Donna Summer

The "Queen of Disco," Donna Summer was born LaDonna Andrea Gaines on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts. As one of seven children in a devout Christian household, Summer sang in church, and later joined a rock band when she was in her teens. At age eighteen, Summer left home for the bright lights of Broadway, landing a role in the hit musical Hair. When the show moved to Germany, Summer followed. Eventually setting up home in Munich, Summer landed more roles in musicals and took part in the Viennese Folk Opera.

In her early twenties, Summer released her first single in Europe, titled “Sally Go 'Round the Roses,” to little success. She also married Austrian actor, Helmut Sommer, and took on the anglicized version of his surname, "Summer." Meanwhile, she continued to work in musicals as well as with the pop group FamilyTree for a brief period during the mid-70s. Summer also sang backup for groups such as Three Dog Night, which led to connections with producers who signed her to her own record contract in the Netherlands, where she released her debut album, Lady of the Night. Summer’s first disco release, “To Love You,” was also released in Europe, but this time, it caught the attention of the president of Casablanca records in the U.S., where the song was then re-released to Summer’s first #1 dance single.

Summer would continue to release hits throughout the 70s, shaping the sound of disco and paving the way for musicians such as the Eurythmics, New Order, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and Madonna in the 80s. At the height of her career, Summer became the first woman ever to have two songs in the top three on Billboard’s Hot 100 during the same week, with “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff.” A few months later, she repeated this accomplishment with her hits “No More Tears” and “Dim All the Lights,” which also landed in the top three during the same week.

In 1980, Summers left Casablanca records to sign with Geffen records. Now with a new label, Summer teamed up with music master Quincy Jones, who produced her self-titled album. The album also featured vocals by Michael Jackson and guitar by Eric Clapton, and positioned Summer back at the top of the charts.

The 80s saw Summer releasing the smash hit, “She Works Hard For the Money;” however, by the end of the decade, Summer had left Geffen records to sign on with Atlantic Records. Summer capitalized on the popularity of dance mix music in the 90s by re-releasing her singles “I Feel Love” and “State of Independence.”

In 2003, Summer released a greatest-hits compilation, The Journey, which became another hit itself. On September 20, 2004, Summer was among the first artists to be inducted into New York City’s Dance Music Hall of Fame.

YUDDY