Donna Summer

For other people with the same name, see Donna Summer (disambiguation).

File:Donna Summer-The Donna Summer Anthology.jpg

Donna Summer on the cover of her 1993 collection The Donna Summer Anthology

Donna Summer (born LaDonna Andre Gaines on December 31, 1948) is an American pop music singer best known for a string of disco music hits in the 1970s that earned her the title "Queen of Disco".

Career

Summer was a rarity in the 1970s disco scene because her career began before the disco explosion and continued afterward. Even though she is one of the best-known artists of the disco era, Summer has covered different genres including R&B, rock and roll and gospel music, earning her Grammy Awards in those categories. Her work is still critically acclaimed, and she remains one of the few disco artists accepted by modern rock critics.

Born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, Summer began performing in her church's choir. She later joined a rock group called Crow. A few months before graduating from high school, Summer dropped out and joined the German productions of Hair, Godspell, and Show Boat over the next few years. She eventually settled in Europe, joining the Viennese Folk Opera and participating in numerous musicals.

After resettling in Munich, Germany, Summer married Helmut Sommer ("Summer" is an anglicization of his last name) and did various musical jobs in studios and theaters for several years. In 1971, Summer released "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", her first solo recording. The single was unsuccessful, however, and Summer had to wait until 1974, the same year she gave birth to daughter Mimi Sommer, to launch a solo career.

In that year, she, Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte (who met assisting Three Dog Night in the studio) worked together to produce her album "Lady Of The Night". Lady of the Night, Summer's first LP, was released in 1974 with moderate success in Europe.

Summer recorded "Love To Love You Baby", which was a huge European and American hit. Casablanca Records soon began distributing the single in the United States. Love to Love You Baby, critically acclaimed then and now, notable for including a seventeen-minute version of the title track. Love to Love You Baby was also acclaimed because it is called the "mother of all maxi-singles." This established a pattern that made Summer unusual in the disco world: she focused just as much, if not more, on full-length albums instead of singles.

Continuing to work with Moroder and Bellotte, Love Trilogy (1976) was released and contained the popular dance track, "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It." "Four Seasons of Love (1976) were #1 dance hits, though not as popular as Love Trilogy. I Remember Yesterday (1977) included the memorable hit single "I Feel Love", the first hit song recorded with an entirely synthesized backing track. This song, which became a major hit, is enormously influential in the development of disco, electronica and techno music, and new wave thanks to Moroder's innovative production.

Once Upon a Time was released soon after I Remember Yesterday; it was another concept album, presenting a modern day fairy tale of Cinderella. After acting (and releasing "Last Dance" a Grammy & Oscar winning song on the soundtrack) in the comedy Thank God It's Friday, Summer released a live album Live and More, which became another smash hit album and included the 17-minute long studio recorded cover of "MacArthur Park".

In 1979, Summer performed "Mimi's Song" (written for her daughter) at the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly. She donated the royalties from the song to UNICEF.

Summer's songwriting was showcased on Bad Girls (1979), which included a hit single in the title track, as well as "Hot Stuff", which won Summer the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocalist. When a greatest hits album, On the Radio, became a #1 hit, Summer became the first artist with three consecutive #1 double albums. In just a year, Summer charted 4 #1 pop hits and two more Top Ten hits. Twice in 1979 she had two different hits in the U.S. Top Three (at the same time) - (Hot Stuff & Bad Girls and Dim All the Lights & No More Tears (Enough is Enough) - the latter song in which she duetted with Barbra Streisand, which was a US #1 & UK #3 hit).

Also in [1979]], Summer toured with the group Brooklyn Dreams, with whom she had the hit single, Heaven Knows. She married Bruce Sedano of the group the following year.

In early 1980, capping off the wildly successful previous year, Donna Summer & Casablance Records created a highly rated TV special (on ABC) showcasing videos and live performances of her biggest hits. "Starting Over" (written by Summer) from the TV special was recording by Dolly Parton and became a #1 Country hit. Summer then decided to leave Casablanca and sign with the new Geffen Records. Her first Geffen album was The Wanderer (1980), which included more rock and roll and R&B influences, including the Top 10 title cut. The follow-up album, I'm a Rainbow, was stopped mid way through production and not released until 1996. Geffen thought she should return to dance music. Instead, Geffen fired Moroder and Bellotte, her longtime songwriters, and paired her with music legend Quincy Jones on the self-titled album Donna Summer, which produced the dance hit "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)", a Top 40 hit "Woman in Me" and the Vangelis penned "State of Independence", which became a huge hit in Europe with its New Age feel and star chorus that included Christopher Cross and Michael Jackson. This song was the inspiration for Quincy Jones to later create "We Are the World".

In 1983, Summer released She Works Hard for the Money, which included a well-remembered hit of the same name - which became a classic favourite with "Step Aerobics" classes everywhere, and two landmark videos, including "Unconditional Love. Summer was the first female black artist played on MTV in heavy rotation. She capped this era with an HBO concert film. Summer also won a Grammy for Inspirational Song with "He's A Rebel."

Summer's career has not been without controversy. Early in her career, her music was often banned in many countries. In the early 1980s, an unpublished rumor that she made anti-gay remarks alienated a large part of her fan base. However, Summer has often said in interviews that she never made the remarks attributed to her. In the late 1980s, the rumor was published in a news item and Summer took legal action. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. Summer has continued to show her support of her gay fans with appearances at charity functions such as the GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) benefit at Carnegie Hall. While she remained hot on the U.S. R&B charts, it took most of the decade to rebound in the dance clubs.

Summer's career slowed in the mid-1980s with the arrival of two daughters, Brooklyn and Amanda Sudano. Her career picked up speed again in in 1989 with her Stock Aitken Waterman collaboration Another Place and Time album. The first single, "This Time I Know It's for Real", became a huge hit, first in Europe and later in the United States; and second single "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt", brought her back to the top of the charts. A new remix of "I Feel Love" was a big UK hit all over again in 1995.

In 1991, Summer released the CD Mistaken Identity, which included songs about racism (the title track) and the first Gulf War ("Let There Be Peace"). Throughout the 1990s, Summer continued recording; she performed a duet with Liza Minnelli ("Does He Love You?") and produced numerous dance hits such as "Melody of Love", which became the Billboard number one dance hit of 1994; "I Will Go with You", a cover of the beautiful Andrea Bocelli song "Con Te Partirò"; "You're So Beautiful", a club anthem she co-wrote with legendary DJ Tony Moran, as well as her #1 U.S dance chart hit "Love is The Healer".

In 1998, Summer was the first artist to receive a Grammy award for Best Dance Recording (for her hit "Carry On"). In 1999, Summer held a televised live concert on VH-1 called Donna Summer - Live and More Encore, in which she performed a medley of her original hits, as well as new material, including an updated version of "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", which she performed with Australian pop diva, Tina Arena. A CD and DVD of the concert was released shortly after.

In 2000, Summer performed the title track, "The Power of One", for Pokémon: The Movie 2000. This was subsequently remixed.

In 2003, Donna Summer released a greatest-hits compilation called The Journey, which rocketed into the UK Top 10 in the following year, thanks to her appearance on ITV1 show Discomania - in which she co-presented & sang a number of her hits: a medley of "Hot Stuff" & "Bad Girls", "MacArthur Park", "Last Dance" & a duet with Westlife on "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" - which appeared on the Discomania soundtrack album.

On September 20, 2004, Donna was among the first artists to be inducted into the newly formed Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City. She was inducted in two categories: 1) Artist Inductees, along with fellow disco legends The Bee Gees and Barry White and 2) Record Inductees for her classic hit I Feel Love.

Summer added to her credits in October 2004, when she performed "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch at Game 2 of the 2004 World Series at Boston's Fenway Park.

As of 2005, Summer has received 5 Grammy Awards and 6 American Music Awards, as well as 24 gold and platinum certifications in the United States and 19 gold and silver certifications in Great Britain. In the summer of 2005, Donna toured for the first time in 5 years and launched her official Web site ( [1] )

Today, Summer and her family make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, and New York.

Discography

Notes: U.S. Top data: Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Dance Music/Club Play and Billboard Hot R&B for singles, Billboard 200 for albums; UK Top data for singles and albums is from UK Singles Chart.

Main albums

1974 Lady of the Night (the Netherlands/Belgium/ Germany)
1975 Love to Love You Baby (#8 U.S.,#11 UK)
1976 Love Trilogy (#18 U.S., #26 UK)
1976 Four Seasons of Love (#22 U.S., #1 Dance)
1977 I Remember Yesterday (#9 U.S.,#1 UK, #1Dance)
1977 Once Upon a Time (#16 U.S.,#18 UK, #1 Dance)
1978 Live and More (#1 U.S.,#7 UK)
1979 Bad Girls (#1 U.S.,#5 UK)
1980 The Wanderer (#4 R&B, #13 U.S.,#25 UK)
1982 Donna Summer (#10 U.S.,#13 UK)
1983 She Works Hard for the Money (#3 U.S.,#10 UK)
1984 Cats Without Claws (#24 U.S.,#30 UK)
1987 All Systems Go (#20 U.S.)
1989 Another Place and Time (#2 U.S.,#4 UK)
1991 Mistaken Identity (#72 U.S., #50 UK)
1994 Christmas Spirit
1996 I'm a Rainbow (originally set for release in 1981)
1999 Live and More... Encore (#14 U.S., #20 UK)

Compilations

1978 Greatest Hits (#4 UK)
1979 Greatest Hits On the Radio Vol. I & II (U.S. Sales: 2.500.000 mil.) (#1 U.S.,#24 UK)
1980 Walk Away: Collector's Edition (#29 U.S.)
1885 The Summer Collection
1987 The Dance Collection
1990 The Best of Donna Summer (#12 UK)
1993 The Donna Summer Anthology
1994 Endless Summer (#37 UK)
1998 Greatest Hits
2003 The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer (#111 U.S.,#6 UK)
2005 Gold

Singles

1971 Sally Go 'Round the Roses
1974 Denver Dream
1974 The Hostage (#1 Netherlands, #1 Belgium, #2 Germany)
1974 Lady of The Night
1975 Love to Love you Baby (#1 U.S. Disco,#2 U.S.,#3 R&B, #4 UK,)
1976 Could It Be Magic (#1 U.S. Disco, #21 R&B, #43 Pop)
1976 Try Me, I Know We Can Make It (#1 U.S. Disco)
1976 Wasted/Come With Me (#1 U.S.Disco with A LOVE TRILOGY)
1976 Spring Affair (#1 Disco U.S with FOUR SEASON'S OF LOVE),#24 R&B,#58 U.S.)
1976 Winter Melody (#1 Disco U.S with FOUR SEASON'S OF LOVE, #21 R&B U.S., #27 UK)
1977 Down Deep Inside (Theme from The Deep) (#3 U.S. Disco, #5 UK)
1977 I Remember Yesterday #1 U.S. Dance, #14 UK, )
1977 Can't We Just Sit Down (#20 R&B U.S.)
1977 Take Me (#1 U.S. Dance)
1977 I Feel Love (#1 UK, #1 U.S. Dance, #6 U.S.,#9 R&B)
1977 Love's Unkind (#1 Disco U.S., #3 UK)
1977 Once Upon a Time/Fairy Tale High/Rumor Has It/I Love You/Happily Ever After (#1 Disco U.S.)
1977 Rumour Has It (#19 UK)
1977 I Love You (#10 UK, #37 U.S., )
1978 Back In Love Again (#29 UK)
1978 Last Dance ( #1 U.S. Disco,#3 U.S., #5 R&B, #51 UK,)
1978 MacArthur Park (#1 U.S., #5 UK, #1 U.S. Dance as part of

•1978 MacArthur Park Suite #1 U.S. Dance)

1979 Heaven Knows (#4 U.S.,#10 R&B, #34 UK)
1979 Hot Stuff (#1 U.S., #11 UK, #1 U.S. Dance)
1979 Bad Girls (#1 U.S., #11 UK, #1 U.S. Dance)
1979 Dim All the Lights (#2 U.S., #13 R&B, #29 UK, #54 U.S. Dance)
1979 Sunset People (#46 UK)
1979 No More Tears(Enough Is Enough)(with Barbra Streisand) (#1 U.S., #3 UK, #1 U.S. Dance, #20 R&B)
1980 On the Radio (#5 U.S.,#9 R&B, #8 U.S. Dance, #32 UK)
1980 Walk Away (#32 U.S.)
1980 The Wanderer(#3 U.S., #8 U.S. Dance, #48 UK,)
1981 Cold Love (#32 U.S., #44 UK)
1981 Who Do You Think You're Foolin' (#40 U.S.)
1982 Love Is In Control (Finger On the Trigger) (#3 Dance, #4 R&B, #10 U.S., #18 UK)
1982 State of Independence (#14 UK,#31 R&B, #41 U.S., )
1982 I Feel Love (remix) (#21 UK)
1983 She Works Hard For the Money (#3 U.S., #25 UK, #3 U.S. Dance)
1983 Unconditional Love (#9 R&B U.S.,#41 U.S., #14 UK)
1983 The Woman In Me (#30 R&B,#33 U.S., #62 UK)
1984 Love Has a Mind of Its Own (#10 Adult Contemporary U.S.,#35 R&B,#70 U.S)
1984 There Goes My Baby (#20 R&B,#21 U.S.)
1984 Supernatural Love (#12 U.S. Dance, #75 U.S.)
1987 Dinner with Gershwin (#10 R&B, #13 UK, #13 UK, #14 U.S. Dance, #48 U.S.)
1988 All Systems Go (#54 UK)
1989 Breakaway (#49 UK, #31 Hot Dance U.S.)
1989 Love's About Change My Heart (#3 U.S. Dance, #20 UK, #85 U.S.)
1989 When Love Takes Over You (#72 UK)
1989 This Time I Know It's For Real (#1 U.S. Dance Sales, #3 UK, #7 U.S.)
1989 I Don't Wanna Get Hurt (#7 UK)
1991 When Love Cries (#18 R&B, #77 U.S.)
1991 Work That Magic (#74 UK)
1994 Melody of Love (#1 Hot Dance U.S., #21 UK)
1995 I Feel Love (remix) (#8 UK, #9 U.S. Dance)
1996 State Of Independence (remix) (#13 UK)
1997 Carry On (#25 Hot Dance U.S., #65 UK)
1999 I Will Go With You (#1 Dance, #44 UK, #79 U.S.)
1999 Love Is the Healer (#1 Dance)
2000 The Power of One (#2 Dance)
2004 Dream-A-Lot's Theme (#20Dance)
2004 You're So Beautiful (Ultimate Club Mix) (#5 Dance)
2005 I Got Your Love (#4 Dance)

External links