Donna Summer
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on
Dec. 31, 1948
in Boston, MA
Died
May 17, 2012
of cancer in Naples, FL
When asked during an interview in 2010 whether she was sick of being known as the “Queen of Disco,” Donna Summer offered the perfect response: “It's great I'm the queen. Look, it’s nice to be the queen of something, darling.” It was a title she held proudly until her death May 17, 2012, of cancer in Florida. She was 63. Summer earned her nickname in the old country. Though born in Boston, she moved to Germany in the early 1970s after landing a role in the touring production of “Hair” and eventually settled in Munich. While there, she acted and sang in theater productions and also sang in various pop and rock bands. She married a German man with the last name Sommer, which she changed to Summer. It was after drawing the attention of forward-thinking Italian producer Giorgio Moroder and hooking up with Neil Bogart’s Casablanca Records that Summer achieved the first of many peaks: the orgasmic disco hit “Love to Love You, Baby,” a controversial 17-minute dance track that featured Summer singing and, most notably, moaning in ecstasy for the duration. The song hit No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart and landed at No. 1 on the dance charts. Over the next decade Summer was one of the most successful pop singers in the world. The string of hits is impressive: The duet with Barbra Streisand “Enough Is Enough (No More Tears),” “Bad Girls,” “Last Dance,” “On the Radio,” “MacArthur Park” (a take on the mysterious Jimmy Webb classic), and, most important, the classic dance track “I Feel Love.” Produced with Moroder, “I Feel Love” is one of the defining moments of the disco era and set the stage for not only the techno music that would soon spring from Detroit, but also the proto-house sound of Chicago. After falling out with Bogart and Casablanca, Summer became the first artist signed to David Geffen’s fledgling Geffen Records, and she continued with a string of strong-sellers. But she wasn’t again able to capture the public’s attention the way that she did from the mid-1970s through the mid-’80s, when she had hits including "She Works Hard for the Money." Summer continued to tour and record until not long before her death. Her music has appeared on countless movie soundtracks. She also appeared as Aunt Oona in the sitcom “Family Matters” from 1994 to 1997. In 2010, she was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.
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Five thoughts about Donna Summer
DONNA SUMMER IS NOT JUST ANOTHER DIVA, SHE IS A VERSATIL ARTIST WHO CAN SING ALL KIND OF MUSIC: ROCK, RYTHM & BLUES, POP, JAZZ, GOSPEL, AND OF COURSE DANCE MUSIC (COUNTRY IS ONE OF HER FAVS TOO!!!). SHE HAS NO RIVALS IN ANY OF THESE MUSIC FIELDS.
BEST REGARDS
All the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have connections to Donna Summer because she shares with them an exceptional gift for artistic talent.
Donna Summer is also famous all over the world, and much loved in Europe, and especially in Germany, where she got her big break and started her endless career.
I am a fan for 30 years, and listening to her sing, is like hearing her voice for the first time. She always gives an energetic performance.
You feel the good feelings and the emotions when she sings, and she sounds so damn great. Her voice is so relaxed, yet so powerfully intense. She has the brightest, most resonant and rich voice, that I have yet to hear from anyone else. The energy behind this passionate emotion makes me feel alive. It's great to hear her transcend apathy and mediocrity with her thoughtful, passionate and wonderful performances.
Passion is the product. It's the passion she communicates. I love the passion. Pass the passion, to the front of the line, please. Again, I love to hear Donna Summer because she is a very passionate vocal artist.
I think it's self-evident that Donna Summer is beautiful, transcendent, superstar, and an American icon, a true artist who has been really persistent and hardworking, and has a catalog of unforgettable, iconic songs always on the edges of our collective popular world consciousness. I think she deserves recognition and respect for her accomplishments. Of course, she deserves a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also deserves to be honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. --Shhh! If you listen to your collective conscious, it ought to tell you that "you'd better treat her right."
Ken Fletcher
Donna Summer is a great singer and artist (painter). Donna has connections with Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross to name a few. Donna lived in Germany and is where she met Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte where they teamed to bring us the most amazing dance music ever. Donna had also done some Broadway musicals in Germany. Donna is famous all over the world and she has had tons of hits in the UK, Japan, Italy, Germany and many Spanish countries.
Donna more than deserved her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has song over 100 million records, 5 Grammy awards.
The following are other awards and accomplishments:
One NAACP Image Award.
One time Juno Award nomination for Best Selling International Single,"I feel Love".
Three Double Platinum albums.
Eighteen of her albums went Gold.
Twelve Gold singles.
Six American Music Awards.
She was the first African American to receive Two nominations for "She works hard for the money" MTV Video Music Awards: one for "Best Female video" and one for "Best Choreography".
One Oscar Award for "Last Dance" song.
Two Golden Globe Award nominations (one win for "Last Dance" song).
Twelve Grammy Award nominations !
Summer has received five Grammy Awards. [7]
Summer placed a Top Forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in every year from 1976 ("Love to Love You Baby") to 1984 ("There Goes My Baby").
Summer was the first artist to score three consecutive number-one double albums.
Summer was twice honored by the Dance Music Hall of Fame; once with her induction as a recording artist and again with the induction for her influential single "I Feel Love".[8]
Summer's music career has landed her as the eighth most successful female recording artist in history according to Billboard[citation needed].
Summer's career span of Billboard number-one Disco/Club Play hits spans from 1975's "Love to Love You Baby" through 2009's "Fame (The Game)".
Summer has been named as a nominee for 2010 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [9]
donna summer is the best singer in the world.
Donna Summer is the consumate artist. She sings, writes, paints and produces music and etc. Her voice is still so very strong after all of these years. Donna remains a major influence in todays music to such artists as Madonna, Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Donna deserves to finally be inducted into the Rock n roll Hall of Fame!
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