Donna Summer's title as the "Queen of Disco" wasn't mere hype -- she was one
of the very few disco performers to enjoy a measure of career longevity, and her
consistent
chart success was rivaled in the disco world only by
the Bee Gees.
Donna Summer was certainly a talented vocalist, trained as a powerful gospel
belter, but then again, so were many of her contemporaries. Of major importance
in setting
Donna Summer apart were her songwriting abilities and her choice of talented
collaborators in producers/songwriters
Giorgio Moroder and
Pete Bellotte, which resulted in a steady supply of high-quality (and,
often, high-concept) material. But what was more, few vocalists could match the
sultry, unfettered eroticism
Donna Summer brought to many of her best recordings, which seemed to embody the
spirit of the disco era perfectly. The total package made
Donna Summer the ultimate disco diva, one of the few whose star power was even
bigger than the music.
Donna Summer was born
LaDonna Andre Gaines on December 31, 1948, and grew up in Boston's Mission
Hill section. Part of a religious family, she first sang in her church's gospel
choir, and as a teenager performed with a rock group called the Crow. After high
school, she moved to New York to sing and act in stage productions, and soon
landed a role in a German production of Hair. She moved to Europe around
1968-1969, and spent a year in the German cast, after which she became part of
the Hair company in Vienna. She joined the Viennese Folk Opera, and later
returned to Germany, where she settled in Munich and met and married Helmut
Sommer, adopting an Anglicized version of his last name.
Donna Summer performed in various stage musicals and worked as a studio vocalist
in Munich, recording demos and background vocals. Her first solo recording was
1971's "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," but success would not come until 1974, when
she met producers/songwriters
Giorgio Moroder and
Pete Bellotte while working on a
Three Dog Night record. The three teamed up for the single "The Hostage,"
which became a hit around Western Europe, and
Donna Summer released her first album, Lady of the Night, in Europe only. In 1975,
the trio recorded "Love to Love You Baby," a disco-fied reimagining of
Serge Gainsbourg and
Jane Birkin's lush, heavy-breathing opus "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus." Powered
by
Donna Summer's graphic moans, "Love to Love You Baby" became a massive hit in
Europe, and drew the attention of Casablanca Records, which put the track out in
America. It climbed to number two on the singles charts, and became a dance-club
sensation when
Moroder remixed the track into a 17-minute, side-long epic on the LP of the
same name.
In the wake of "Love to Love You Baby," albums (as opposed to just singles)
became an important forum for
Donna Summer and her producers. The 1976 follow-up Love Trilogy contained another
side-long suite in "Try Me (I Know We Can Make It Work)," and demonstrated
Moroder and
Bellotte's growing sophistication as arrangers with its lush, sweeping
strings. Four Seasons of Love, released later in the year, was a concept album
with one track dedicated to each season, and 1977's I Remember Yesterday
featured a variety of genre exercises. Despite the album's title, it produced
the most forward-looking single in
Donna Summer and
Moroder's catalog, the monumental "I Feel Love." Eschewing the strings and
typical disco excess, "I Feel Love" was the first major pop hit recorded with an
entirely synthesized backing track; its lean, sleek arrangement and driving,
hypnotic pulse laid the groundwork not only for countless Euro-dance imitators,
but also for the techno revolution of the '80s and '90s. It became
Donna Summer's second Top Ten hit in the U.S., and she followed it with Once Upon
a Time, another concept album, this one retelling the story of Cinderella for
the disco era.
Donna Summer's albums were selling well, bolstered by her popularity in the dance
clubs, and she was poised to become a major pop hitmaker as well. Her acting
turn in the 1978 disco-themed comedy Thank God It's Friday produced another hit
in "Last Dance," which won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal (as well as an
Oscar for songwriter
Paul Jabara). Doubtlessly benefiting from the added exposure, the double-LP
set Live and More became
Donna Summer's first number one album later that year. It featured one side of new
studio material, including a disco cover of the psychedelic pop epic "MacArthur
Park" that became her first number one pop single early the next year. Her 1979
double-LP Bad Girls featured more of her songwriting contributions than ever,
and went straight to number one, as did the lusty singles "Bad Girls" and the
rock-oriented "Hot Stuff," which made
Donna Summer the first female artist ever to score three number one singles in the
same calendar year. Her greatest-hits package On the Radio also topped the
charts, the first time any artist had ever hit number one with three consecutive
double LPs; the newly recorded title track became another hit, and
Donna Summer's duet with
Barbra Streisand, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)," became her fourth
number one single.
At the peak of her success,
Donna Summer decided to leave Casablanca, and became the first artist signed to
the new Geffen label. Sensing that the disco era was coming to a close,
Donna Summer attempted to modify her style to include more R&B and pop/rock on her
first Geffen album, 1980's The Wanderer; the album and its title track were both
hits. Not wanting to alienate her core audience,
Donna Summer returned to pure dance music on an attempted follow-up; however,
Geffen deemed I'm a Rainbow not worthy of release (it was finally issued in
1996). Instead,
Donna Summer ended her collaboration with
Moroder and
Bellotte and teamed up with
Quincy Jones for 1982's Donna Summer. "Love Is in Control (Finger on the
Trigger)" was a significant hit, but none of its follow-ups did very well. With
producer
Michael Omartian,
Donna Summer moved back into post-disco dance music and urban R&B with 1983's She
Works Hard for the Money; its title track was a smash and became a feminist
anthem of sorts. However, with her career momentum slowing, it also marked the
end of
Donna Summer's prime. Despite winning a gospel Grammy for "Forgive Me,"
Donna Summer's 1984 follow-up Cats Without Claws flopped, as did the 1987 comeback
effort All Systems Go. Hiring the British production team of
Stock, Aitken & Waterman,
Donna Summer scored her last major success with the 1989 Top Ten single "This Time
I Know It's for Real," from the album Another Place & Time; around the same
time, she began denouncing her earlier, "sinful" disco material. 1991's
lackluster, urban-styled Mistaken Identity effectively killed her career
momentum, and none of her new '90s albums produced that elusive hit. However,
she did make some noise on the dance charts with "Melody of Love," from the
excellent 1994 retrospective Endless Summer, and reunited with
Moroder for the 1997 non-LP single "Carry On," which won the inaugural
Grammy for Best Dance Recording.
Donna Summer subsequently signed a deal with Sony, which primed her for
re-establishment with the 1999 greatest-hits live album VH1 Presents: Live and
More Encore!; it featured the new song "I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro),"
which had some success on the dance charts. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
|
