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Disco Music > Disco People Index > Artists-Producers... > Donna Summer
Donna Summer
Disco Singer (b. December 31st, 1948-present)
Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines)
Writing a biography about DONNA SUMMER is a hard thing to do. She has sung so many great tunes, been an actress, a leader of a generation and an artist with many great paintings to her credit. This is one very talented lady. A real biography could takes weeks to write, and many pages to fill. I need help from everyone out there, all I am doing is giving us a starting point!
Born in Boston, Donna first started singing in church. She toiled with a local band called The Crows, with no success, then went to BROADWAY where she was part of the Musical HAIR. Then it was off to Germany, where she continued her stage work. She met, then married Helmuth Sommer (SUMMER is the Anglo version). That marriage didn't last very long, but DONNA sure did!
Her recording career started by being a back-up singer with THREE DOG NIGHT, where she met GIORGIO MORODER and PETER BELLOTTE. They tried some things over there, in Europe, with minimal success. It was DONNA herself who came up with LOVE TO LOVE YOU, and released it in Europe.It didn't happen there, but when David Geffen and Neil Bogart heard it, DONNA was signed to their CASABLANCA label, and released in the states, the rest is history.
Now it was hit after hit, for many years. We welcomed anything by her with open arms, putting whatever it was right into our playlist and the rotation. This went on for the better part of a decade. Deejays loved her, the dancers loved her, even the DISCO critics seemed to love her. She became a POP Icon, a singing star who kept the hits coming. From 1975 with LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY to today, it has been a singing success story. Lets see SOME of her major hits. I am trying to keep them in order. After her first hit gave her a marketable name, she followed with,COULD IT BE MAGIC, SPRING AFFAIR, I FEEL LOVE(often remixed and reissued through the years, it was the first DISCO HIT to use TECHNO and ELECTRONIC sounds in it), ONCE UPON A TIME, from the movie "Thank God It's Friday" the ACADEMY AWARD and GRAMMY winning LAST DANCE, MACARTHUR PARK, HEAVEN KNOWS,NO MORE TEARS, HOT STUFF, BAD GIRLS, SUNSET PEOPLE, DIM ALL THE LIGHTS, ON THE RADIO, THE WANDERER, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FOOLING, LOVE IS IN CONTROL, THIS TIME I KNOW IT'S FOR REAL, MELODY OF LOVE, CARRY ON, I WILL GO WITH YOU, LOVE IS THE HEALER. I am sure that I missed a few, but that was off the top of my head!! Later on I will give discomusic.com a HISTORY REPORT on her releases, which one was the best? Think about that now, I'll put it all together in the future, right now, I need feedback. I need you to help this DONNA SUMMER BIO, tell me what I left out and missed. This is a special one, we all must contribute.
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COMMENTS ON Donna Summer
Great Bio..
My top 10 Donna Summer Albums
would be in this order
1- Once Upon a Time, Casablanca, 1977.
2-Four Seasons of Love (EP), Casablanca, 1976
3-A Love Trilogy, Casablanca, 1976
4-Live and More (includes "MacArthur Park"), Casablanca, 1978
5-I Remember Yesterday, Casablanca, 1977
6-Bad Girls, Casablanca, 1979
7-Love to Love You Baby, Oasis, 1975
8-Another Place and Time, Atlantic, 1989.
9-Mistaken Identity, Atlantic, 1991
10-The Wanderer, Geffen, 1980.
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