Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 153rd edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 153^rd edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Son of a Preacher Man” performed by Dusty Springfield.

According to the late, great Dusty Springfield (1939 – 1999), “The only one who could ever reach me / Was the son of a preacher man.” Some preacher’s kids do have reputations… Springfield was the first to record “Son of a Preacher Man”, written for another legendary singer: Aretha Franklin.  Franklin covered it in 1970 but turned it down initially. Springfield landed a hit with this John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins-penned tour de force.  Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin produced it. “Son of a Preacher Man” is the third track from Springfield’s soulful 1969 LP, Dusty in Memphis.  How successful was it on the pop charts? “Son of a Preacher Man” peaked at no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s four top 10 hits.

So, what kind of things did the son of a preacher man, cited as ‘Billy Ray’ in the song, teach Dusty Springfield? I can guarantee they weren’t Biblical! While his father, the preacher, would visit, “That’s when Billy would take me walkin’ / Out through the backyard, we’d go walkin’ / Then he’d look into my eyes / Lord knows, to my surprise…” He was a bad, bad boy! In the second verse, Dusty informs us, “He’d come and tell me everything is alright / He’d kiss and tell me everything is alright / Can I get away again tonight?”  So, while the preacher was doing God’s work, Billy Ray and Dusty were getting busy! It’s understandable why Aretha Franklin initially turned it down (she was the daughter of Rev. C. L. Franklin).  Dusty sings playfully and beautifully throughout “Son of a Preacher Man.” Her performance is soulful, but often a subtler brand of soul. She understood she wasn’t Aretha, but she made a timeless record with her fabulous, distinct instrument.  Beyond her sweet pipes, and the support of background vocalists, the arrangement and production are selling points.  The Memphis sound (sick drum groove, robust bass, and joyful, articulated horns) is written all over “Son of a Preacher Man” without ever overpowering Dusty, who holds her own by the end.  This is a prime example of a blue-eyed soul classic.

Dusty Springfield // Dusty in Memphis // Atlantic // 1969

Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 153 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]