Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in 1948 in Boston, Donna Summer moved to New York in 1967 and started her professional career in Crow, a blues rock band.
After a failed attempt at a record contract, Summer landed a role in the musical, Hair and moved to Germany where she married Helmuth Sommer. In 1974, while in Germany, Donna worked on a demo tape for European-based label, Groovy Records. They made a mistake printing her record cover. Instead of Donna Sommer it read Donna Summer. The name stuck, and by 1976 it was at the top of the charts in both Europe and the U.S. Donna Summer passed away of lung cancer at age 63 on May 17, 2012. |
This week we've got Donna Summer as our featured artist. Known as the Queen of Disco, she's won five Grammys, was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 and four No.1 singles in one year, and is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She transcends 70s music and is worthy of inclusion in every music library around the world.
|
SONG OF THE monDAY
She Works Hard For the Money was released in 1983. It was inspired by an encounter Summer had at Chasen's in LA with a rest room attendant named Onetta Johnson, who's featured on the back on the album.
|
SONG OF THE tuesDAY
Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand recorded No More Tears in 1979. The two never performed the song together live. The short version is on Streisand’s Wet album, but a longer version is on Summer’s On the Radio: Greatest Hits.
|
SONG OF THE wednesDAY
Written by Jimmy Webb, MacArthur Park has been covered by several people, but it was Donna Summer’s version that made the song a hit. Originally the medley was 18 minutes-long, but Summer cut it to just under four.
|
SONG OF THE thursDAY
Released in 1975 Love To Love You Baby was the song that put Donna Summer on the map. She recorded it while living in Germany as a demo to give to someone else, but the producers convinced her to release the song as her own.
|
SONG OF THE friDAY
Inspired by an incident with Donna Summer’s assistant and a police officer, Bad Girls was released in 1979. It spent five weeks at No. 1 and earned a Grammy nomination. Originally producers wanted Summer's to give the song to Cher.
|
SONG OF THE saturDAY
Up until Hot Stuff (1979), Donna Summer was know for disco. Hot Stuff had more rock feel to it, thanks to ex-Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan guitarist, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's guitar solo. Summer won a Grammy for the work.
|
SONG OF THE sunDAY
Last Dance is an Academy Award-winning song from Thank God It's Friday where Summer plays an aspiring singer who tries to get a DJ at the disco to play her song several times. When she finally gets to perform she brings the house down.
|
|
