Donna Summer(1948-2012)
- Music Artist
- Actress
- Composer
Donna Summer rocketed to international super-stardom in the mid-1970s
when her groundbreaking merger of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and
avant-garde electronica catapulted underground dance music out of the
clubs of Europe to the pinnacles of sales and radio charts around the
world.
Maintaining an unbroken string of hits throughout the 70s and 80s, most
of which she wrote, Donna holds the record for most consecutive double
albums to hit #1 on the Billboard charts (3) and first female to have
four #1 singles in a 12 month period; 3 as a solo artist and one as a
duo with Barbra Streisand.
A five-time Grammy winner, Donna Summer was the first artist to win the
Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1979, "Hot Stuff") as
well as the first-ever recipient of the Grammy for Best Dance Recording
(1997, "Carry On"). In 2004, she became one of the first inductees, as
both an Artist Inductee and a Record Inductee (for 1977's "I Feel
Love") into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City.
Born Donna Gaines on New Year's Eve to a large family in Boston, she
developed an early interest in music. From the age of eight, Summer
sang in church choirs and city-wide choruses, and by her early
twenties, was performing in musical theatre in Germany, winning parts
in such highly-acclaimed shows as "Hair," "Showboat," "Godspell," and
"Porgy and Bess" as well as performing with the Viennese Folk Opera.
She released her first single, a cover of the Jaynett's girl group
classic, "Sally Go Round The Roses," in 1971. While singing backup, she
met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte who produced her first
single, "Hostage," which became a hit in the Netherlands, France and
Belgium.
In 1975, Moroder and Bellotte produced the international hit, "Love to
Love You Baby," which rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and triggered
Summer's triumphant return to the United States as a key figure of the
then-emerging disco genre. "Love To Love You Baby" paved the way for
such international hits as "MacArthur Park," "Bad Girls," "Hot Stuff,"
"Dim All The Lights," "On The Radio," and "Enough Is Enough," as well
as the Grammy and Academy award winning theme song "Last Dance," from
the film "Thank God It's Friday," which remains a milestone in Donna's
career.
In 1980, Summer became the first artist to sign with David Geffen's new
label, Geffen Records, leaving her disco days behind and moving into
the next phase of her career ." In the years that followed, Summer
collaborated with writers and producers such as Quincy Jones, Michael
Omartian and England's dance-pop production compound Stock Aitken
Waterman and produced a steady stream of hits from "State of
Independence," featuring Michael Jackson on backing vocals, to the
abiding feminist anthem "She Works Hard For The Money," one of the
most-played songs of all-time, and the infectious "This Time I Know
It's For Real."
In 1994, she released "Endless Summer," a greatest hits retrospective
containing a new song, "Melody of Love," which became Billboard's #1
Dance Record of the Year. She also released the critically acclaimed
gem "Christmas Spirit," a collection of Summer's original songs and
holiday standards recorded with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
Summer spent the '90s continuing to tour, performing to sold-out
audiences worldwide.
In 1997, when the new "Best Dance Recording" Category was created at
the Grammy Awards, Donna Summer was the first winner with her fifth
career Grammy award for "Carry On." In 1999, Sony/Epic Records released
"VH1 Presents Donna Summer: Live & More - Encore!," an album and DVD of
Summer's critically acclaimed VH1 broadcast taped at New York's
Hammerstein Ballroom. The show premiered on VH1 as one of the network's
highest rated shows to date and featured live performances of Summer's
top hits.
In addition to her five Grammy Awards, Summer has won six American
Music Awards, three consecutive #1 platinum double albums (she's the
only solo artist, male or female, ever to accomplish this), 11 gold
albums, four #1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart, 3 platinum
singles, and 12 gold singles.
Summer is also the first female artist to have a #1 single and #1 album
on the Billboard charts simultaneously ("Live & More;" "MacArthur Park"
1978) a feat she also repeated six months later ("Bad Girls" & "Hot
Stuff" in 1979). She has charted 33 Top Ten hits on the combined
Billboard Disco/Dance/Dance Club/Play charts over a period of 37 years
with 18 reaching the #1 spot solidifying her as the undisputed Queen of
Dance.
In addition to her recording and performing career, Summer is an
accomplished visual artist whose work has been shown at exhibitions
worldwide including Steven Spielberg's "Starbright Foundation Tour of
Japan" and The Whitney Museum as well as a prestigious engagement at
Sotheby's in New York. Since 1989, she has sold over 1.7 million
dollars in original art - with her highest piece going for $150,000. In
2003, Random House published her autobiography "Ordinary Girl,"
co-authored with Marc Eliot. Also that year, Universal released "The
Journey," containing all of her original hits, as well as two new
songs.
In 2008, celebrating four decades of milestones, Summer adds another
accomplishment to her list with the success of her new album "Crayons."
The album debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart making it
Summer's highest debuting album ever. It also debuted at #5 on the
Billboard R&B chart - another personal best. "Crayons" is Summer's
first album of all new studio material in 17 years and is her highest
charting album since "She Works Hard For The Money" in 1983. To date,
the album has spawned three #1 Dance hits "I'm A Fire," "Stamp Your
Feet" and "Fame (The Game)."
It is estimated that Summer has sold more than 130 million records
worldwide.
Ranked #24 on Billboard Magazines 50th Anniversary issue's "Hot 100
Artists of All Time," Donna Summer was inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall Of Fame on April 18, 2013 in Los Angeles.
when her groundbreaking merger of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco and
avant-garde electronica catapulted underground dance music out of the
clubs of Europe to the pinnacles of sales and radio charts around the
world.
Maintaining an unbroken string of hits throughout the 70s and 80s, most
of which she wrote, Donna holds the record for most consecutive double
albums to hit #1 on the Billboard charts (3) and first female to have
four #1 singles in a 12 month period; 3 as a solo artist and one as a
duo with Barbra Streisand.
A five-time Grammy winner, Donna Summer was the first artist to win the
Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1979, "Hot Stuff") as
well as the first-ever recipient of the Grammy for Best Dance Recording
(1997, "Carry On"). In 2004, she became one of the first inductees, as
both an Artist Inductee and a Record Inductee (for 1977's "I Feel
Love") into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City.
Born Donna Gaines on New Year's Eve to a large family in Boston, she
developed an early interest in music. From the age of eight, Summer
sang in church choirs and city-wide choruses, and by her early
twenties, was performing in musical theatre in Germany, winning parts
in such highly-acclaimed shows as "Hair," "Showboat," "Godspell," and
"Porgy and Bess" as well as performing with the Viennese Folk Opera.
She released her first single, a cover of the Jaynett's girl group
classic, "Sally Go Round The Roses," in 1971. While singing backup, she
met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte who produced her first
single, "Hostage," which became a hit in the Netherlands, France and
Belgium.
In 1975, Moroder and Bellotte produced the international hit, "Love to
Love You Baby," which rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and triggered
Summer's triumphant return to the United States as a key figure of the
then-emerging disco genre. "Love To Love You Baby" paved the way for
such international hits as "MacArthur Park," "Bad Girls," "Hot Stuff,"
"Dim All The Lights," "On The Radio," and "Enough Is Enough," as well
as the Grammy and Academy award winning theme song "Last Dance," from
the film "Thank God It's Friday," which remains a milestone in Donna's
career.
In 1980, Summer became the first artist to sign with David Geffen's new
label, Geffen Records, leaving her disco days behind and moving into
the next phase of her career ." In the years that followed, Summer
collaborated with writers and producers such as Quincy Jones, Michael
Omartian and England's dance-pop production compound Stock Aitken
Waterman and produced a steady stream of hits from "State of
Independence," featuring Michael Jackson on backing vocals, to the
abiding feminist anthem "She Works Hard For The Money," one of the
most-played songs of all-time, and the infectious "This Time I Know
It's For Real."
In 1994, she released "Endless Summer," a greatest hits retrospective
containing a new song, "Melody of Love," which became Billboard's #1
Dance Record of the Year. She also released the critically acclaimed
gem "Christmas Spirit," a collection of Summer's original songs and
holiday standards recorded with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.
Summer spent the '90s continuing to tour, performing to sold-out
audiences worldwide.
In 1997, when the new "Best Dance Recording" Category was created at
the Grammy Awards, Donna Summer was the first winner with her fifth
career Grammy award for "Carry On." In 1999, Sony/Epic Records released
"VH1 Presents Donna Summer: Live & More - Encore!," an album and DVD of
Summer's critically acclaimed VH1 broadcast taped at New York's
Hammerstein Ballroom. The show premiered on VH1 as one of the network's
highest rated shows to date and featured live performances of Summer's
top hits.
In addition to her five Grammy Awards, Summer has won six American
Music Awards, three consecutive #1 platinum double albums (she's the
only solo artist, male or female, ever to accomplish this), 11 gold
albums, four #1 singles on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart, 3 platinum
singles, and 12 gold singles.
Summer is also the first female artist to have a #1 single and #1 album
on the Billboard charts simultaneously ("Live & More;" "MacArthur Park"
1978) a feat she also repeated six months later ("Bad Girls" & "Hot
Stuff" in 1979). She has charted 33 Top Ten hits on the combined
Billboard Disco/Dance/Dance Club/Play charts over a period of 37 years
with 18 reaching the #1 spot solidifying her as the undisputed Queen of
Dance.
In addition to her recording and performing career, Summer is an
accomplished visual artist whose work has been shown at exhibitions
worldwide including Steven Spielberg's "Starbright Foundation Tour of
Japan" and The Whitney Museum as well as a prestigious engagement at
Sotheby's in New York. Since 1989, she has sold over 1.7 million
dollars in original art - with her highest piece going for $150,000. In
2003, Random House published her autobiography "Ordinary Girl,"
co-authored with Marc Eliot. Also that year, Universal released "The
Journey," containing all of her original hits, as well as two new
songs.
In 2008, celebrating four decades of milestones, Summer adds another
accomplishment to her list with the success of her new album "Crayons."
The album debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart making it
Summer's highest debuting album ever. It also debuted at #5 on the
Billboard R&B chart - another personal best. "Crayons" is Summer's
first album of all new studio material in 17 years and is her highest
charting album since "She Works Hard For The Money" in 1983. To date,
the album has spawned three #1 Dance hits "I'm A Fire," "Stamp Your
Feet" and "Fame (The Game)."
It is estimated that Summer has sold more than 130 million records
worldwide.
Ranked #24 on Billboard Magazines 50th Anniversary issue's "Hot 100
Artists of All Time," Donna Summer was inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall Of Fame on April 18, 2013 in Los Angeles.