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Biography:
Born Ladonna Gaines, 31 December 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Summer's 'Love To Love You Baby' made her the best-known of all 70s disco divas.
Having sung with rock bands in Boston, Summer moved to Europe in 1968 and appeared in German versions of Hair and Porgy And Bess, later marrying Austrian actor Helmut Sommer, from whom she took her stage name.
Summer's first successful records were 'Hostage' and 'Lady Of The Night' for Giorgio Moroder's Oasis label in Munich. They were local hits but it was 'Love To Love You Baby' (1975) that made her an international star. The track featured Summer's erotic sighs and moans over Moroder's hypnotic disco beats and it sold a million copies in the USA on Neil Bogart's Casablanca label. In 1977, a similar formula took 'I Feel Love' to the top of the UK chart, and 'Down Deep Inside', Summer's theme song for the film The Deep was a big international success.
Her own film debut came the next year in Thank God It's Friday, in which she sang another million-seller, 'Last Dance'. This was the peak period of Summer's career as she achieved four more US number 1s in 1978-79 with a revival of Jim Webb 's 'MacArthur Park', 'Hot Stuff', 'Bad Girls' and 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)', a duet with Barbra Streisand.
The demise of disco coincided with a legal dispute between Summer and Bogart and in 1980 she signed to David Geffen 's new company. Her work took on a more pronounced soul and gospel flavour, reflecting her decision to become a born-again Christian. Her first album of the 80s would have been the I'm A Rainbow album, again produced by Moroder's. However, it was decided that it would be a mistake and despite the fact that the album was virtually ready for release, the whole project was dropped at great expense and it would be 1996 before the album would finally be released to the fans. Another album was quickly produced to take its place, 'The Wanderer', the title track producing chart success as well as 'Running for Cover' and 'Who Do You Think You're Foolin'.
In 1982 a Quincy Jones album was released, the self-titled Donna Summer. It yielded success with 'Love Is In Control' and 'State of Independence'. This was followed in 1982 by the slightly feministic album, She Works Hard For The Money', the title track again providing the biggest hit of this album. In 1984 Summer released her Cats Without Claws album, which achieved average success.
After a three-year absence from music, after some trouble securing a record label, Summer returned in 1987 with Warner Brothers and a new album, All Systems Go, a US and European tour and enjoyed another international hit with the catchy 'Dinner With Gershwin'. Two years later Summer was back with US and UK hits 'This Time I Know It's For Real' and 'I Don't Wanna Get Hurt'. Another Place And Time, her bestselling 1989 release for Warner Brothers Records, was written and produced by Stock, Aitken And Waterman.
Donna Summer headed into the 90s with the moderately successful Mistaken Identity album in 1991, her last for Warner, and reunited with Giorgio Moroder one last time in 1992 for the single 'Carry On', a part of a 2 disk anthology, and the single would later win her the best dance track Grammy in 1998.
In 1994 Summer changed pace, releasing a beautiful seasonal album, 'Christmas Spirit', proving there was more to her than dance and pop, and a return to Polygram for this one album. However, to show that she hadn't lost her way the single 'Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)' received moderate success, a part of her greatest hits album, Endless Summer.
Continuing to pop up during the 90s on a variety of compilation albums, guest appearances and duets, Donna Summer finally returned to the spotlight in 1999, signing to Sony Music and recording a VH1 special, later released on CD and video, 'Live and More Encore'. Now Donna's back in the studio recording her new album which should be released soon. During 2000 Summer has appeared on a number of different albums, the most significant perhaps being the Pokemon 2000 film soundtrack, performing the lead singer, 'The Power of One'.
Additional Comment:
The comment about 'I Feel Love' following a simular format has been debated by Donna Summer fans, and I'm inclined to agree. This comment is from the original Yahoo! Music biography, and I am leaving it, however, we agree that what made 'I Feel Love' a classic is the fact that it was a unique song, nothing like it had come before!
Taken from Yahoo music and brought up to date by Greg Smith.
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