“When you really believe in something, you get up and speak out,” fervent words spoken by singer, songwriter, model, trendsetter and the “Queen of Disco” Donna Summer. She sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. With a career spanning over four decades, she redefined the music industry with her sultry voice, iconic dance hits, and dynamic artistry. Her countless hits continue to light up dance floors and inspire generations of musicians and fans alike. Donna’s influence transcends disco.
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Andrew and Mary Gaines. Her father was a butcher, and her mother was a school teacher. She grew up in a musical household, singing gospel music at her local church. She was ten years old, when she delievered her first performance at church, replacing a vocalist who failed to appear. She attended Boston’s Jeremiah E. Burke High School where she performed in musicals and was considered popular.
In 1967, just weeks before graduation, she left for New York City, where she joined the blues rock band Crow. After a record label passed on signing the group since it was only interested in the band’s lead singer, the group agreed to dissolve. She stayed in New York and auditioned for a role in the rock musical Hair. She landed the part of Sheila and agreed to take the role in the Munich production of the show, moving there in August 1968.
It was in Munich that she met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, forming a partnership that would change the music landscape. Their collaboration birthed some of Donna’s most iconic songs, including the groundbreaking hit “Love to Love You Baby” (1975). The song was a sensation and became a worldwide disco anthem.
Donna’s career soared during the late 1970s with chart-topping albums such as Bad Girls (1979) and On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1979). Songs like “Hot Stuff,” “Last Dance,” and “Bad Girls” showcased her versatility, blending disco, rock, and R&B elements.
Her collaboration with Moroder also led to the creation of “I Feel Love” (1977), a revolutionary track that combined Donna’s ethereal vocals with a pulsating electronic beat. The song is widely credited as a precursor to electronic dance music. Producer Brian Eno famously remarked to David Bowie: “This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next 15 years.”
In the 1980s, Donna remained a force in the music industry. She explored new genres and scored hits with songs like “She Works Hard for the Money” (1983), an anthem for working women.
She was a five-time Grammy Award winner, including Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Hot Stuff” and Best Inspirational Performance for “He’s a Rebel.”
In 2003, Donna issued her autobiography, Ordinary Girl: The Journey. She wrote: “I always had a sense that my voice was a gift, and that gift was given to me to inspire others.” She also released a best-of set titled The Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer.
In 2004, Summer was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as an artist, alongside the Bee Gees and Barry Gibb. Her classic song, “I Feel Love”, was inducted as well. In 2004 and 2005, Donna’s success on the dance charts continued with the songs “You’re So Beautiful” and “I Got Your Love”.
On September 15, 2010, Donna appeared as a guest celebrity on the television show America’s Got Talent, as she sang alongside contestant Prince Poppycock. That same year, she recorded a version of the Dan Fogelberg song “Nether Lands” for a Fogelberg tribute project.
On June 6, 2011, she was a guest judge on the show Platinum Hit, in an episode entitled “Dance Floor Royalty”. In July of that same year, Donna was working at Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles with her nephew, the rapper and producer O’Mega Red. Together they worked on a track titled “Angel”.
Donna passed away on May 17, 2012 at her home in Naples, Florida, from lung cancer. Being a nonsmoker, she thought that the cancer had been caused by inhaling toxic fumes and dust from the September 11 attacks in New York City. She was in her apartment near Ground Zero when the attacks occurred.
Donna was the first black woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award and remained a force on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart throughout her career and notched 16 number one singles. In 2012, it was announced that “I Feel Love” was included in the list of preserved recordings at the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. On April 18, 2013, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page listed Donna as “the Diva De Tutte Dive, the first true diva of the modern pop era”. Her legacy as a pioneer of the disco era and a symbol of empowerment continues to influence music and culture around the globe.
Quotes:
“Disco is music for dancing, and people will always want to dance.”
“I am sensual. I am spiritual. And I believe that my music is capable of stirring these emotions in people.”
“I always had a sense that my voice was a gift, and that gift was given to me to inspire others.”
“Disco is music for dancing, and people will always want to dance.”
“I always felt like I had a voice, and that voice needed to be heard not only in music but in speaking out about the things I believe in.”
“God had to work hard to get me to believe in myself because I just didn’t.”
“I have learned that music is a universal language and no matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves to be moved by a melody.”
“When you really believe in something, you get up and speak out.”
“I want people to remember me as a full-on entertainer and a good person.”
“I have climbed the mountain, but I’m still climbing. I have a long way to go to reach my peak.”
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Summer
Donna Summer: Ordinary Girl: The Journey (2003)
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Recreate Model: Sunny Gravely Foushee
Photographer & Editor of Recreated Photo: Jasmine Mallory
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