over", the melody of which Springfield adapted from the Russian song "Stenka Razin", though he wrote entirely new lyrics. Other hits included "Walk With Me",{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/12422236-The-Seekers-Walk-With-Me-Were-Moving-On |title=Seekers, The – Walk With Me (Vinyl) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |date=1964 |access-date=1 May 2022 |archive-date=15 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515203942/https://www.discogs.com/release/12422236-The-Seekers-Walk-With-Me-Were-Moving-On |url-status=live }} and "Georgy Girl",{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Seekers-Georgy-Girl-The-Last-Thing-On-My-Mind/release/1766431 |title=Seekers, The – Georgy Girl / The Last Thing on My Mind (Vinyl) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |date=17 February 1967 |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307035009/https://www.discogs.com/Seekers-Georgy-Girl-The-Last-Thing-On-My-Mind/release/1766431 |url-status=live }} co-written with Jim Dale, who supplied the lyrics. This was the Seekers' most successful release in the US, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Cashbox charts; it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1966, and for the equivalent Golden Globe Award the same year.{{cite web |url=https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0060453/awards/?ref_=tt_awd |title=Georgy Girl awards 1966 |website=IMDb |access-date=16 May 2022 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516194902/https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0060453/awards/?ref_=tt_awd |url-status=live }} Springfield and Diane Lampert co-wrote "The Olive Tree", recorded in 1967 as a solo single by The Seekers lead singer, Judith Durham whilst still performing with the group.[https://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=artist&artist=Tom+Springfield&tab=songaswriterchartstab Songs written by Tom Springfield, MusicVf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817205500/https://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=artist&artist=Tom+Springfield&tab=songaswriterchartstab |date=17 August 2022 }}. Retrieved 17 August 2022
Apart from his work with the Seekers, he also co-wrote (with Clive Westlake) Frank Ifield's 1964 hit "Summer Is Over", and his sister Dusty's 1964 UK Top Ten hit "Losing You". Other hit compositions include "Adios Amour (Goodbye My Love)" (co-written with Norman Newell), which was recorded by José Feliciano and the Casuals;{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Casuals-The-Very-Best-Of/release/1549050 |title=Casuals, The – The Very Best Of (CD) at Discogs |website=Discogs.com |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308233501/https://www.discogs.com/Casuals-The-Very-Best-Of/release/1549050 |url-status=live }} "Promises", also co-written with Norman Newell and a UK hit for Ken Dodd; and "Just Loving You", which became a 1967 top ten hit for Anita Harris.
He composed the theme to the popular BBC TV series The Troubleshooters,[https://www.45cat.com/biography/the-springfields-uk "The Springfields – Biography "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823125759/https://www.45cat.com/biography/the-springfields-uk |date=23 August 2022 }}, 45cat.com. Retrieved 20 August 2022 and the theme to the comedy series George and the Dragon.[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bab85d423 "Tom Springfield"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021111048/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bab85d423 |date=21 October 2021 }}, BFI. Retrieved 21 August 2022] He also released two solo albums in the late 1960s, Sun Songs (1968){{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/Tom-Springfield-Sun-Songs/release/4054127 |title=Sun Songs – Tom Springfield |website=Discogs.com |date=1968 |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=16 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016063724/http://www.discogs.com/Tom-Springfield-Sun-Songs/release/4054127 |url-status=live }} and Love's Philosophy (1969); these were re-released on CD in 2005.{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-springfield-mn0000616982 |title=Tom Springfield – Music Biography, Credits and Discography |website=AllMusic |date=2 July 1934 |access-date=6 January 2013 |archive-date=12 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212235845/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tom-springfield-mn0000616982 |url-status=live }}
Later life
Mike Hurst reflected later on how little he knew of Tom and Dusty's private lives while he was performing with them in the sixties: "I never felt I knew them well, there was always a distance...I had no idea back then that Tom and Dusty were both gay. They were naïve times...I just wasn't really aware of such things."{{cite web |url=https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=23558 |title=Mike Hurst - Interview |author=Nick Dent-Robinson |publisher=pennyblackmusic.co.uk. |date=5 February 2015 |access-date=31 August 2022}} After a 1970 duet single with his sister Dusty, "Morning Please Don't Come", Springfield essentially retired from the music industry as both a writer and performer. He formally changed his name by deed poll from Dionysius Patrick O'Brien to Tom Springfield in 1977.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47207/page/5684/data.pdf The London Gazette, 26 April 1977, p. 5684, ref.777] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817104049/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/47207/page/5684/data.pdf |date=17 August 2022 }}. Retrieved 17 August 2022
Springfield reportedly disliked being in the public eye, with former Springfields member Mike Hurst describing him as "a recluse, a bohemian in the true sense – he led his life in a solitary way doing what he wanted to do."{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/29/tom-springfield-obituary | title=Tom Springfield obituary | website=TheGuardian.com | date=29 August 2022 }} In 1999, Springfield took his sister's ashes to Ireland and scattered them over the Cliffs of Moher.{{cite web | url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/tom-springfield-obituary-djs732673 | title=Tom Springfield obituary | website=TheTimes.co.uk | date=29 August 2022 }} He lived in the United States for a period, and resided in Chelsea, London,{{cite journal |journal=Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | title=Death Certificate for Tom Springfield |date=27 July 2022}} up until his death on 27 July 2022, at the age of 88.{{cite news |last1=Cashmere |first1=Paul |title=Tom Springfield Dies At Age 88 |url=https://www.noise11.com/news/tom-springfield-dies-at-age-88-20220821 |access-date=21 August 2022 |publisher=Noise11 |date=21 August 2022 |archive-date=23 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823125804/https://www.noise11.com/news/tom-springfield-dies-at-age-88-20220821 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Fifth Seeker and songwriter dead at 88 |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/fifth-seeker-and-songwriter-tom-springfield-dies-at-88/news-story/0a29863abc0c32881b478480e1e9d5b8 |access-date=22 August 2022 |publisher=The Australian |date=22 August 2022}}{{cite news|title=The Seekers songwriter Tom Springfield died, aged 88, 10 days before singer Judith Durham|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-23/the-seekers-songwriter-tom-springfield-dies-at-88/101359566|date=22 August 2022|website=abc.net.au|access-date=23 August 2022|archive-date=23 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823125805/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-23/the-seekers-songwriter-tom-springfield-dies-at-88/101359566|url-status=live}} His death was not reported for several weeks.
Awards and nominations
=Awards=
- 1964 – ASCAP award for "I'll Never Find Another You"{{cite magazine |title=Great Britain |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1968/CB-1968-12-07.pdf |magazine=CashBox |location=New York City |publisher=The International Music-Record Weekly |date=7 December 1968 |access-date=24 August 2022 |volume=XXX |issue=19 |page=48}}
- 1965 – ASCAP award for "A World of Our Own"{{cite magazine |title=Nashville 1968: A Few Happenings & a lot of the Happeners |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1968/CB-1968-11-02.pdf |magazine=CashBox |location=New York City |publisher=The International Music-Record Weekly |date=2 November 1968 |access-date=24 August 2022 |volume=XXX |issue=14 |page=56}}
=Nomination=
- 1966 – Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Georgy Girl"{{cite magazine |last1=Kreps |first1=Daniel |title=Judith Durham, Australian Folk Icon Who Sang With the Seekers, Dead at 79 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/judith-durham-the-seekers-australia-singer-dead-obit-1393839/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=24 August 2022 |date=6 August 2022}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Wikiquote}}
- [http://www.lerwol.com/tomspringfield/index.htm Webpage about Tom Springfield]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springfield, Tom}}
Category:English people of Irish descent
Category:British LGBTQ musicians
Category:English record producers
Category:English male songwriters
Category:People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe