I discovered her a little late, but I'm glad I found her all the same

Dusty Springfield, that is. I grew up thinking of her as the blonde who sang "Son of a Preacher Man." Oh, and I loved her ultimate 1960s look. All teased hair and fake lashes. She and Michelle Phillips defined 1960s fashion for me. Really, that's all I knew of her.

After her death in 1999, I heard "Brand New Me" for the first time during a radio tribute and had to have it. I found it on a Greatest Hits cassette in the sale bin at Coconuts. Since then, I've been listening to her more and more. As I write this, I'm downloading Dusty in Memphis and am soooo loving it.

A friend gave me a Dusty biography and I may still have it around somewhere. But maybe all I need to know about her is in her music. She had such a terrific voice and used it in such an empathic way. There's longing and suffering and joy and wisdom in that voice.