Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012),[2] known professionally asDonna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during thedisco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.[3][4]
Born and raised inBoston, Summer dropped out of high school before graduating and began her career as the lead singer of ablues rock band named Crow and moved to New York City. In 1968, she joined the German adaptation of the musicalHair inMunich, where she spent several years living, acting, and singing.[5] There, she met music producersGiorgio Moroder andPete Bellotte, and released her first album, the European market-onlyLady of the Night in 1974. Following the recording and European release of the groundbreaking disco anthem, "Love to Love You Baby", she signed withCasablanca Records in 1975, where it was released in North America. In the US, the single became her first top five hit on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 2 in 1976. Summer's first three Casablanca albums —Love to Love You Baby,A Love Trilogy andFour Seasons of Love — all went gold in the US and led to her informal title "First Lady of Love" in the popular music media. Her fourth Casablanca release,I Remember Yesterday (1977), launched the top ten US and number one UK hit "I Feel Love", which has since been hailed as one of the most important records inpop music history.[6] After recording much of her first six albums in Munich with Moroder and Belotte, Summer and the producers relocated to the United States,[7] where Summer would continue to record successful singles such as "Last Dance",MacArthur Park", "Heaven Knows", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" withBarbra Streisand, and "On the Radio".
Starting in 1978, Summer first topped theBillboard 200 with thelive album,Live and More, thus beginning a streak of three consecutive number one albums, includingBad Girls (1979) and the compilation album,On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II (1980). In achieving this, Summer became the first and only artist to have three number onedouble albums. All three albums were certified platinum or higher in the United States, withBad Girls selling over two million copies. Summer was the first female artist to record three number one singles in one calendar year, doing so in 1979. Summer's success was interrupted by the late 1970ssocial backlash against disco music, and in 1980, she left Casablanca Records forGeffen Records. As a response, her next album,The Wanderer, found Summer recording mostlyrock andnew wave music, as well asinspirational music inspired by hernewfound Christian faith. However, her Geffen Records recordings were not as successful as predicted. Summer returned to the top of the pop charts in 1983 with the single, "She Works Hard for the Money", off thealbum of the same name, which was released off ofMercury Records after it was found she owed Casablanca one more album. Despite this success, Summer's recordings began foundering not too long afterwards. Rumors ofhomophobic comments she allegedly made at a 1983 concert led to a falling-out with Summer'sgay fanbase. In 1989, Summer worked with the team ofStock Aitken Waterman and scored her first top ten US hit in six years with "This Time I Know It's for Real", which would be her fourteenth and final top ten hit of her career.[8] Summer would make the Hot 100 one last time in 1999 with her rendition of "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)".[9]
Summer continued to record music up until her death in 2012 from lung cancer at her home inNaples, Florida.[10] In her obituary inThe Times of London, she was described as the "undisputed queen of the Seventies disco boom" who reached the status of "one of the world's leading female singers."[3] Moroder described Summer's work on the song "I Feel Love" as "really the start ofelectronic dance" music.[11] Summer has been inducted into several musical institutions during her lifetime and posthumously, including theHollywood Walk of Fame, theDance Music Hall of Fame and theNational Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2013, a year after her death, Summer was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.[12] In December 2016,Billboard ranked her sixth on its list of the "Greatest of All Time Top Dance Club Artists".[13] In 2025, she was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame.[14]
Donna Adrian Gaines was born inBoston onDecember 31, 1948, to Andrew and Mary Gaines. She was the third of seven children.[15] She was raised in the Boston neighborhood ofMission Hill. Her father was a butcher, and her mother was a schoolteacher.[5] Some sources claim that her birth name was "LaDonna", but her birth certificate lists her name as "Donna". Her daughter, Brooklyn Sudano, says that "LaDonna" was a childhood nickname.[16]
Summer's performance debut occurred at church when she was ten years old, replacing a vocalist who failed to appear.[5] She attended Boston's Jeremiah E. Burke High School where she performed in school musicals and was considered popular.[5] In 1967, Summer joined theblues rock band Crow. Weeks before she was scheduled to graduate from high school, Summer traveled with the band to New York to secure a record deal. After a record label passed on signing the group since it was only interested in Summer, the group agreed to dissolve.[17]
Summer stayed in New York and auditioned for a role in thecounterculture musical,Hair. She landed the part of Sheila and agreed to take the role in theMunich production of the show, moving there in August 1968 after getting her parents' reluctant approval.[5] This decision was arguably what caused Summer's career, along with many of her castmates', to rocket. The cast also includedHelga Charlotte Tolle,Reiner Schöne, Ron Williams, Gudrun "Su" Kramer, Elke Koska,Jürgen Markus,Jutta Weinhold and Peter Kent, all of whom starred alongside Summer in the musicalHair. She eventually became fluent in German, singing various songs in that language, and participated in the musicalsIch bin ich (the German version ofThe Me Nobody Knows),Godspell, andShow Boat. Within three years, she moved toVienna,Austria, and joined theVienna Volksoper.
In 1968, Polydor released Summer's first single (as Donna Gaines), a German version of the title "Aquarius" from the musicalHaare (Hair). In 1969, her second single "If You Walkin' Alone" onPhilips Records,[18] was released; this was followed in 1971 by a third single, a remake ofthe Jaynetts' 1963 hit, "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", from a one-off European deal withDecca Records.[18] She provided backing vocals for producer-keyboardist Veit Marvos on his Ariola Records releaseNice to See You, credited as "Gayn Pierre". Several subsequent singles included Donna performing with the group, and the name "Gayn Pierre" was used while performing inGodspell with first husband Helmuth Sommer during 1972.[18]
While working as a model part-time and backing singer in Munich, Summer met producersGiorgio Moroder andPete Bellotte during a recording session forThree Dog Night atMusicland Studios. The trio forged a working partnership and Donna was signed to Moroder's Oasis label in 1974. A demo tape of Summer's work with Moroder and Bellotte led to a deal with the European-distributed label Groovy Records. Due to an error on the record cover, Donna Sommer became Donna Summer; the name stuck. Summer's first album,Lady of the Night, was released in 1974. Unlike the records she would be known for, most of the material on the album had elements ofsymphonic rock,folk andpop. Though the album itself didn't chart, it spawned two singles, "The Hostage" and thetitle track. Both songs hit the top ten in various European countries including the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Belgium. "The Hostage" was removed from radio playlists in Germany because a high-ranking German politician had recently been kidnapped and held for ransom.[19] One of Summer's first TV appearances was on the Dutch television showVan Oekel's Discohoek, which led to the commercial breakthrough of "The Hostage", and in which she gracefully played along with the show's scripted absurdity and chaos.[20][21]
After noticing thatdisco was rising in Europe during the yearLady of the Night was issued, Moroder and Belotte began to produce a disco song that had yet to have words, until Summer passed on an idea for a song to Moroder that was to be given to another artist, called "Love to Love You", inspired by the successful re-release ofJane Birkin andSerge Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime... moi non plus". It was decided then that Summer recorded ademo of the song with Summer performing the song in a heavily accentuatedMarilyn Monroe type voice.[22] However, upon hearing playback, Moroder changed his mind and decided that the Summer version should be released instead. In 1975, Moroder sent the song to several American record labels, hoping to seek a deal and soon grabbed the attention ofNeil Bogart, president ofCasablanca Records. Upon playing the song at extravagant industry parties, the song was so popular that it was played repeatedly throughout the night. The impresario soon demanded that Moroder produce a longer version fordiscothèques. A 16-minute version was soon sent and Bogart tweaked the title, changing it from "Love to Love You" to "Love to Love You Baby". Oasis was soon given a distribution deal with Casablanca in July 1975 and thealbum of the same name was released the following month. The single wouldn't receive a full commercial release until November where it was issued in the United States, with the shorter 7" version playing on radio and the 16-minute version playing in discos.
The song became Summer's first entry into theBillboard Hot 100 and peaked at number two on the chart in February 1976 and became her firstgold-certified single. The album would also be certified gold for selling over a million copies alone in the US. The song generated controversy due to Summer's moans and groans, which emulated lovemaking, and some American stations, like those in Europe with the initial release, refused to play it.[15] Despite this, "Love to Love You Baby" found chart success in several European countries, and made the Top 5 in the United Kingdom despite the BBC ban. Almost immediately afterwards, Casablanca ordered a series of albums to follow its success. In 1976, Summer issued two more albums —A Love Trilogy andFour Seasons of Love — which, despite it charting lower thanLove to Love You Baby, would also be certified gold in the United States. Summer's immediate single follow-ups after "Love to Love You Baby" — a cover ofBarry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic", "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It", "Spring Affair" and "Winter Melody", the latter being her first ballad, recorded under thesoul style and her first US release where she was belting, rather than singing insoprano — failed to reach the top 40 of theBillboard Hot 100. During this era, Summer appeared on the dance shows,American Bandstand andSoul Train.
In 1977, Summer released theconcept albumI Remember Yesterday. The futuristic-sounding "I Feel Love" returned Summer to the top ten of theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number six, while becoming her first and only number-one single in the UK.[23] The single became her second to go gold, while "I Remember Yesterday" was also a certified hit and was her first since "Love to Love You Baby" to crack the top 20 of theBillboard 200. This success helped Summer to receive her firstAmerican Music Award nomination forFavorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. Another concept album,Once Upon a Time, quickly followed, and much like Summer's previous albums before, it also was certified gold for selling over a million copies.Once Upon a Time hit number one on theBillboardNational Disco Action chart, while the single "I Love You" barely cracked the top 40 in the US and reached number 10 in the UK. Many of Summer's most successful singles during this era were in the UK, with Summer charting top 20 hits there such as "Down Deep Inside" (the theme song from the 1977 filmThe Deep), "I Remember Yesterday" and "Love's Unkind", which peaked at number three.
By 1978, Summer had fully resettled in the United States after having split time between there and Munich, where many of her albums were recorded. She accepted her first film role for the disco-themedThank God It's Friday and contributed three songs to its soundtrack, including thePaul Jabara-composed "Last Dance". The latter returned Summer to the top ten of the USBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number three while reaching number five on theHot Soul Singles chart and topping the National Disco Action chart, her second single to do so. "Last Dance" became one of Summer'ssignature songs and won the singer her firstGrammy Award forBest Female R&B Vocal Performance. Jabara won theGolden Globe andAcademy Award for its composition. This was the first of eight consecutive top five hit records Summer would have over the next two years.
On November 11, 1978, Summer scored her first number-one single on theBillboard Hot 100 with her rendition of theJimmy Webb ballad "MacArthur Park", which topped the chart for three weeks and became her fourth gold-certified single; of Webb's many Hot 100 hits during the 1960s and 1970s, it was his only number one.[24] On that same day, Summer's firstlive album,Live and More, topped theBillboard 200, her first album to do so. Summer became just thefourth solo black artist to simultaneously have the number-one single and album in the US.Live and More became her first album to be certified platinum in the US. Before the end of the year, Summer released "Heaven Knows", a collaborative song withBrooklyn Dreams lead singerJoe "Bean" Esposito. It peaked at number four on the Hot 100 in early 1979. On January 9, 1979, Summer performed the ballad "Mimi's Song" on the globally televisedMusic for UNICEF Concert special, which aimed at raising funds and awareness for children across the globe.[25] On January 12, Summer won three American Music Awards, all in the disco category, at its6th annual ceremony.
At the tail-end of 1978, Summer, Moroder and Belotte began working on her seventh studio album,Bad Girls. Noting the rise ofpunk rock andheavy metal music, the producers and Summer sought to go for arockier edge on some of the songs while other songs leaned into Summer's R&B roots.Harold Faltermeyer, with whom Moroder had collaborated on the film,Midnight Express, was brought in to be thearranger of the album. Released on April 25, 1979,Bad Girls became an immediate success. The first single, "Hot Stuff", became Summer's second number one single on the Hot 100, followed by thetitle track, the latter of which helped Summer make history as the first female artist of therock era to send two songs simultaneously to the top five of theBillboard Hot 100 and later topped the Hot 100 itself for a five-week run. On June 16, the album became Summer's second number one on theBillboard 200; on that same date, "Hot Stuff" had returned to number one on the Hot 100.[26] The album would be Summer's longest-running number one album at six weeks. It also became Summer's first to top theTop Soul LPs chart, with the title track also becoming Summer's first to top theHot Soul Singles chart. The album would go on to be certified double-platinum in the United States for sales of over two million copies in the US and sell four million units worldwide.[27] At the time, it was the most successful album by a black female artist in history until the releases ofTina Turner'sPrivate Dancer andWhitney Houston'sself-titled debut in the1980s.
During promotion of the album, Summer collaborated withBarbra Streisand on the Paul Jabara composition, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", which was featured on Streisand'sWet album. Around the same time, Summer sought to release "Dim All the Lights", which was the first solo composition of her career, and had hoped she would earn a number one pop single as a songwriter. However, Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart was reportedly more enthusiastic about the release of "No More Tears". Both songs became hits and appeared in the top five of theBillboard Hot 100 simultaneously, repeating what Summer had done earlier in the year.[28] "Dim All the Lights", however, peaked at number two while "No More Tears" peaked at number one. And while Summer achieved another historic feat by becoming the first female artist to have three number one singles in a calendar year and having recorded seven consecutive top ten hits by then, Summer was angry that Bogart refused to promote "Dim All the Lights" more, leading to a rift between the artist and Casablanca Records.[29][30]
Bad Girls resulted in multiple award wins and nominations for Summer. In January 1980, the artist won three more American Music Awards includingFavorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. At the1980 Grammy Awards, Summer received the first Grammy Award in the category ofBest Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Hot Stuff", however, she lost theAlbum of the Year category toBilly Joel's52nd Street. During 1979, Summer played eight sold-out shows at theUniversal Amphitheater in Los Angeles. In October, Casablanca released the first worldwidegreatest hits compilation set,On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II. The album was remixed with each song on the compilation segueing into the next, featuring "No More Tears" and a newer song, "On the Radio", which was featured in the soundtrack to the film,Foxes. The title track became another top ten hit for Summer, reaching number 5 in early 1980, while the compilation topped theBillboard 200 on January 5. Like her previous albums, the album would be certified platinum.
On January 27, 1980, Summer had her own nationally televised special,The Donna Summer Special,[31] which aired on ABC. At this point, Casablanca had wanted Summer to continue releasing singles off theBad Girls album but Summer reportedly wanted to venture out of the genre to record her own songs. Summer sought a new recording deal, later signing withDavid Geffen's recently formedGeffen label. Summer later sued Casablanca for $10 million, leading to a countersuit. Summer would end up settling with Casablanca with rights to her song publishings.[32]
1980–1985:She Works Hard for the Money and issues with Geffen
Donna Summer during the photoshoot for her first Geffen Records album,The Wanderer, 1980.
By the time that Summer signed with Geffen,disco music was already experiencing asignificant sociopolitical backlash from the American record-buying public. Some US radio stations, wanting a return to more rock-oriented material, began banning any urban-sounding dance single from the airwaves, which led to many careers that thrived in the disco and soul music eras to fade from the American charts.
Summer, who had desired to record different music, took the opportunity to do so on her first Geffen release,The Wanderer, which featured elements ofrock,new wave andinspirational music. Prior to releasing the first single, which was thetitle track, Summer's former label Casablanca released "Walk Away" from theBad Girls album to compete with it. "Walk Away" is notable for ending Summer's consecutive top five streak on theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 36. Despite this, "The Wanderer" became a hit, peaking at number three. However, the album itself was only moderately successful, peaking at number 13 on theBillboard 200. The album's follow-ups, "Cold Love" and "Who Do You Think You're Foolin'" barely reached the top 40.[33] Still,The Wanderer became Summer's ninth consecutive gold-certified album in the United States. At the33rd Annual Grammy Awards, Summer won nominations for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Cold Love") andBest Inspirational Performance ("I Believe in Jesus").
In 1981, Summer, Moroder and Belotte had set to work on the next Geffen release. In the middle of production, David Geffen stopped by the studio to preview the album and was told that while the album was a work in progress that it was close to being done. But Geffen, having heard only a few of the finished tracks and others still in demo form, felt the album "wasn't good enough" and cancelled the project. Later, that album would be released under the title,I'm a Rainbow.[33] Geffen felt Summer's music should be aimed more at black audiences and had the singer work withQuincy Jones on what would be her second Geffen release, the eponymously titledDonna Summer album, which was released in 1982. The project was recorded under difficult circumstances for Summer. That year, she was pregnant with her andBruce Sudano's second child and in May, Neil Bogart died from a bout with cancer at 39. Despite their acrimonious split, Summer sang at Bogart's funeral.[34][35]
Upon the release ofDonna Summer, the album peaked inside the top 20 and produced the top ten hit, "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)" but, much likeThe Wanderer before it, its subsequent follow-ups — a cover of theJon and Vangelis song "State of Independence" and "The Woman in Me" — failed to match it, with "State of Independence" becoming her first single since "Rumour Has It" to not crack the top 40. Around this time, Geffen had been notified byPolygram Records, which now owned Casablanca, that Summer still needed to deliver to them one more album to fulfill her contract. The result was the album,She Works Hard for the Money, produced byMichael Omartian, and released in 1983 onMercury Records. Thetitle track returned her to the top five of the Hot 100 in three years, peaking at number three, while becoming her secondnumber one single on the Black Singles chart, where it stayed for three weeks. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The video, directed byBrian Grant, was one of the first times that a black female artist had a video clip spinning on heavy rotation onMTV doing so on the week of August 10, 1983, remaining on heavy rotation for six weeks.[36] Summer later was nominated forBest Female Video at theinaugural MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, losing toCyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Grant later directed Summer'sCosta Mesa HBO concert special,A Hot Summers Night.[37]She Works Hard for the Money peaked at number 9 on theBillboard 200 and would become Summer's eleventh and final album to be certified gold in the United States. UnlikeThe Wanderer, the follow-ups on the album — "Unconditional Love" and "Love Has a Mind of Its Own" — didn't hit the top 40. The ballad, "He's a Rebel", won the singer her third Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance.
Due to his success onShe Works Hard for the Money, Geffen hired Michael Omartian to produce Summer's next Geffen release,Cats Without Claws. Though Summer was happy Geffen stayed out of the studio during its recording and thanked him on the album's liner notes, Geffen refused her request to release the track, "Oh Billy Please", for a lead single, choosing to go with her cover ofthe Drifters' "There Goes My Baby" instead.Cats Without Claws was released on September 11, 1984 and peaked at number 40 on theBillboard 200, her lowest to chart in her career at the time. It was the first Summer album to not go gold in the United States.[38] "There Goes My Baby" was also only a modest hit, reaching number 21 on theBillboard Hot 100, her first leading single to not reach the top ten since 1977. The video received heavy rotation on MTV but soon faded from the channel, thus becoming her last video to receive such success.[39] The second single, "Supernatural Love", flopped, peaking at number 75 on theBillboard Hot 100 with the video receiving only light rotation on MTV, becoming her last video to air on the channel. Summer earned her fourth Grammy in the inspirational category for the song "Forgive Me" on the album. On January 19, 1985, Summer's sang at the nationally televised 50th Presidential Inaugural Gala the day before thesecond inauguration of Ronald Reagan.[40][41][42]
1986–1989:All Systems Go,Another Place and Time and addressing homophobic rumors
Donna Summer performing at the inaugural gala for Ronald Reagan at the Convention Center in Washington DC in 1985
In 1986, Harold Faltermeyer wrote the title song for a German ski movie calledFire and Ice, and thought Summer would be ideal to sing the song. He decided to reach out to Summer and, although she was not interested in singing the song, she was very much interested in working with Faltermeyer again. After a meeting with Geffen, the impresario was on board with the project. Summer's main objective for the album was that it have stronger R&B influences; Faltermeyer who had just finished doing the soundtracks toTop Gun andFletch, was after a tough FM-oriented sound. On completion, Geffen liked what he heard, but his executives did not think there were enough songs that could be deemed singles. They wanted Faltermeyer to produce "Dinner with Gershwin", but he was already busy with another project, so another producer was found. They also substituted a previous recording called "Bad Reputation", songs like "Fascination", fell by the wayside. Geffen had shared the vision of moving Summer into the R&B market as a veteran artist, but these expectations were not met. Faltermeyer, in a 2012 interview withDaeida Magazine, said, "She was an older artist by then and the label's priority may have been on the youth market. The decision was made afterward by executives who were looking for a radio hit for 1987 and not something that would perhaps last beyond then."[43] Label president Ed Rosenblatt would later admit: "The company never intended to focus on established superstars".[44] The albumAll Systems Go became Summer's lowest charting studio album on theBillboard 200 to date, reaching number 122. The single "Dinner with Gershwin" stalled at 48 in the US, though it became a hit in the UK, reaching number 13; the title track reached 54 in the same country.[45]
For Summer's next album,Geffen Records hired the British hit production team ofStock Aitken Waterman (orSAW), who enjoyed success writing and producing for such acts asKylie Minogue,Bananarama, andRick Astley, among others. The SAW team described the working experience as a "labor of love", and said it was their favorite album of all that they had recorded. Geffen decided not to release the albumAnother Place and Time, and Summer and the label parted ways in 1988. The album was released in Europe in March 1989 onWarner Bros. Records, which had been Summer's label in Europe since 1982. The single "This Time I Know It's for Real" became a top ten hit in several countries in Europe, prompting Warner Bros.' sister company,Atlantic Records, to sign Summer in the US. The single peaked at number 7 on theBillboard Hot 100, becoming her first top ten single in six years, her fourteenth top ten hit in general, and her last; it also became her twelfth single to be certified gold in the US. Despite this, there was no successful follow-ups in the US and the album also declined to gold in Summer's home country, though in the UK, the album would be certified gold and produced two more hits in the country — "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" and "Love's About to Change My Heart", — reaching numbers 7 and 20, respectively.[45][46] During the same year of that album's release, Summer and husband Sudano had been in talks to do a new kind of reality-based sitcom. It would be based on their own hectic household. At the time, they lived with their children Amanda, Brooklyn and Mimi, two sets of in-laws, and a maid. The television network started changing the premise of the show, making it less funny. Sudano added, "and because we were an interracial couple, they didn't want us to be married anymore". In 1989, this was "an issue. So with that mentality we just backed out of it."[47]
That same year, Summer was interviewed for the gay magazine publication,The Advocate, and addressed claims made byVillage Voice reporter Jim Feldman that she had made homophobic remarks at an Atlantic City concert back in 1983.[48] According to Feldman, Summer had told the crowd thatAIDS "was God's divine punishment against gays" and that "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." Summer told the publication, "I never said, 'If you are gay, God hates you.' Come on... Be real. I don't understand that. Anybody who really knows me knows I wouldn't say that."[48] That July,ACT UP activists at aBoston Gay Pride event protested the playing of a Donna Summer song, chanting, "Shame, shame, shame!"[49]
On July 26, Summer sent a letter to ACT UP apologizing for the statements, adding that they were "a terrible misunderstanding". She closed the letter with a quote from the Bible (chapter 13 of1 Corinthians).[50] Two years later, in 1991, Summer suedNew York magazine when it printed an old story about the rumors as fact.[51] Eventually the suit was settled by both parties in 1995.[52][53]
1990–1999:Mistaken Identity,Family Matters, andLive & More Encore
Summer's 1990 Warner compilation,The Best of Donna Summer went gold following the re-release of "State of Independence" while a remix of the 1989 track, "Breakaway", released from the same compilation, became a hit in Latin America.[54] Despite this success, Summer rejected her husband's advice that she should record a second album with Stock Aitken Waterman, insisting that she wanted to make anR&B record.[54] Summer worked on her Warner follow-up,Mistaken Identity, with Keith Diamond, which was released to poor reception in 1991. Despite scoring a top 20Billboard R&B hit with thenew jack swing-styled ballad "When Love Cries",Mistaken Identity was the first Summer release to not produce a single on theBillboard Hot 100.Mistaken Identity also failed to chart on theBillboard 200 and only managed to peak at number 97 on the R&B Albums chart.
In 1992, Summer received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[55] That year, Summer reunited withGiorgio Moroder on the song "Carry On"; six years later, a remixed version won Summer a Grammy Award forBest Dance Recording. In 1994, Summer released her first holiday album,Christmas Spirit. Summer returned to the UK top 40 with the song "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)". That same year, Summer made the first of two appearances onFamily Matters asSteve Urkel's (Jaleel White) Aunt Oona, appearing on the show's fifth season episode, "Aunt Oona". Three years later, in 1997, Summer returned as Aunt Oona on the show's eighth season episode, "Pound Foolish".
In 1999, Summer was asked to do theVH1 Divas Live '99 concert special, which featured other music legends such asCher,Tina Turner andWhitney Houston. However, after meeting up with the show's producers, it was decided Summer would do her own concert special, which later was taped forVH1 titledDonna Summer –Live & More Encore. It would become the second highest-viewed show for the network that year afterVH1 Divas Live '99. A subsequentlive album of the event was released byEpic Records and featured two studio songs, "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" and "Love Is the Healer", both of which reached No. 1 on the US dance charts.[19] The former track returned her to theBillboard Hot 100, peaking at number 79. It would be Summer's 32nd and final Hot 100 entry.
In 2000, Summer participated in VH1's third annualDivas special, dedicated toDiana Ross; she sang the Supremes hit "Reflections", and her own material for the show. "The Power of One" is a theme song for the moviePokémon: The Movie 2000. The dramatic ballad was produced byDavid Foster and dance remixes were also issued to DJs and became another dance floor success for Summer, peaking at No. 2 on the same chart in 2000. In 2003, Summer issued her autobiography,Ordinary Girl: The Journey, and released a best-of set titledThe Journey: The Very Best of Donna Summer. In 2004, Summer was inducted into theDance Music Hall of Fame as an artist, alongside theBee Gees andBarry Gibb. Her classic song, "I Feel Love", was inducted that night as well. In 2004 and 2005, Summer's success on the dance charts continued with the songs "You're So Beautiful" and "I Got Your Love". In 2004, Summer re-recorded 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)' with the Irish pop bandWestlife (with a live performance) for the compilation album,DiscoMania.
In 2008, Summer released her first studio album of fully original material in 17 years, entitledCrayons. Released on theSony BMG labelBurgundy Records, it peaked at No. 17 on the US Top 200 Album Chart, her highest placing on the chart since 1983. The songs "I'm a Fire", "Stamp Your Feet" and "Fame (The Game)" all reached No. 1 on the USBillboard Dance Chart. The ballad "Sand on My Feet" was released to adult contemporary stations and reached No. 30 on that chart. Summer said, "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it. I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else, like when you're cooking."[56] On December 11, 2009, Donna Summer appeared at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert forBarack Obama.[57]
2010–present: Final recordings and posthumous releases
On July 29, 2010, Summer gave an interview with Allvoices.com wherein she was asked if she would consider doing an album ofstandards. She said, "I actually am, probably in September. I will begin work on a standards album. I will probably do an all-out dance album and a standards album. I'm going to do both and we will release them however we're going to release them. We are not sure which is going first."[58]
In August 2010, Summer released the single "To Paris With Love", co-written withBruce Roberts and produced by Peter Stengaard. The single went to No. 1 on the USBillboard Dance Chart in October 2010. That month, Summer also appeared on thePBS television specialHitman Returns: David Foster and Friends. In it, Summer performed withSeal on a medley of the songs "Un-Break My Heart", "Crazy", and "On the Radio" before closing the show with "Last Dance".[59] On September 15, 2010, Summer appeared as a guest celebrity, singing alongside contestantPrince Poppycock, on the television showAmerica's Got Talent.[60] Also in 2010, Summer recorded a version of theDan Fogelberg song "Nether Lands" for a Fogelberg tribute project. According to a comment on Fogelberg's website, the song had great personal significance for Summer.[61]
Summer in 2011
On June 6, 2011, Summer was a guest judge on the showPlatinum Hit, in an episode entitled "Dance Floor Royalty". In July of that same year, Summer 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".[62] On December 11, 2012, after four prior nominations, Summer was posthumously announced to be one of the 2013 inductees to theRock and Roll Hall of Fame,[63] and was inducted on April 18, 2013, at Los Angeles'Nokia Theater.[63]
Aremix album titledLove to Love You Donna, containing new remixes of some of Summer's classics, was released in October 2013.[64] "MacArthur Park" was remixed byLaidback Luke for the remix collection; it was also remixed byRalphi Rosario, which version was released to dance clubs all over America and successfully peaked at No. 1, giving Summer her first posthumous number-one single, and her sixteenth number-one on the charts.[65] In 2021, Summer's estate released a reedited version of her ninth studio albumI'm a Rainbow, subtitledRecovered & Recoloured. The new edition is reduced to 10 tracks (15 on vinyl and streaming releases), with each song remixed by contemporary producers and remixers.[66] Herself-titled album was re-released in 2022 by Summer's estate subtitled as40th Anniversary Edition.
In 2025, Summer'sCats Without Claws was also re-released in celebration of its 40th anniversary, debuting on two U.K. charts.[70] Later that year, music producer and songwriterToby Gad released Summer's single "Run," which was recorded in 2008 as part of Summer's final studio albumCrayons but never released.[71] Summer and Gad worked on the single together shortly before her death.[72] The song gave Summer her first posthumousBillboard hit after it debuted and peaked at number 30 on theBillboard adult contemporary charts, making it her first entry on the chart since "Sand on My Feet" peaked in the same position in 2008.
Photo from 2007, with (left to right) Francisca Gutierrez, wife of Summer's longtime collaboratorGiorgio Moroder, Summer, her husbandBruce Sudano, and Moroder
Around 1979–80, Summer became aborn-again Christian. Her religious conversion made it difficult to record music that Summer considered risque at the time.
Summer is reportedly a distant cousin of fellow singerBobby Brown, whose family was raised in theRoxbury area of Boston in the 1960s and 1970s.[74]
She married Helmut Sommer in 1973, and gave birth to their daughter, Natalia Pia Melanie "Mimi" Sommer,[75] the same year. Summer first began performing under the name "Donna Sommer", which later changed to "Donna Summer"; the latter spelling was the one used when her first single, "The Hostage", was released in 1974. In 1976, after three years of marriage, she and Helmuth Sommer divorced.
Summer was one of the founding members ofOasis Church in Los Angeles.[78]
Summer and her family moved from theSherman Oaks area of Los Angeles toNashville, Tennessee, in 1995,[79] where she took time off from show business to focus on painting, a hobby she had developed in the 1980s.
Summer died on May 17, 2012, aged 63, at her home inNaples, Florida, fromlung cancer.[8][80][81] Being anonsmoker,[82] Summer thought that the cancer had been caused byinhaling toxic fumes and dust from theSeptember 11 attacks in New York City; she was in her apartment nearGround Zero when the attacks occurred.[83][84][85] However, some reports have instead attributed the cancer possibly to Summer's smoking during her younger years, her continued exposure tosecond-hand smoke while performing in clubs well after she had herself quit the habit, and a genetic predisposition in her family.[86]
Summer's funeral service was held in Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, on the afternoon of May 23, 2012.[87][88] The exact location and time of the service were kept private.[89] Several hundred of Summer's friends and relatives attended the funeral, according toCNN.[88] The funeral was a private ceremony, and cameras were not allowed inside the church.[88] She was interred in the Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens cemetery in Nashville.[90][87]
Singers and music industry professionals around the world reacted to Summer's death.[91][92]Gloria Gaynor said she was "deeply saddened" and that Summer was "a fine lady and human being".[93]Liza Minnelli said, "She was a queen, The Queen Of Disco, and we will be dancing to her music forever." She said that her "thoughts and prayers are with her family always."[92]Dolly Parton said, "Donna, likeWhitney, was one of the greatest voices ever. I loved her records. She was the disco queen and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever. She will be missed and remembered."[92]
Janet Jackson wrote that Summer "changed the world of music with her beautiful voice and incredible talent."[92]Barbra Streisand wrote, "I loved doingthe duet with her. She had an amazing voice and was so talented. It's so sad."[92]Quincy Jones wrote that Summer's voice was "the heartbeat and soundtrack of a generation."[92]
Aretha Franklin said, "It's so shocking to hear about the passing of Donna Summer. In the 1970s, she reigned over the disco era and kept the disco jumping. Who will forget 'Last Dance'? A fine performer and a very nice person."[94]Chaka Khan said, "Donna and I had a friendship for over 30 years. She is one of the few black women I could speak German with and she is one of the few friends I had in this business."[94]Gloria Estefan averred that "It's the end of an era", and posted a photo of herself with Summer.Mary J. Blige said that Summer was "truly a game changer".[95]Lenny Kravitz wrote "Rest in peace Donna, You are a pioneer and you have paved the way for so many of us. You transcended race and genre. Respect. Lenny".[95]
Beyoncé wrote a personal note: "Donna Summer made music that moved me both emotionally and physically to get up and dance. You could always hear the deep passion in her voice. She was so much more than the queen of disco she became known for, she was an honest and gifted singer with flawless vocal talent. I've always been a huge fan and was honored to sample one of her songs. She touched many generations and will be sadly missed. My love goes out to her family during this difficult time. Love, B".[96]
David Foster said, "My wife and I are in shock and truly devastated. Donna changed the face of pop culture forever. There is no doubt that music would sound different today if she had never graced us with her talent. She was a super-diva and a true superstar who never compromised when it came to her career or her family. She always did it with class, dignity, grace and zero attitude. She lived in rare air ... She was the most spectacular, considerate, constant, giving, generous and loving friend of 35 years. I am at a total loss trying to process this tragic news."[97]
US PresidentBarack Obama said, "Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of Donna Summer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Donna truly was the 'Queen of Disco.' Her voice was unforgettable and the music industry has lost a legend far too soon. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Donna's family and her dedicated fans."[92][98]
Summer was honored at the2012Billboard Music Awards ceremony. SingerNatasha Bedingfield honored Summer, calling her "a remarkable woman who brought so much light and who inspired many women, including myself, through her music. And if we can remember her through her music, this will never really be the last dance." After her statement, she began to sing "Last Dance", Summer'sAcademy Award-winning song.[99] As she sang the song, photos of Summer were displayed on a screen overhead.[99]
Fans paid tribute to Summer by leaving flowers and memorabilia on her star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[100] A few days after her death, her album sales increased by 3,277%, according toNielsen SoundScan.Billboard magazine reported that the week before she died, Summer sold about 1,000 albums. After her death that number increased to 26,000.[101]
According to singerMarc Almond, Summer's collaboration with producer Giorgio Moroder "changed the face of music".[102] As a recording artist, Summer either set or broke many chart records. During her late1970s and early1980s heyday, Summer scored eight consecutive top ten hits on the USBillboard Hot 100, the most by a female artist in the United States sinceBrenda Lee andthe Supremes in the1960s. Summer was the first female artist in chart history to score three number one singles in a calendar year on theBillboard Hot 100 in 1979. Summer at least landed a top 40 single on the Hot 100 in ten calendar years (1975-1984). In a seven-year period (1976–82), she scored more top ten hits than any act of that era with twelve.[103] Between November 11, 1978 and January 5, 1980, Summer scored three consecutive number one albums on theBillboard 200 (Live and More,Bad Girls andOn the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes I & II). Summer is the only artist to have three number one double albums and also the first female artist to record back to back number one albums.[8]
Between 1976 and 1979, Summer was the top disco act on theBillboard year-end lists four times in a row. She is the sixth most successful artist in the history of theDance Club Songs chart, recording 16 number one singles alone on the chart.[104] Summer is one of a selected group of artists to achieve a number one hit on theBillboard charts in five or more decades (1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s), joiningCher,Aretha Franklin,Diana Ross,Whitney Houston,Michael Jackson andMadonna.
She became a cultural icon and her prominence on the dance charts, for which she was referred to as the Queen of Disco, made her not just one of the defining voices of that era, but also an influence on pop artists from Madonna to Beyoncé. Unlike some other stars of disco who faded as the music became less popular in the early 1980s, Summer was able to grow beyond the genre and segued to a pop-rock sound. She had one of her biggest hits in the 1980s with "She Works Hard For the Money", which became another anthem, this time forwomen's rights, and later was included in theSongs of the Century list by theRIAA andNEA.[105] Her 1975 hit "Love to Love You Baby" was included in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Summer was the first black woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award.[8]
In May 2012, it was announced that "I Feel Love" was included in the list of preserved recordings at theLibrary of Congress'sNational Recording Registry.[106] Her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame page listed Summer as "the Diva De Tutte Dive, the first true diva of the modern pop era".[107]
^Krettenauer, Thomas (2017). "Hit Men: Giorgio Moroder, Frank Farian and the eurodisco sound of the 1970s/80s". In Ahlers, Michael; Jacke, Christoph (eds.).Perspectives on German Popular Music. London:Routledge.ISBN978-1-4724-7962-4.
^Whitburn, Joel (1990).The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Seventies (30 June - 21 July 1979, 17 November 1979). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc.ISBN0-89820-076-8.
^Bell, Alan, ed. (1991).BLK. BLK Company.... Donna Summer is suing New York magazine for libel for reporting that eight years ago she told concert - goers that gays are sinners and AIDS is a divine ruling . Announcing her $ 30- million lawsuit Oct. 1 in Beverly Hills, Summer as ...
^Ruben Norte (w/prod) (February 9, 1995). "Donna Summer".Biography. Season 8. Episode 15. A&E.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
