Tom Springfield was a major figure in the 1960's folk and pop music scene, initially as a performer in The Springfields vocal group, then latterly as a producer and songwriter, most notably for The Seekers. He wrote and produced a number of top 10 hits for them in the mid 1960's.

The author of this page was unable to find any comprehensive site on the web about Tom and his achievements, so this page has been created to help redress that balance. His contribution to British music culture should not be underestimated. He was a fine songwriter whose songs have stood the test of time, and his production skills brought out the best in other performers.
 

1960:
Forms the folk based vocal group The Springfields, with his sister Mary O'Brien (Dusty Springfield) on vocals and Tim Field. Band name was reportedly partly inspired by Tim's surname.

1961:
The Springfields sign to Philips Records.
'Breakaway' and 'Bambino' are minor hits on the UK singles chart.

1962:
Mike Hurst (ne Pickworth) on guitar/vocals, replaces Tim Field in the line up.
'Silver Threads and Golden Needles' reaches the Top 20 in the USA (it was unusual at the time for a British act to chart in the USA) and number 1 in the Australian chart.

1963:
'Island of Dreams' written by Tom, reaches number 5 in the UK singles chart in March.
'Say I Won't Be There' reaches number 5 in the UK singles chart.
The band splits in September, with a final concert at the London Palladium.
Tom and Mike head for music production (Mike will latterly work with Manfred Mann, Cat Stevens and Showaddywaddy among others), whilst Dusty begins a successful solo singing career.

1964:
In November, Tom begins production work with The Seekers, at EMI's Abbey Road studios.

1965:
'I'll Never Find Another You' by The Seekers, written and produced by Tom, reaches number 1 in the UK singles chart, number 3 in the USA, and number 1 in Australia.
'A World Of Our Own' by The Seekers, written and produced by Tom, reaches number 3 in the UK singles chart, USA #15, Australia #2.
'The Carnival Is Over' by The Seekers, written and produced by Tom, reaches number 1 in the UK singles chart.
Tom also produces The Seekers album 'A World Of Our Own' during the year.

1966:
'Walk With Me' by The Seekers, written and produced by Tom, reaches number 10 in the UK singles chart.
'Georgy Girl' by The Seekers, produced by Tom, and written by Tom with lyrics by Carry On actor Jim Dale, and the title track from the soundtrack of the film 'Georgy Girl',  reaches number 3 in the UK singles chart, and number 1 in the US singles chart.
Tom also produces the The Seekers second album for EMI, 'Come The Day' during the year, the album includes Tom's 1963 hit with The Springfields, 'Island of Dreams' and Tom and Jim Dale's 'Georgy Girl'.

1967:
Tom splits amicably from The Seekers. 'On The Other Side', co-written by Tom with Gary Osborne and Bob Sage, is included on The Seekers' self-produced (with Keith Grant) album, 'Seen In Green'.

1968:
Tom releases a solo album 'Sun Songs' on the Decca recording label. He will continue to write songs for a variety of artists, including himself and sister Dusty. He will also write and record a number of TV and film theme tunes.

2000:
Tom is reportedly in the audience at The Seekers UK tour concert at Wembley Arena, London on June 1st. He is believed to be no longer actively involved in music. He presumably lives somewhere in London or southern England.

If you can provide any more information about Tom's music career as detailed above, then please contact the webmaster.
 
 

Photo: At the wedding of Mike Hurst to Sarah Hearne in the 1960's, Tom (second left), Dusty Springfield, Mike Hurst, Sarah Hearne.

You find the lyrics for all the recorded songs by The Seekers, including those written and produced by Tom, on Richard Veit's site at www.baylor.edu/~Richard_Veit/. This site also has links to a number of other sites related to The Seekers.

You can find the chords to some of the songs that Tom wrote for the Seekers on my site, here.

You can find a Springfields discography at http://www.bahnhof.se/~grant/dusty/springfi.html