Donna Adrian Gaines, known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter.
84 Facts About Donna Summer
2.
Donna Summer gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following.
3.
Donna Summer amassed a total of 32 chart singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 in her lifetime, including 14 top ten singles and four number one singles.
4.
Donna Summer claimed a top-40 hit every year between 1976 and 1984, and from her first top-ten hit in 1976, to the end of 1982, she had 12 top-ten hits, more than any other act during that time period.
5.
Donna Summer returned to the Hot 100's top five in 1983, and claimed her final top-ten hit in 1989 with "This Time I Know It's for Real".
6.
Donna Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach the top of the US Billboard 200 chart and charted four number-one singles in the US within a 12-month period.
7.
Donna Summer died on May 17,2012, from lung cancer, at her home in Naples, Florida.
8.
Donna Summer sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
9.
In 2013, Donna Summer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
10.
Donna Summer Adrian Gaines was born on December 31,1948, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Andrew and Mary Gaines, and was third of seven children.
11.
Donna Summer was raised in the Boston neighborhood of Mission Hill.
12.
Donna Summer's father was a butcher, and her mother was a schoolteacher.
13.
Donna Summer attended Boston's Jeremiah E Burke High School where she performed in school musicals and was considered popular.
14.
In 1967, just weeks before graduation, Donna Summer left for New York City, where she joined the blues rock band Crow.
15.
Donna Summer stayed in New York and auditioned for a role in the counterculture musical, Hair.
16.
Donna Summer landed the part of Sheila and agreed to take the role in the Munich production of the show, moving there in August 1968 after getting her parents' reluctant approval.
17.
Donna Summer eventually became fluent in German, singing various songs in that language, and participated in the musicals, Godspell, and Show Boat.
18.
Donna Summer briefly toured with an ensemble vocal group called FamilyTree, the creation of producer Gunter "Yogi" Lauke.
19.
In 1968, Summer released on Polydor her first single, a German version of the title "Aquarius" from the musical Hair, followed in 1971 by a second single, a remake of the Jaynetts' 1963 hit, "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", from a one-off European deal with Decca Records.
20.
Donna Summer married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer in 1973, and gave birth to their daughter Natalia Pia Melanie "Mimi" Sommer, the same year.
21.
Donna Summer provided backing vocals for producer-keyboardist Veit Marvos on his Ariola Records release Nice to See You, credited as "Gayn Pierre".
22.
Several subsequent singles included Donna Summer performing with the group, and the name "Gayn Pierre" was used while performing in Godspell with Helmuth Sommer during 1972.
23.
The trio forged a working partnership, and Donna Summer was signed to their Oasis label in 1974.
24.
In 1975, Donna Summer passed on an idea for a song to Moroder who was working with another artist; a song that would be called "Love To Love You Baby".
25.
In 1977, Donna Summer released the concept album I Remember Yesterday.
26.
Donna Summer recorded the song "Down Deep Inside" as the theme song for the 1977 film The Deep.
27.
In 1978, Donna Summer acted in the film Thank God It's Friday, the film met with modest success; the song "Last Dance", reached No 3 on the Hot 100.
28.
Donna Summer received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
29.
The week of November 11,1978, Donna Summer became the first female artist of the modern rock era to have the No 1 single on the Hot 100 and album on the Billboard 200 charts, simultaneously.
30.
In 1979, Donna Summer won three American Music Awards for Single, Album and Female Artist, in the Disco category at the awards held in January.
31.
Donna Summer began work on her next project with Moroder and Bellotte, Bad Girls.
32.
Donna Summer filed a $10 million lawsuit against Casablanca; the label counter-sued.
33.
Donna Summer was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Cold Love", and Best Inspirational Performance for "I Believe in Jesus" at the 1981 Grammy Awards.
34.
Donna Summer heard enough to tell producers that it was not good enough; the project was canceled.
35.
The album took over six months to record as Donna Summer, who was pregnant at the time, found it hard to sing.
36.
Donna Summer was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for "Protection", penned for her by Bruce Springsteen.
37.
Donna Summer recorded and delivered the album She Works Hard for the Money and Polygram released it on its Mercury imprint in 1983.
38.
The video was a success, being nominated for Best Female Video and Best Choreography at the 1984 MTV Music Video Awards; Donna Summer became one of the first African-American artists, and the first African-American female artist to have her video played in heavy rotation on MTV.
39.
Donna Summer wanted a large chorus of children to join Summer on stage at the ending of the song.
40.
Donna Summer's team looked for local school children in Orange County, to create a chorus of 500 students.
41.
Donna Summer was happy that Geffen and his executives stayed out of the studio during the recording and thanked him in the album's liner notes, but her request for the lead single would be rejected.
42.
In 1986, Harold Faltermeyer wrote the title song for a German ski movie called Fire and Ice, and thought Donna Summer would be ideal to sing the song.
43.
Donna Summer 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.
44.
Donna Summer scored two more UK hits from the album, "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" and "Love's About to Change My Heart".
45.
In 1992, Donna Summer embarked on a world tour and later that year received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
46.
Donna Summer reunited with Giorgio Moroder, for the song "Carry On", which was included on the 1993, Polygram issued The Donna Summer Anthology, it contained 34 tracks of Summer's material with Casablanca and Mercury Records, and from her tenures with Atlantic and Geffen.
47.
In 1996, Donna Summer recorded a duet with Bruce Roberts, "Whenever There Is Love", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Daylight.
48.
In 1996, Donna Summer recorded "Does He Love You" with Liza Minnelli, which appeared Minnelli's Gently.
49.
In 1998, Donna Summer received the first Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording, after a remixed version of her 1992 collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, "Carry On", was released in 1997.
50.
In 2000, Donna Summer participated in VH1's third annual Divas special, dedicated to Diana Ross; she sang the Supremes hit Reflections, and her own material for the show.
51.
The dramatic ballad was produced by David Foster and dance remixes were issued to DJs and became another dance floor success for Donna Summer, peaking at No 2 on the same chart in 2000.
52.
In 2004, Donna Summer was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as an artist, alongside the Bee Gees and Barry Gibb.
53.
In 2004, Donna Summer re-recorded 'No More Tears ' with the Irish pop band Westlife for the compilation album, DiscoMania.
54.
In 2008, Donna Summer released her first studio album of fully original material in 17 years, entitled Crayons.
55.
On July 29,2010, Donna Summer gave an interview with Allvoices.
56.
That month, Donna Summer appeared on the PBS television special Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends.
57.
On September 15,2010, Donna Summer appeared as a guest celebrity, singing alongside contestant Prince Poppycock, on the television show America's Got Talent.
58.
Also in 2010, Donna Summer recorded a version of the Dan Fogelberg song "Nether Lands" for a Fogelberg tribute project.
59.
On June 6,2011, Donna Summer was a guest judge on the show Platinum Hit, in an episode entitled "Dance Floor Royalty".
60.
On December 11,2012, after four prior nominations, Donna Summer was posthumously announced to be one of the 2013 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was inducted on April 18,2013, at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater.
61.
Donna Summer's self-titled album was re-released in 2022 by Summer's estate subtitled as 40th Anniversary Edition.
62.
Donna Summer married the Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer in 1973, and gave birth to their daughter Natalia Pia Melanie Sommer the same year.
63.
The couple divorced in 1976, but Donna Summer adopted the Anglicized version of her ex-husband's surname as her stage name.
64.
Donna Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano on July 16,1980.
65.
Donna Summer was one of the founding members of Oasis Church in Los Angeles.
66.
Donna Summer died on May 17,2012, aged 63, at her home in Naples, Florida, from lung cancer.
67.
Donna Summer was survived by her husband, Bruce Sudano, and her three daughters.
68.
Donna Summer was interred in the Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens cemetery in Nashville.
69.
Gloria Gaynor said she was "deeply saddened" and that Donna Summer was "a fine lady and human being".
70.
Donna Summer was the disco queen and will remain so.
71.
Donna Summer had an amazing voice and was so talented.
72.
Donna Summer 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.
73.
Donna Summer was so much more than the queen of disco she became known for, she was an honest and gifted singer with flawless vocal talent.
74.
Donna Summer touched many generations and will be sadly missed.
75.
Donna Summer was a super-diva and a true superstar who never compromised when it came to her career or her family.
76.
Donna Summer always did it with class, dignity, grace and zero attitude.
77.
Donna Summer was the most spectacular, considerate, constant, giving, generous and loving friend of 35 years.
78.
Donna Summer was honored at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards ceremony.
79.
Fans paid tribute to Donna Summer by leaving flowers and memorabilia on her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
80.
Billboard magazine reported that the week before she died, Donna Summer sold about 1,000 albums.
81.
Donna Summer 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 an influence on pop artists from Madonna to Beyonce.
82.
Unlike some other stars of disco who faded as the music became less popular in the early 1980s, Donna Summer was able to grow beyond the genre and segued to a pop-rock sound.
83.
Donna Summer had one of her biggest hits in the 1980s with "Donna Summer Works Hard For the Money", which became another anthem, this time for women's rights.
84.
Donna Summer was the first black woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award.